- Actors: Dudley Moore, Peter Cook, Spike Milligan, Harry Secombe, Rita Tushingham
- Directors: Richard Lester
- Format: PAL
- Language English
- Subtitles: English
- Region: Region 2 (This DVD may not be viewable outside Europe. Read more about DVD formats.)
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9 - 1.77:1
- Number of discs: 1
- Classification: PG
- Studio: Bfi Video
- DVD Release Date: 25 May 2009
- Run Time: 88.00 minutes
- Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
- ASIN: B001UL7SG2
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 43,575 in Film & TV (See Top 100 in Film & TV)
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Product details |
Reviews
Product Description
In the hazy aftermath of World War III, the fallout from a 'nuclear misunderstanding' (which lasted two minutes and twenty eight seconds, including the signing of the peace treaty) is producing strange mutations amongst the survivors, and the noble Lord Fortnum finds himself transforming into a bed-sitting room.
This vividly imagined, darkly satirical filmic version of a post apocalyptic England, directed by Richard Lester ( A Hard Days Night, How I Won the War, The Knack) is based on the highly regarded play by Spike Milligan and John Antrobus. It also boasts great performances by the cream of 60s British comedy and acting talent: Rita Tushingham, Ralph Richardson, Peter Cook, Harry Secombe, Dudley Moore, Spike Milligan, Michael Horden, Roy Kinnear, Arthur Lowe, Dandy Nichols and Marty Feldman
Extra Features:
- Archival interviews with Richard Lester (1967, 17 minutes), Spike Milligan (1967, 40 minutes) and Peter Cook (1967, 30 minutes)
- Original Trailer
- Illustrated booklet with essay by Michael Brooke (BFI Sight and Sound contributor) and original review and promotional material.
Product Description
United Kingdom released, PAL/Region 2 DVD: LANGUAGES: English ( Dolby Digital 2.0 ), English ( Subtitles ), WIDESCREEN (1.85:1), SPECIAL FEATURES: Anamorphic Widescreen, Booklet, Cast/Crew Interview(s), Interactive Menu, Scene Access, Trailer(s), SYNOPSIS: The specter of atomic warfare raises its head once again in this bizarre 1969 black comedy, directed by Richard Lester and hatched from the mind of twisted British comic Spike Milligan. SCREENED/AWARDED AT: Berlin International Film Festival, ...The Bed Sitting Room
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
35 of 38 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
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.
38 of 43 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
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!
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!
15 of 17 people found the following review helpful
The Great Nuclear Misunderstanding Lasted 2 Minutes And 28 Seconds (including the peace treaty)
16 Jun 2009
Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
Long overdue DVD & BR issue of this unique film. The BFI have done a wonderful job restoring the print - wouldn't it be great to see this in a cinema,too?
The plot seems just as insane as it ever was,(is it ever really possible to make a sane film about nuclear destruction?) and we are left to revel in the great cast performances, and the abundance of gags, both in the script and production design. There are wonderful little moments throughout, such as the shifty way Spike Milligan looks around just before he pockets a scrap he picks from a hole he is digging in the middle of the desolate remains of the M4 Slough turnoff. Fans of Milligan's "dalek" sketch will probably giggle when they note the eviscerated poodle skeleton in Roy Kinnear's car, too!
The plot seems just as insane as it ever was,(is it ever really possible to make a sane film about nuclear destruction?) and we are left to revel in the great cast performances, and the abundance of gags, both in the script and production design. There are wonderful little moments throughout, such as the shifty way Spike Milligan looks around just before he pockets a scrap he picks from a hole he is digging in the middle of the desolate remains of the M4 Slough turnoff. Fans of Milligan's "dalek" sketch will probably giggle when they note the eviscerated poodle skeleton in Roy Kinnear's car, too!
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Most Recent Customer Reviews
A timeless classic!
While it might not be everyone's cup of tea I still find it hilarious. If you like Spike Milligan-type humour you'll like this (even if he doesn't have the starring role).
Published 3 months ago by Pete Crilly
fantastic
wow we have been waiting about 10 years for this to be released on dvd, what an excellent albeit obscure film, you have to watch it again and again just to make sure what you saw... Read more
Published 6 months ago by Tes Simpkins
Fine British Surrealist Satire
This neglected treat is based on a stage play by troubled comic genius, Spike Milligan and his friend, John Antrobus, and directed by Richard Lester, best known at the time for... Read more
Published 9 months ago by Greywolf
A Great absurd Comedy
This is one of my favorite absurd comedies
beside Beckett, Monthy Phyton, Falty Towers
or Bunuel. I never saw such and great absurd
comedy after it... Read more
beside Beckett, Monthy Phyton, Falty Towers
or Bunuel. I never saw such and great absurd
comedy after it... Read more
Published 9 months ago by Allen Smithee
Splendid
Many years ago I read an odd little book called "The Bed Sitting Room", written by Spine Millington (the well known typing error) and have since forgotten all about it. Read more
Published 13 months ago by M. R. N. Shackelford
"That's no porridge, that was my wife!"
With a cast which reads like a who's who of British comedy during the `sixties, The Bed-Sitting Room is a big screen adaptation of Spike Milligan's play set in a very different... Read more
Published 20 months ago by GeekZilla
Comedy and Surrealist Fiilm
Very good history with some great performances by Arthur Lowe and Michael Hordern. One of the best films by Lester.
Published on 6 Oct 2009 by Jesús Martín Pérez
Not so fussed on this one.
Having enjoyed the other Dick Lester movies I have (The Knack, A Hard Day's Night & How I Won The War) I was looking forward to getting this and seeing it. Read more
Published on 5 Oct 2009 by G. W. Judd
The Bed Sitting Room - Finally, a DVD release for this British classic
Scripted by Spike Milligan and directed by Richard Lester and with a cast reading like a Who's Who of the comedy of the era (Milligan himself and fellow Goon Harry Secombe, Peter... Read more
Published on 19 Sep 2009 by Victor
Comedy of the wasteland
The Bed Sitting Room is many things, an oddball British comedy with few laughs, performed by a stellar cast of acting and comic talent, but is an oddity in every sense, the tone... Read more
Published on 7 Aug 2009 by Archie
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
