Carry On England
Dir: Gerald Thomas
1976
*
By 1976, the Carry On films had had their day. Only Kenneth Connor, Peter Butterworth, Joan Sims and director Gerald Thomas were originals, the rest had moved on, been sacked or had sadly died. Sid James died only 2 weeks before filming began, it's sad and unthinkable that the franchise could even continue without him and the others. Connor, Butterworth and Sims are all still wonderful and newcomer and already much loved actor Windsor Davies is brilliant, as is old favorite Peter Jones. The real problem is the shift in style. The Carry On films have always been raunchy but the late 70s brought looser rules and full on nudity replaced the inventiveness of double entendre and the overall charm was lost. With 27 films before it, it had a good run and sadly nothing lasts for ever.