The Bed Sitting Room [DVD] [1969]

Thankfully the BFI have resurrected this long neglected British classic and I hope it attracts a wide audience. For me the feel of this film reminded me of a WWII poster that simply said "Keep Calm & Carry On" because the characters that inhabit a post-apocalyptic England (caused by a nuclear misunderstanding!) react to their predicament with a stiff upper lip and ironic detachment. For instance the police (I adore the contraption they use for transport) continue to politely patrol the land requesting anyone they encounter to `keep moving', whilst the few remaining survivors deal with the prospect of metamorphosing into a domestic dwelling or an item of furniture with varying degrees of stoicism. Spike Milligan's magical surrealism haunts the butchered landscape and peppers the narrative in a manner that evokes the best of Monty Python or some of Terry Gilliam's films. I can watch this film again because there is so much to enjoy, principally the incredible art direction and the hilarious script, confidently directed by Richard Lester and performed by a magnificent cast. This edition includes some priceless archive footage of interviews with Peter Cook, Spike Milligan and Richard Lester.

There are a few movies out there which can be considered "lost" classics, movies unavailable in any format for years and worthy of great praise at the same time (hence, you couldn't call something like a Frank Stallone film a "Lost" classic, obviously). Ken Russell's "The Devils" is one, and Richard Lester's "The Bed-Sitting Room" is another. But the wait is over, as that indispensible institution the BFI are preparing to release this seminal film as part of their new "Flipside" range of little-known classics.

The film is an Absurdist classic of gargantuan proportions, almost as if Salvador Dali and Philip K. Dick cooked the whole thing up whilst drinking tea in Kings Cross one day. In cinematic history only the works of Luis Bunuel really come close, and Hell, he wasn't funny really, was he? In a post-nuclear British landscape dominated by broken crockery and other bric-a-brac, we soon learn that apparently only 20 people survived the apocalypse, and hence, the next in line to the throne is Mrs Ethel Schroake of 393a High Street, Leytonstone. Otherwise other odd characters such as Lord Fortnum of Alamein (Ralph Richardson) who is metamorphosising into a Bed-Sitting Room, and a mad Postman (Spike Milligan) who spouts mad non-sequiturs at random people populate the landscape. I could go on forever about the characters and their quirks (amd transformations), but that would spoil the film somewhat. Let's just say that you'll be suprised how far a film script can go in terms of insanity.

As per usual, the BFI doesn't skimp on the Extra Features where available, and you can expect a lavish illustrated booklet with an essay on the film by journalist Michael Brooke; and archival interviews with Lester, Milligan and Peter Cook. God bless the BFI - And with releases of other lost classics planned in the near-future, they deserve our respect. Buy and watch in awe!

I've been searching for a decent copy of this film for years, ever since I saw it in my university days on late night TV. Now, finally, it's come to not only DVD but Blu-ray. While the source print might have benefitted from some digital restoration, this edition is still far superior to the bootleg copies that have been floating around for ages. Great to have the period interviews as well.