Carry on Spying [1964]

EMM# : 5398
Added: 2016-12-25

Carry on Spying (1964)
It's No Secret - Carry On Spying Takes The Lid Off Laughter! [UK Window Sheet]

Rating: 6.3

Movie Details:

Genre: Comedy ()

Length: 1 h 24 min - 84 min

Video: 720x480 (29.970 Fps - 795 Kbps)

Studio:

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MOVIE TRAILER WEBLINK

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Plot
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A top secret chemical formula has been stolen by STENCH (the Society for the Total Extinction of Non-Conforming Humans), and so Agent Simpkins and his three trainees are hot on the trail, chasing the villains across the world. There are gadgets galore, and disguises are compulsory if the heroes are to win the day from The Fat Man, Dr Milchman and Dr Crow! Written by

Plot Synopsis:
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richard.fuller1
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After "Carry On Cabby", I expected "Carry On Spying" to descend into the campy sixties, but truthfully, this one was entertaining. Without regulars Sid James, Hattie Jacques (I suspect she was offered the villianess role) and Kenneth Conner, I expected this one to focus entirely on Williams buffoonery.

He was more of a nitwit here than a snotty know-it-all, but he was given the spotlight this time.

So this was Barbara Windsor! She truly was entertaining and not just because of her physique. She's not boring to watch or listen to.

Obviously Bernard Cribbins was filling in the Kenneth Conner spot, and quite honestly, Cribbins (whom I only know from the Doctor Who movies with Peter Cushing) he wasn't as Jim Carrey-esque as Conner has been in the previous films.

What an entertaining series this is, watching the transition from "Carry On Sergeant" to "Carry On Spying" thus far. I do look forward to what I have left to see of these films.

After this, it is on to "Carry On Cleo"!

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TheLittleSongbird from United Kingdom
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This movie is not the best of the Carry on franchise but it works very well. Yes even with one or two moments of uneven pacing and an underused Dilys Lane, the film is very entertaining, with a nice simple story and some funny dialogue and gags. Carry On Spying is nicely filmed, has a quirky score and the acting is fine(even without Sidney James). Ever the old pros, Kenneth Williams and Charles Hawtrey give it their all and are great fun, while Judith Furse stands out as well. But it is the wonderful Barbara Windsor who steals the show, she was delightful in this movie. Overall, this film is simple and thanks to the acting and dialogue especially is very entertaining as well. 8/10 Bethany Cox

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Erich Mees (desscribe1@aol.com) from Dunwoody, GA, USA
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One of the more consistently amusing "Carry On" movies, "Carry On Spying" drops the gang squarely in the world of James Bond a world they immediately proceed to turn on its ear.

Noteworthy as the "Carry On" debut of series regular Barbara Windsor, playing a secret agent trainee who makes great use of her perky sexuality (a typical attribute of Windsor's characters) and her intelligence.

The other series regulars (Kenneth Williams, Charles Hawtrey, etc.) are at the top of their game. Among the supporting players, Judith Furse is a standout as the intimidating evil mastermind Dr. Crow. Playing the role straight-faced, Furse's sinister, man-like villainess would fit right into a genuine Bond film.

Highly recommended to fans of the series, and a good starting point for those who've never seen a "Carry On" before.

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Chris Gaskin from Derby, England
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Carry On Spying was the one where the Carry On team mocked the James Bond movies and also Barbara Windsor's Carry On debut.

After a top secret formula is stolen by organisation STENCH, a group of agents are sent to investigate, resulting in many chaotic and funny situations. The investigation takes them over the world and back to their workplace...

As well as Babs Windsor, this also stars the excellent Kenneth Williams, Charles Hawtrey and Jim Dale who are joined by Bernard Cribbins and Eric Barker. Not so many of the regular team in this one.

Have a good laugh at Carry On Spying. Brilliant and very funny.

Rating: 3 stars out of 5.

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petersj-2 from Australia
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This is one of the funnier efforts by the team. Its obviously a send up of other movies of the genre and is shot in glorious black and white which sometimes I prefer. Black and white seems to suit the carry on movies. Life may indeed be in colour but these movies were never a depiction of life. The campery of Kenneth Williams and Charles Hawtrey is as funny as ever. There are those two wonderfully reliable old British actors Eric Barker and the fabulous Richard Wattis as his assistant. It would be hard to find better actors to play the chief and his off sider. I loved the performance of Judith Furse.. hilariously butch.Bernard Cribbins is a great talent and he brings so much more to the series than the annoying Kenneth Connor did. This might have been the first with the great Barbara Windsor and what a spectacular career she had. She actually steals the film and I found myself roaring with laughter. Its a very good carry on but above all the introduction of one of Britains finest stars Magnificent Barbara Windsor. Barbara Windsor was much more than the sexy little bomb shell that added so much to these films and many others. She was a brilliant comedienne and I hope she gets the recognition she richly deserved. Her timing is brilliant.

Yes its all very corny but all great comedy is corny. Its rather fun seeing their idea of modern technology,those mobile phones are fun. Wonder what they would think of what we use today. I love the cheap effects of the movie such as the car wash, rather not explain but its hilarious. Its great fun seeing one of Australias most loved exports, John Bluthall in the early stages of a great career.

