Three Men in a Boat (1956) - film review

London, in the late 19th Century. Harris is lamenting his forthcoming engagement to a young society girl when his friend J. suggests that they take a boating holiday on the River Thames.  This they have been meaning to do for years and now, with both men needing a break from feminine intrusion in their lives, would appear to be an ideal time to do so.  Their mutual friend George, a banker’s clerk, is at first reluctant to join them but agrees when he learns that the father of one of his many female diversions is heading his way with a horsewhip.  Starting at Kingston-upon-Thames, the three men intend to row as far as Oxford, where they will enjoy a cricket match.  Things get off to a bad start when Harris and J. lose themselves in the maze at Hampton Court Palace, whilst George works his charm on three eligible, and highly desirable, young women.  Bad weather and minor camping disasters do not deter our three intrepid heroes, although their unwitting success in sabotaging the Henley Regatta makes you wonder where it will all end...

Ken Annakin’s adaptation of Jerome K. Jerome’s popular novel Three Men in a Boat is a spirited, albeit pretty aimless, farce which captures much of the fun of the original story, without adhering religiously to its plot (what there is of it).  Whilst not as entertaining as the director’s later comedy epics Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines (1965) and Monte Carlo or Bust! (1969), this offers some memorable comic set-pieces, the best of which is the hilarious Hampton Court Maze sequence.  The humour is pretty juvenile, which means that the film is more likely to appeal to children than adults.   It is worth watching the film to see Laurence Harvey in a rare comic role, although Jimmy Edwards is the only member of the cast who feels truly at ease with the film’s boisterous slapstick.

© filmsdefrance.com 2010

Write a review for this film...

What do you think of this film?