Frequently Bought Together
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Product details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
Reviews
Product Description
Comedy set in Victorian times about a group bet on who'll be the last to die. A veritable who's-who of the sixties British comedy scene, 'The Wrong Box' concerns two brothers (John Mills and Ralph Richardson) who are the last surviving members of a tontine, an investment scheme set up many years before in which the last surviving member stands to receive a fortune. The pair's relatives, however, eschew waiting for fate and instead opt to hurry along the course of nature by a series of hilarious and unlikely attempts on the older men's lives. Michael Caine plays Mills' grandson Michael, a mindless medical student, and the ever-witty Peter Cook and Dudley Moore play Morris and John - Richardson's two schemingly avaricious nephews. Also features guest appearances by the Brit comedy icons Tony Hancock and Peter Sellers.
Synopsis
Years before the story proper in The Wrong Box gets under way, a 'tontine' is drawn up on behalf several young British boys. Each of the boys' parents had placed £1,000 in a pool, to be invested and expanded upon. The resultant fortune will go to the last surviving member of the tontine. A series of montages depicts the various demises of the heirs (in one instance, one of them is inadvertently beheaded while being knighted by Queen Victoria). Finally, only two of the tontine participants are left: aged brothers Ralph Richardson and John Mills. On his last legs, Mills is determined that Richardson will not outlive him, and to that end attempts to kill his brother; each attempt fails spectacularly, with the doddering Richardson none the wiser. Standing to benefit from the tontine are Mills' dim-witted med-student son Michael Caine and Richardson's greedy nephews Peter Cook and Dudley Moore. When Richardson is supposedly killed in a train wreck, Cook and Moore don't want the authorities to find out, so they appropriate what they think is their uncle's corpse and ship it home in a box. Thus it is that Caine finds the body of a perfect stranger on his doorstep. The farcical complications begin flying about thick and fast from this point onward. Among the participants in this wacky gigglefest are such formidable talents as Peter Sellers, Tony Hancock, Wilfred Lawson, Thorley Walters, Norman Rossington, Irene Handl, and Cicely Courtenedge. Based on a novel by Robert Louis Stevenson, The Wrong Box is a delightful hark back to the glory days of Britain's Ealing comedies.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
26 of 27 people found the following review helpful
By K. Clarke
Format:DVD
This little gem of a film from 1966 is just hilarious. I first came across a "tontine line" myself when researching my family ancestry and one or two of my ancestors had been named in a Tontine line. The very nature of it with the last surviving person getting the whole investment leaves its self open the sort of comedy situation we find in this film. And the Brits show again they know how to do comedy better than anyone else. It is no less funny 44 years on with just the right cast to carry it off superbly. It is great to see Peter Cook & Dudley Moore who were at the beginning of their very sucessful career together, a young Michael Caine & everyone else has mentioned how Peter Sellars stole this show. This is one of those comedies that could take a lot of repeat viewings. I believe that the "houses" we see these two families rushing in and out of were at The Circus, Bath, in England. Don't miss this one.
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
This DVD of the Wrong Box is long overdue, it has long only been available in VHS or poor quality copies, both overpriced.
This is one heck of a funny movie with a great cast of British comedians, Tony Hancock, Peter Sellers, Peter Cooke & Dudley Moore,(most now sadly passed on) with a surprising number of serious actors (Michael Caine, Ralph Richardson, John Mills) thrown in as well. Plus many other recognisable "faces" that you recognise but cannot put a name to. In fact I would say that this is British farce at its best.
My one complaint with this DVD is that there is nothing in the way of extras, (I don't count trailers as extras), but then again it is an inexpensive disc.
I was taken to see this when it came out & I am delighted to see it available at last.
This is one heck of a funny movie with a great cast of British comedians, Tony Hancock, Peter Sellers, Peter Cooke & Dudley Moore,(most now sadly passed on) with a surprising number of serious actors (Michael Caine, Ralph Richardson, John Mills) thrown in as well. Plus many other recognisable "faces" that you recognise but cannot put a name to. In fact I would say that this is British farce at its best.
My one complaint with this DVD is that there is nothing in the way of extras, (I don't count trailers as extras), but then again it is an inexpensive disc.
I was taken to see this when it came out & I am delighted to see it available at last.
38 of 41 people found the following review helpful
By M. Dugdale
Format:DVD
Base on a story by Robert Louis Stevenson, one of the most eclectic casts of English comedy actors are brought together in a farce that revolves around an inheritance from a Tontine, a Victorian device for ensuring a lump sum award to the survivor of a selected group.
Sadly, there are few survivors from the cast, but Peter Sellars puts in a cameo appearance which cannot be faulted. One of my favourite films.
Sadly, there are few survivors from the cast, but Peter Sellars puts in a cameo appearance which cannot be faulted. One of my favourite films.
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
›
Go to Amazon.com to see all 68 reviews
4.7 out of 5 stars
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
A brilliant British classic
I've been looking for a copy of this British classic for some time and the film is as good as I remembered, with an ensemble cast of 1960s British comedy actors in a wonderfully... Read more
Published 10 days ago by iBozz
5.0 out of 5 stars
my vintage collection
Another lovely addition to my collection. the quality of the film is very good and the shipment could not be faulted.
Published 2 months ago by Sabine
4.0 out of 5 stars
A good laugh
Saw some of this on tv a while back, so bought it on dvd. It is a good laugh and great to see lots of well known faces.
Published 2 months ago by janet
5.0 out of 5 stars
bought it because of memories of when first came out. Did not...
A stellar line up of actors. Performances first class. Totally enjoyable humour with some fine cameo performances. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Milly
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wonderful film.
This is a great classic British film comedy. Starring some of the best names in British film and theatre history, including Sir Ralph Richardson, John Mills, Michael Caine, Peter... Read more
Published 5 months ago by Tough Chops
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great cast & really funny.
A "Must buy" - I'd even kill the pompous old bore myself. The cast is superb with not a single dud performance from any of them.
Published 6 months ago by Dr. B. A. Juby
1.0 out of 5 stars
just plain silly
With a cast list that reads like a who's who of british actors i was so looking forward to this but am afraid to say was sorely disappointed. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Vlad the emailer
2.0 out of 5 stars
Oh Dear!
Given the cast of actors in this film (amongst others Michael Caine, Peter Sellers, Tony Hancock, Peter Cooke, Dudley Moore and John Mills) it is easy to believe this film will be... Read more
Published 12 months ago by Eileen Emberlin
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Wrong Box
Wildly implausible, but totally hilarious in a dark and macabre fashion. The feeling of watching an impossible plot succeed against the odds has one daring the cast to perform... Read more
Published 14 months ago by LizzieB
5.0 out of 5 stars
fall about laughing
With a high class cast, there was little to do but sit back and wait to be entertained. Set in victorian England, the members of a tontine wait for the death of each other. Read more
Published 15 months ago by librarylinda
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
![[Start the discussion]](http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/02/x-locale/communities/discussion_boards/start-new-discussion-sec._V192198663_.gif){kind=small}
Listmania!
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
