Confessions from a Holiday Camp (1977)
Directed by Norman Cohen

Comedy
aka: Confessions of a Summer Camp Councillor

Film Review

Abstract picture representing Confessions from a Holiday Camp (1977)
The Confessions films had well and truly run out of steam by the time they got to this, the fourth and final instalment in the series.  It's a close thing but this mindless mix of tedious slapstick and tacky erotica just manages to beat Carry on Emmannuelle to the position of worst British film comedy ever - it even succeeds in making the pretty dire Holiday on the Buses (1973) look respectable.  Plans to make a further two Confessions films were permanently shelved when interest in low budget sex comedies of this ilk took a sudden nosedive in the late 1970s - thank God.

What contributes to this being one of unfunniest comedies of all time is its reliance on gags that have overt racial and homophobic overtones.  It's incredible to think that these jokes were ever funny; in our more enlightened times, they are more likely to turn your stomach than make you laugh.  As for the theme song, which is spiritedly rendered by The Wurzels (of I am a Cider Drinker fame), this merely sounds like a rejected anthem for the British National Party, a bovver boy translation of Deutschland, Deutschland über alles.  No doubt about it, Confessions from a Holiday Camp marks the absolute nadir of British cinema and it deserves to be buried in an unmarked grave, preferably on some lifeless world  in the far-flung reaches of the galaxy.
© James Travers 2010
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.

Film Synopsis

Timmy Lea and his brother-in-law Sidney Noggett appear to have finally found their metier as entertainment officers at Funfrall holiday camp.  But their easy life is scuppered when the camp is taken over by a new manager, Mr Whitemonk, a former prison officer who intends to instil some discipline into his staff whilst livening things up for the campers.   Timmy gets into his new boss's good books by suggesting the camp should stage a beauty contest.  Unfortunately, the contestants think they can improve their chances of winning by making Timmy an offer he can't refuse...
© James Travers
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.


Film Credits

  • Director: Norman Cohen
  • Script: Christopher Wood
  • Cinematographer: Ken Hodges
  • Music: Ed Welch
  • Cast: Robin Askwith (Timmy Lea), Anthony Booth (Sidney Noggett), Bill Maynard (Mr. Lea), Doris Hare (Mrs. Lea), Sheila White (Rosie Noggett), Linda Hayden (Brigitte), Lance Percival (Lionel), John Junkin (Whitemonk), Liz Fraser (Mrs. Whitemonk), Colin Crompton (Roughage), Nicholas Bond-Owen (Kevin), Mike Savage (Kevin's Dad), Janet Edis (Kevin's Mum), Nicola Blackman (Blackbird), Caroline Ellis (Glad), Sue Upton (Reen), Penny Meredith (Married Woman), Deborah Brayshaw (Go Cart Girl), Kim Hardy (Announcer), David Auker (Alberto Smarmi)
  • Country: UK
  • Language: English
  • Support: Color
  • Runtime: 88 min
  • Aka: Confessions of a Summer Camp Councillor

The very best of French film comedy
sb-img-7
Thanks to comedy giants such as Louis de Funès, Fernandel, Bourvil and Pierre Richard, French cinema abounds with comedy classics of the first rank.
The very best of the French New Wave
sb-img-14
A wave of fresh talent in the late 1950s, early 1960s brought about a dramatic renaissance in French cinema, placing the auteur at the core of France's 7th art.
The best of American film noir
sb-img-9
In the 1940s, the shadowy, skewed visual style of 1920s German expressionism was taken up by directors of American thrillers and psychological dramas, creating that distinctive film noir look.
The very best period film dramas
sb-img-20
Is there any period of history that has not been vividly brought back to life by cinema? Historical movies offer the ultimate in escapism.
The history of French cinema
sb-img-8
From its birth in 1895, cinema has been an essential part of French culture. Now it is one of the most dynamic, versatile and important of the arts in France.
 

Other things to look at


Copyright © filmsdefrance.com 1998-2024
All rights reserved



All content on this page is protected by copyright