- Actors: Robert Hamer|Ian Carmichael|Terry-Thomas|Alastair Sim
- Classification: U
- Studio: Warner
- VHS Release Date: 30 May 1995
- Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
- ASIN: B00004CQH7
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 18,129 in Video (See Top 100 in Video)
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Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
England's comic filmmaking duo the Boulting Brothers had several international hits in the 1950s, including such satires of British institutions as I'm All Right Jack (which skewered business and labour),Lucky Jim (higher education) and the 1956 Private's Progress, which took on the military. Boulting favourite Ian Carmichael is wonderful as Stanley Windrush, a university student who interrupts his education for the purely patriotic reason of serving his country as an army officer--and quickly flunks out of training school. Demoted to private, the refined Stanley soon discovers that a soldier's life means keeping company with some rough trade, including a particularly unpolished bloke played by Richard Attenborough. Terry-Thomas is delightful as Major Hitchcock and Dennis Price is very good as Stanley's ever-confounded commanding officer, Tracepurcel. The script eventually veers into a plot about a secret mission to reclaim art treasures confiscated by the Nazis but the film never loses its parodying edge. --Tom Keogh
Amazon.co.uk Review
With a remarkable cast headlined by Ian Carmichael, Richard Attenborough, Dennis Price and Terry Thomas, WWII army comedy Private's Progress was one of the major British hits of 1956. Carmichael is Stanley Windrush, a naïve young soldier who during training falls in with the streetwise Private Cox (Attenborough). Windrush's uncle is the even more ambitiously corrupt Colonel Tracepurcel (Price), who plans to divert the war effort to liberate art treasures already looted by the Germans. The first half of the film is quite pedestrian, though the pace picks up considerably once the heist gets underway, and the cheery tone masks a really rather dark and cynical heart.
Carmichael's innocent abroad quickly wears thin, but Attenborough and Price steal the film, as well as the paintings, with typically excellent turns. With a nod in the direction of Ealing's The Ladykillers (1955) the film also anticipates the attitudes of both The League of Gentlemen (1959) and Joseph Heller's novel Catch 22 (1961), though lacks the latter's greater sophistication. The cast also contains such British stalwarts as William Hartnell, Peter Jones, Ian Bannen, John Le Mesurier, Christopher Lee and David Lodge, and was sufficiently popular to reunite all the major players for the superior sequel, I'm Alright Jack (1959).
On the DVD: Private's Progress is presented in black and white at 4:3 Academy ratio, though the film appears to have been shot full frame and then unmasked for home viewing so there is more top and bottom to the images than at the cinema. The print used shows constant minor damage and is quite grainy, though no more than expected for a low-budget film of the time. The mono sound is average and unremarkable, and there are no special features. --Gary S Dalkin
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
21 of 21 people found the following review helpful
Format:VHS Tape
In this enchantingly funny film Ian Carmichael plays the innocent accident prone ex university lecturer who is conscripted in the army during WW2. Being a lecturer he is automatically sent for officer training. Very quickly we find out that he's not officer material, & is sent back to the ranks. Here he meets up with Richard Attenborough (Private Cox) & learns every dodge in the book. Terry "You're an absolute Shower" Tomas plays the camp commander who catches them on one of their little dodges. Transfers them both to new divisions. Ian Carmichael has been sent to army intelligence to learn Japanese. He is then sent to Germany by his Officer Uncle. So again he's in a great comedy situation, a Japanese interpretator in Germany. Again he meets up with Private Cox, & the scams begin again.
This is a gentle comedy that all the family can watch. There's no bad language or violence as such. It's the type of wet Sunday afternoon film that puts a smile back on your face.
19 of 20 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
Stanley Windrush (Ian Carmichael) is called up during WW2 and sent for training under the permanently exasperated Sergeant played by William Hartnell. Failing officer training he is sent to a holding camp presided over by Terry-Thomas, with his perpetual cry of "You're a shower, an absolute shower". Here he encounters the crafty Private Cox (Richard Attenborough) who explains to him how it is possible to avoid active service more or less indefinitely, only, as he explains "the trouble is you're educated, and that sort of limits, you, doesn't it?". Cox and his mates are up to all sorts of nefarious activities, and Windrush finds himself in all kinds of trouble. Meanwhile his dodgy Uncle Bertie (Dennis Price) is up to some shady dealings in art.
Finally Windrush's luck runs out and he is sent to train as a Japanese interpreter, but unfortunately he is sent to Germany, where Japanese isn't much use. He neds up disguised as a German officer, and once more encounters Uncle Bertie and Private Cox, who are intent on taking possession of as much as they can of a hoarde of art treasures stolen by the Nazis. Windrush, naturally, hasn't a clue what is going on, and manages to get himself captures by the British, who don't believe he's not a German. Safely back in England, with the war ended, it seems his troubles are over, but fate has more surprises in store for him.
This is a very funny film, with Richard Attenborough particularly good as crafty private Cox, and Terry-Thomas and Dennis Price very funny too. Ian Carmichael plays the bemused innocent in several films, but in my opinion this is by far most amusing.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
Private's Progress is one of the great comedies of British cinema, with a top notch cast, both above and below the title, all at the top of their game. Unfortunately Optimum, who have released this edition are not the best company when it comes to quality control and this is a rather poor transfer. The picture quality isn't great and there are two noticeable line blips at the beginning of the film. But the worst fault is a warped soundtrack that causes the music to constantly go in and out of tune. A real shame.
The film is worth five stars and the transfer is worth one, so I've split the difference and given it three stars.
The film is worth five stars and the transfer is worth one, so I've split the difference and given it three stars.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
"An Absolute Show-wer!"
The Halliwell's Film Guide that I used to get and live by always praised 'Private's Progress', but has it ever been on TV? Read more
Published 11 days ago by Tim Kidner
privates progress film 1956
Private's Progress [DVD] this is a brilliant british comedy; a wonderful cast; all in all excellent entertainment
Published 10 months ago by T. Taylor
The film's STILL magnificent, but the synopsis on the DVD case ...
I saw this film on its release when I was a child, and it has remained one of my very favourites for over fifty years. Read more
Published 14 months ago by Mr John Kemp
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