Cor, Blimey! (2000) (TV)

User Rating:

8.1/10   

Director:

Terry Johnson

Writer:

Terry Johnson (written by)

Release Date:

24 April 2000 (UK)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Plot:

Dramatisation of the love affair between Sidney James and Barbara Windsor, played out against the backdrop of the 'Carry On' films during the 1960s and 1970s. |

Plot Keywords:

Carry On | Affair | Fling | Marriage | Actor

Cast

Jacqueline Defferary	...	Sally
Geoffrey Hutchings	...	Sid James
David McAllister	...	Gerald Thomas (as David McAlister)
Jason Round	...	Clapper Loader
Adam Godley	...	Kenneth Williams
Steve Speirs	...	Bernard Bresslaw
Hugh Walters	...	Charles Hawtrey
Samantha Spiro	...	Barbara Windsor
Alan Barnes	...	1st Assistant Director
Maria Charles	...	Charlie's Mum
Chrissie Cotterill	...	Joan Sims
Louise Delamere	...	Imogen
Alice Bailey Johnson	...	Alice
Derek Howard	...	Kenneth Connor
Richard Vanstone	...	Alf

Runtime:

108 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Filming Locations:

New Wimbledon Theatre, The Broadway, Wimbledon, London, England, UK

Company:

Company Television

Trivia:

Based on Terry Johnston's play "Cleo, Camping, Emmanuelle and Dick", performed in the Royal National Theatre in London, UK. Many members of the original cast - including the three leads Samantha Spiro, Geoffrey Hutchings and Adam Godley - reprised their original stage roles for this adaptation.

Goofs:

Factual errors: Sid James is shown having a near-fatal heart attack in 1969. When Barbara Windsor visits him disguised as a nurse he shows her a newspaper saying Tony Hancock has committed suicide. Sid James suffered this heart attack in 1967 and Hancock died in 1968.

Quotes:

Barbara Windsor: I think heaven's being left alone with a Steinbeck in the edit suite. You sit in front of your life and you're allowed to re-edit it. Cut the rotten bits, loop the sex, montage the good moments. Live it over and over, a bit better every time. And eventually, make it perfect.

Movie Connections:

References Cleopatra (1963)

Successful blend of Carry On humour and drama

Covering the Carry On films of the 1960's with Cleo, Camping, Girls and Girls, Cor Blimey follows the affair between Sid James and Barbara Windsor. Taking years before anything happens, Windsor generally avoids the pitfall that is James' infamous libido but tongues are wagging on top of all the usual bickering and cat-fighting behind the scenes in the Carry On team.

BBC2 did a recent night on the Carry On films that featured a few films and a few documentaries, among them this film that manages to be a bit of both. Based on Terry Johnson's play, the film presents a story similar to the "behind the scenes" dramas that BBC2 have done recently focusing on Kenneth Williams, Frankie Howerd and Steptoe & Son but also delivered in the cheeky style of the Carry On films themselves. Watching it I thought that this approach would prevent the film getting to the heart of the characters and that it would be too jokey to produce real pathos. It may not totally get there but it does work surprisingly well as it manages to mix the styles reasonably well, even if the first half has the majority of the comedy and the second half more of the drama. Both work well though and I found the film to be both entertaining and engaging. Directing his own script, Johnson produces the look and feel of the period and the films and is responsible for getting the mix right.

The cast respond well to this with performances that are much more than just impressions. Most of them only bear a passing resemblance to the real people but they all do well with the voices, however the real success is in how good their performances are. After a short while you forget the differences and soon you are sold on the actors as the real thing. Spiro's Windsor is good bringing out the frustrated pull out of the bubbling exterior. She works well with Hutchings, who also slowly turns his lecherous character into something more human, pained and engaging. The support cast are just that but yet has generally strong turns. Godley's Williams is of particular note but Walters, Cotterill, Speirs and Howard all do their characters justice.

I watched Cor, Blimey with no great expectations but it turned out to be a great little film that all Carry On fans will enjoy. It successfully brings the pathos and emotion out of a funnier first half without it being jarring or seeming unnatural but indeed matches the feel of the films and the period to good effect. Carry On lovers should watch it but it is also good enough to win over the casual viewer with only a passing interest.