Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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56 of 59 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
These Spin-off Films Are Better Than The Television Series Itself, 17 Mar 2007
The On The Buses TV series is one that I have always looked upon with nostalgia and fondness but recently having bought the boxset of the entire series I find that my memories are playing tricks, the show is not as good as I remember, it is still very funny and entertaining but it feels a little outdated.
The three movies on the other hand are perhaps the only spin-off adaptations to a comedy show that are better than the parent series itself.
The films manage to come up with three nicely contrasting storylines that admittedly do use various elements of plots from the tv shows, such as Stan messing up a radio control system and Olive being given a job in the bus canteen and so on, but unless you know the history of the show this doesn't really matter.
The first film 'On The Buses' deals with the idea of female bus drivers threatening the jobs of their male counterparts and Stan and the team dreaming up all kinds of plans to get rid of them, this is probably the most faithful film in regards to the format of the tv series in that it does feel like an extension to the show.
'Mutiny On The Buses' is by contrast a film comprised of set pieces or smaller plotlines, such as Stan's engagement, Olive's pregnancy, Arthur losing his job and being trained by Stan to be a bus driver, a new horrible manager taking over at the depot and even a trip to windsor safari park and many more. Most of these plots could have be used as a basis for a film in their own right but the fact that they are all in there and that they do form a coherent story is amazing. It is because of the fragmented approach to the film that it is most likely the weakest of the three but it is still very enjoyable.
'Holiday On The Buses' is generally regarded as the best of the three by the fans and the viewing public and that assessment is just about right.
It seems as though this was a case of "What can we do now to avoid repetition?" The answer! Have Stan, Jack and Blakey fired from the bus service and then have them wind up in new jobs at the same Butlins type holiday camp, and it works, there is a freshness and originality that seperates this movie from the rest of the franchise and yet at the same time anchors the situation into the ongoing threads of the previous films and series. Throw in Wilfrid Brambel, Arthur Mullard and a good cast of strong comedy actors and you have the funniest film of the three.
The three films were a financial and critical success for Hammer Pictures, better known for horror movies and a fourth film entitled 'Fun On The Buses' was planned, why it wasn't made I don't know, but these films are historic because they were the first big screen adaptations based on a popular comedy tv show and their success inspired a rush for other comedy shows of the era to be given the movie treatment and a whole new sub culture of films was born.
Very enjoyable indeed.
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17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A retro look at Britain as it was, 22 Feb 2008
Instead of watching the rubbish that's broadcast today, I thought I'd buy these classic feature films of the 70's.
Starting with 'On The Buses', this is 70's Britain, when women were starting to take on normal jobs...a far cry from the housewife of the 60's. Luxton & District take on women drivers and calamity ensues. Quite un-PC but very very funny, in a 'Carry On' style.
Next is 'Mutiny On The Buses. This follows the story from the previous film, and visits Windsor Safari park in the process.
The third of the trilogy is 'Holiday On The Buses', filmed at Pontins in Prestatyn, North Wales. An absolute hoot from start to finish, with lots of scrapes throughout.
The whole idea of a family being bonded together as such is now quite dated, and the high street scenes of the first two films prove how far we have come with the advent of out-of-town shopping centres, although I'm not sure this is a good thing. The film quality and sound quality is great on these disks but there are no extra features. Obviously in the 70's extra features weren't deemed neccessary so these weren't made. I don't have a problem with this. Extra info can be found on Google and various fan sites. The big attraction for me is the fantastic capture of life in the year I was born, with gorgeous footage in all 3 films of the early 70's. References made to non-PC topics are refreshing, and an indication of where we've ended up following years of political correctness.
Long live Blakey, Butler and Harper. The acting was great, the script was pretty good and the quality was good too. Instead of 'paying-per-view', buy this 3 film set and have a good laugh!!
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17 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
on the buses , 13 Aug 2007
these films were and still are a classic it proves you dont need to spend lots of money to make a good film and not swearing suitable for all ages only one more thing to say get that bus out aaahhhhh
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