Carry On - Don't Lose Your Head
A film review by Graeme Huggan
Copyright 1998
Originally titled 'Don't Lose Your Head', this parody of the Scarlet Pimpernel story was the first Carry On to be produced by Rank Film Productions. Two English fops, the 'powdered, be-wigged, be-ribboned' Sir Rodney Ffing (Sidney James) and his counterpart Lord Darcy Pew (Jim Dale) decide to travel to revolutionary France in an attempt to rescue their fellow French royalists and aristocrats from losing their heads by the guillotine. Due to a series of machinations and disguises, they are largely successful. Ffing becomes known as 'The Black Fingernail' because he leaves a calling card behind which shows two fingers sticking up, one with a black fingernail. After the Fingernail rescues a prominent royalist the Duc de Pommfrit (Charles Hawtrey), Citizen Robespierre (Peter Gilmore) orders the head of the Secret Police Citizen 'the Big Cheese' Camembert (Kenneth Williams) and Citizen Bidet (Peter Butterworth) to follow the Fingernail to England and do away with him. (In fact, Darcy and Ffing are their coachmen!) Once at Calais, the Fingernail meets Jacqueline (Dany Robin) and they fall in love instantly. He tells her his identity and gives her his locket. When Camembert realises that the Fingernail is nearby, he searches the inn at Calais and captures Jacqueline, thinking that she is wearing a diguise and is really the Fingernail! Jacqueline is imprisoned in the Bastille and Camembert, his love Desiree Dubarry (Joan Sims), and Bidet all travel to London in pursuit of the Fingernail. They pretend to be of noble stock, calling themselves the Duc and Duchesse de la Plume de ma Tante (with Bidet their assistant) and are invited by Darcy to a Ball held by Ffing. Desiree finds out that Ffing is the Fingernail by wearing the locket around her neck, but she ends up falling in love with him. Ffing attempts to stall Camembert so that he can return to the Bastille to rescue Jacqueline, Camembert has her moved to the 'Chateau Neuve', and a climactic sword-fight decides who will lose their heads at the end of the film! A more complex story than most Carry Ons, this film enjoys good production values (sets, costumes) and an on-form cast. Sid James is excellent as the English fop and Black Fingernail, Kenneth Williams excels as the evil Camembert, and Peter Butterworth expertly plays the substantial part of Camembert's thick-witted crony. Other acting honours go to Joan Sims who is perfect as Desiree and Charles Hawtrey who is excellent as the French aristo Pommfrit. Although it suffers from a disasterously over-long sword fight at the end of the film, it is largely successful due to the performances of the main stars, its slick and professional production, and its better-than-usual script. Definitely one of the best of the series and a joy to watch.
My rating: 4 out of 5 stars.
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