12 out of 12 people found the following review helpful:

bed sitting room

no1forks from , 6th August, 2009

crap not a lot to say really

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3 out of 3 people found the following review helpful:

Surrealist Gooning Spike Milligan Movie

sandy666 from , 6th July, 2009

The film is a surrealist post-apocalyptic story set in England after a nuclear war. Frankly, the whole film is absurd, there isn't a whole lot of story, or climax. Rather the film is a collection of sketches acted out by characters as they wander about the post-apocalyptic wasteland. The imagery is strange too, with England being reduced to a stark, unfamiliar wasteland. Fans of the Goon Show, mostly written by Milligan, will be most at home here, the jokes are more sporadic and it doesn't follow a story line like most of the Goon show does. Seacombe, Milligan, Cook and Dudley Moore all take a turn. However the film remains steadfastedly incomprehensible, except in the view that nuclear war is Not A Good Thing. At 90 minutes, the film is not too long, but not for anyone looking for story, plot or climax. A film for Goon Show fans who want more, or for fans of the surrealist movement who want to see how it might translate into film. Very much a strange, historical artefact of cinema history. Definitely not for those looking for laughs or a Saturday evening's entertainment. For that, I'd look elsewhere.

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1 out of 1 people found the following review helpful:

A cast to die for...

A Customer from Bodmin, 27th August, 2009

Not nearly as funny as it thinks it is, but it was great to see this again after all these years. A bunch of great character actors having a ball - couldn't fail in my book. Self-indulgent? Of course! Particularly enjoyed Ralph Richardson and Michael Hordern, not to mention Frank Thornton as the BBC.

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1 out of 1 people found the following review helpful:

Odd doesn't even begin to cover it...

A Customer from Grays, 18th August, 2009

I was dismayed to read so many negative reviews and wanted to add my humble opinion to the debate... The principal attraction of this film for me was the cast. It's packed to the gills with familiar faces - Peter Cook and Dudley Moore, Arthur Lowe, Spike Milligan, Harry Secombe, Michael Hordern, Ralph Richardson, Jimmy Edwards and Marty Feldman. All of them comedy or acting legends, the film buff in me had to see this film. And I wasn't disappointed. Greatly bemused, yes - but disappointed, no. Do not approach this film with any expectation of plot, convention or logic. Treat it as a collection of surreal sketches in the Monty Python/Spike Milligan vein, and you could be in for a surprise. It's a satire on modern times and the arms race. It's a study of the human condition and the absurdities of bureaucracy. It's the story of a man who turns into a bed-sit... It didn't have me rolling on the floor in stitches, but it does provide many chuckles, unforgettable dialogue, and visual setpieces that are simply stunning, even today. This is jet black comedy mixed with art, a surreal trip designed to tickle the funny bone and make you think. If any of this review has made you curious, please give this a go. Treat it as you would a night at the theatre (it was originally a play, after all). You're unlikely to see a film like this again, don't miss it now!

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*** May contain spoilers ***

Very of its time and possibly forgotten about

A Customer from london, 20th October, 2009

Very of its time and possibly forgotten about, until the BFI released it, i only knew about this film from a still i saw in a film book from over thirty years ago! This image of Dandy Nichols dressed as the Queen on a horse, under a construction of old washing machine, which are made to look somewhat like Marble Arch, as stayed with me ever since! A very surreal and 'British' comedy about a post nuclear Britain. Sending up British characteristics that seem to be long gone and are kind of 'doubtfully' recognisable in 2009. A shame really; the British upper-classes carry on to be labored on by lesser classes in what seems to be a quarry or a land fill. The doctor and police control what is left and the hip youngsters, Penelope (Rita Tushingham) and Allan (Richard Warwick) gayly carry on but still listen to their father (Arthur Lowe). The film and its humour mock the ideology of the optimism of the British during the previous wars. The film is only carried along with its odd and absurd wit, you really have to study it to find the 'laughs' as the narrative is mostly redundant and the pacing impossible to really enjoy. The hugely recognisable British cast are all, but a few dead! Marty Feldman, Micheal Horden, Arthur Lowe, Peter Cook, Dudley Moore, Harry Secombe, Spike Milligan and Sir Ralph. The art direction and design of this post-apocalyptic world, seemed to have greatly influenced a number of other directors such as Terry Gilliam and in Luc Besson's Le dernier combat.

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They were trying too hard...

A Customer from OXON, 3rd October, 2009

Huge potential if you look at the cast list but frankly, this was an embarrassing and cheap example of British cinema at its worst. Avoid.

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the bed sitting room

fireyjack from , 11th September, 2009

I am a fan of Dudley Moore and Peter Cook. But this film, however, was incredibly painful to watch. It was entirely without plot and stability.

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The Bed Sitting Room - My Review

DaddyTank from from Ulan Bator, 11th September, 2009

Beautiful looking, utterly bonkers. The anti war message is a bit obscured by Spike Milligans madness, and it is all a little bit Thesp-y but an interesting slice of 70's british film.

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