Film Review
One of the most memorable crime comedies of the 1960s,
The Wrong Arm of the Law calls to
mind that earlier Ealing comedy classic,
The Lavender Hill Mob (1951),
although the humour is somewhat more sophisticated and characters a tad
more convincing. What both films have in common is that they
provide an insight into the Britain of their day - the post-war
austerity and entrenched class system in the earlier film and improved
living standards, coupled with the growing power of the trades unions,
in the latter. The screenplay was written by a formidable team
consisting of Ray Galton, Alan Simpson and John Antrobus - the latter
wrote some episodes of the hit radio series
The Goon Show whilst the former two
scripted some of Britain's most successful radio and television series,
including
Hancock's Half-Hour
and
Steptoe and Son.
Peter Sellers heads a terrific ensemble cast comprising some very
familiar British actors - Lionel Jeffries, Bernard Cribbins, Nanette
Newman, John Le Mesurier and Arthur Mullard. Watch very closely
and you may catch a glimpse of Michael Caine, who would later feature
in the best British crime comedy of them all,
The Italian Job (1969).
Sellers is perfect for the part of the cockney king of crime who has a
sideline as a high class couturier, allowing him to perfect the French
accent that he would put to good use as Inspector Clouseau in his
subsequent
Pink Panther films.
Brisk, witty and quintessentially British in the way it lampoons
authority whilst championing the little man,
The Wrong Arm of the Law is one of
the most enjoyable British comedies of the 1960s.
© James Travers 2009
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Film Synopsis
London gang leader Pearly Gates is none too pleased when a rival gang,
disguised as police officers, thwart his brilliantly contrived
robberies and run off with the ill-gotten gains. To Gates's mind,
impersonating a police office is not something that your honest,
self-respecting felon would ever contemplate, so he gathers together
London's criminal fraternity to form a syndicate in a bid to flush out
the maverick crooks. Out of desperation, Gates offers the police
a truce if they will help him capture the rogue criminals and thereby
restore the status quo. Inspector Parker of the Yard is
enthusiastic about the idea, until he learns that he must join Gates's
gang...
© James Travers
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.