The Wrong Box
Dir: Bryan Forbes
1966
*****
Bryan Forbes' adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson's 1889 novel is a classic British dark comedy. It boasts impressive performances from an impressive cast, including; John Mills, Ralph Richardson, Michael Caine, Peter Cook, Dudley Moore, Peter Sellers, Irene Handl and Tony Hancock. Wilfrid Lawson's performance, who at this point was riddled with alcoholism that consumed him only months after the film's release, is also one worth mentioning. Michael Caine and Irene Handl's soft-footed performances send up the films of the genre quite amusingly while Peter Cook and Dudley Moore play villainous brothers, Moore an unlikely Lothario, happy to take orders from his brother and Cook the dastardly mastermind of the pair, greedy, conniving, with a penchant for rare eggs. Cook seems to take the role quite seriously too. Peter Sellers and Tony Hancock were two big names of the time but both play relatively small parts, both good but a little too short. John Mills' performance is mainly physical, he masters the art of slap-stick rather well but doesn't get the screen time he really deserved. Personally, I think it is Ralph Richardson who really steals the show as a blissfully unaware scholar, who haplessly wanders the film, happily sharing nuggets of general knowledge and random statistics to the nearest person he encounters. The films brilliantly funny opening of a series of unfortunate events (featuring cameos of some of Britain's best loved actors and comedians) is worth watching for alone. Classic black comedy at its best.