Not a Wilting Violet (Wilt (DVD))

Member Name: stevepeto

Product:	Wilt (DVD)
Date:	25/10/08 (346 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: humour

Disadvantages: quite dated

***Movie***
Henry Wilt (Griff Rhys Jones) is a plain, boring Liberal Studies teacher at his local college. His career is going nowhere as his boss dislikes him and so keeps on turning him over for promotion on top of this his domineering wife constantly henpecks at him. Henry who has an oft fatalistic view of life fantasises about killing his wife in a gruesome way.

One evening whilst at a party with his wife, Eva (Alison Steadman) he is humiliated by one of her old school friends, Sally (Diana Quick), when she ties him to a blow up doll called Angelique. His upset wife stays at her friend's house whilst Henry slopes home alone. On his way home he discovers the wonderful Angelique in the back seat of his car and decides to get rid of the offending article once and for all by dropping it down a foundation shaft close to his school. Next day Policeman Russell Flint (Mel Smith) is called to the construction site after a worker thinks he saw a woman's body at the bottom of the shaft.

Finding some of Henry's school paperwork at the scene, and it being discovered that his wife is missing, he (Henry) is brought in to help with Police enquiries, where after a while the over zealous Flint thinks he has caught a serial killer called the Swaffam Strangler...

Adapted from a Tom Sharpe novel of the same name, I have read about people being disappointed with the film, believing it to be too family friendly and not 100% true to the book. I however have not read any of Tom Sharpe's books so had to take the film as it was and I have to say I found it very entertaining. But then I have always been a fan of the two main actors, especially in their Alas Smith and Jones show. Also if we look at the past works of writers Andrew Marshall and David Renwick we see things like the Two Ronnies and Kenny Everett, so you know the kind of humour that you will get from the off.

Today's comedy market is generally saturated with American comedy films and so it is such a refreshing change to watch some good ol British humour (even if it was made in 1989), and this is English comedy at it's best. Mel and Griff work so well off of each other, Smith with his loud, jump in, brash style and Jones with a very dry, very logical humour compliment each other so well. I found that in places the movie seemed very "sketch " like, as if it were part of the show on TV.

Low and behold this movie will not appeal to everyone, more-so I suspect Tom Sharpe fans. But to the rest of us who enjoy Smith and Jones and similar comedians we will lap up the humour within, and whilst not the best film in the world can certainly hold interest and pull more than it's fair share of laughs during its 88 minute running time.

***Presentation***
The video itself is fairly clear, however you can tell that it is a print of some age, there was also some graininess and I am sure I detected some edge enhancement in places although if I am honest this did not detract from the enjoyment of the film at all. Sound wise the feature is presented in Dolby Digital 2.0 it suffered occasionally from low dialogue but for the most part is sufficient for the material.

***Extras***
The first four features are essentially very short interviews, and they tend to reuse a lot of the same material between them, they are fairly entertaining though and do give a bit more insight into both the characters and Mel and Griff as actors and comedians.Saturday night at the movies - Smith & Jones interviewed about Wilt 4/11/89.

Wilt Featurette.
Mel Smith Interview.
Griff Rhys Jones Interview.
Director: Michael Tuchner Interview.
Location Footage.
TV Clips.
Theatrical Trailer.
Overall

A superbly written and very funny movie, whilst maybe not appealing fully to Tom Sharpe purists will have the rest of us laughing out loud. So I guess if you are a Sharpe fan and expect the film to be a direct offshoot of the book you may be disappointed. I have recommended this to buyers although I would say you may want to wait until you can get it for under a fiver.

© This review is entirely my own work but may have been cross posted elsewhere. MAY also be published under the name sjp1966 on Ciao UK and Ciao US and also under sjp1966 on the Digital Lard website to which I am a contributor, as well as cross posted to IMDB external reviews. 2008

Summary: classic, but dated comedy