Dad's Army (1971) Movie Review

Dad's Army (1971)   3/53/53/53/53/5


Arthur Lowe and John Le Mesurier in Dad's Army (1971)

Don't Panic

With it appearing to be inevitable that the German enemy will launch an attack on Britain, the British Prime Minister puts through orders for volunteers to set up a Home Guard. In the small seaside town of Walmington-on-Sea the self important bank manager Mr. Mainwaring (Arthur Lowe - You Must Be Joking!) decides to install himself as Captain of a mixed bunch of volunteers to become the Walmington-on-Sea Home Guard. When a visiting Major-General arrives to put the men through their paces these old, wannabee soldiers manage to bungle their way through each and every task. But when the Germans arrive and take the Mayor hostage in the church it is this ram shackle bunched of volunteers who in their own way will have to save the day.

I've mentioned this before; as a child born at the start of the 70s much of what I watched as a child was down to my parent's preferences and they always enjoyed British sitcoms. As such one of the TV shows I grew up watching was "Dad's Army" and even now when I know my parents, especially my dad, will watch the repeats of the show which are frequently shown on TV. Now up until recently I never knew that between series they made a "Dad's Army" movie, yet as I watched "Dad's Army" the movie from 1971 I quickly discovered I had seen much of it before with such classic scenes such as Cpl. Jones and his converted van with a gas balloon on the top.

Liz Fraser and Ian Lavender in Dad's Army (1971)

The thing is that whether "Dad's Army" the movie ends up familiar or not it is still a lot of fun even now more than 40 years after it was made. The whole storyline about the Walmington-on-Sea volunteer home guard being formed is full of humour and even when you know what mishap scene is about to happen, such as one involving tents being steam rolled, it still manages to put a smile on your face and laugh, even if it is only on the inside. But unless you have never seen an episode of "Dad's Army" there isn't a great deal more to say although as a product of 1971 there are some unsurprising politically incorrect scenes and dialogue which might shock some ears who watch this for the first time now.

What this all boils down to is that "Dad's Army" has the feel of being several episodes of the classic British comedy woven together into one feature length episode. And as such it is a lot of fun for those who remember watching them back in the 70s or to be honest the numerous repeats of them which constantly appear on TV now.

Tags: British TV Shows & Their Movies


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