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tyler-and-jack from Edinburgh.
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No real surprises here as Gerald Thomas returns to direct many of the faces we've come to know and love (including a first showing in the franchise for the lady who would become a bit of a national treasure, the gigglesome and gorgeous Barbara Windsor) and takes some potshots at a very easy target, the world of James Bond.

It's easy to dismiss this movie nowadays, because of the sheer number of Bond spoofs we've seen in the intervening years and because of the fact that a few of the series regulars are missing from the proceedings, but it's actually a fitfully amusing parody and definitely worth revisiting if you're a fan of the series.

The plot sees a number of wet-behind-the-ears agents called to active duty because of a stolen chemical formula that's fallen into the hands of STENCH (the Society for the Total Extinction of Non-Conforming Humans). They will have to overcome some long odds, and their own inexperience, to save the day.

The screenplay, by Talbot Rothwell and Sid Colin, tends to make the most obvious gags but everything is done with such gusto by those involved that it remains hugely entertaining. Kenneth Williams is here, as is Charles Hawtrey, and Bernard Cribbins bravely takes on another nominal lead role in the series but the laughs are more consistent and spread out this time with wee Babs providing some amusing double entendres, Jim Dale getting to look suave and dapper for a limited time and Dilys Laye playing a sultry, possible femme fatale (though I really wish they hadn't shoehorned her singing performances in there, not that she's the worst I've ever heard . . . . it's just that the film doesn't need any major title songs).

Misunderstandings, cross-dressing, groansome puns, squabbling and a breezy display of incompetence all end up on screen here. Which is exactly why it's up there with the better entries in the franchise.

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Spikeopath from United Kingdom
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The 9th in the Carry On series, and the last to be filmed in black and white, is one of the best. It finds the gang kind of biting the hand that feeds them, Pinewood. The home of James Bond was also the home of the Carry On mob, so with Peter Rogers, Gerald Thomas and Talbot Rothwell spying an opportunity to spoof 007, they did so, whilst also revelling in the chance for some film noir dalliances, notably The Third Man.

The cast is this time headed up by Kenneth Williams, Barbara Windsor (making her Carry On debut), Bernard Cribbins and Charles Hawtrey. They are four less than stellar operatives for British Intelligence tasked with retrieving a top secret formula that has been stolen by STENCH. During their mission they are helped by Carstairs (Jim Dale), and just who or what is the mysterious organisation known as SNOG? Are they friends or in league with the evil Dr. Crow?

Though dotted throughout with some written innuendo, "Spying" is still in touch with the more genial comedy that was evident in the early years - particularly the black and whites. This is good honest comedy, with visual exuberance and witty repartee the order of the day. Watching it now you find it holds up very well, sure it's a bit fruity and nutty, but a freshness exists here and it lets some damn fine actors loose to show their respective skills. It also looks terrific, the noir photography by Alan Hume sparkling.

A prime Carry On movie for those who prefer their Carry On's more knowingly jolly than the later bawdy entries. 9/10

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MARIO GAUCI (marrod@melita.com) from Naxxar, Malta
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This is yet another popular (and good) entry in the "Carry On" series. Like JACK, CLEO and SCREAMING, it's a parody of a current film or fad – in its case the box-office sensation that were the James Bond extravaganzas (in fact, it was the first of innumerable spoofs/imitations of that long-running franchise). Kenneth Williams (complete with funny accent) is more or less at his best here; accompanying him are Barbara Windsor (this proved to be her series debut), Bernard Cribbins, Charles Hawtrey, Dilys Laye (as a femme fatale), Jim Dale (playing the gang's long-suffering contact man) and Eric Barker (as, what else, their superior).

While it cleverly features an androgynous villain (played by Judith Furse and voiced by John Bluthal), the film also lampoons earlier classic British thrillers – such as Hitchcock's 1930s efforts and THE THIRD MAN (1949). The action takes place in a variety of locales from a Viennese cafe to an Algerian harem; typical espionage elements are the gang's donning of various disguises to follow or elude enemy agents and the perilous train journey. By the way, the villains' headquarters are amusingly accessed via a public convenience – which also pays off with an inspired surreal ending. In a direct nod to the Bond model, we get silly acronyms for the various organizations involved (such as S.T.E.N.C.H., S.M.U.T., S.N.O.G., etc).

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Andrew Smith from London, England
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Although not "Carry On" at it's best, this is a very entertaining addition to the series. Although touted as a Bond spoof this has much more in common with British spy movies of the 40's - "The Third Man" is often referenced. Only at the end do we get the Bond-esque action, and this is where it all goes wrong. The climatic sequence is not only very silly (even by Carry On standards) but also lazy. Barbara Windsor makes her series debut here and is a joy to watch. Williams does his "silly man" character from the Hancock shows rather than the usual "Snide" persona, and Bernard Cribbins is as loveable as always. If you want a James Bond spoof or a classic Carry On, don't come here. If you want a silly comedy in the Ealing Studios vein then this might well be your cup of tea.

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sandra small (sandi_small@muchomail.com) from gateshead, tyne and wear, england, uk
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An audience may be forgiven for viewing Carry on Spying as a spoof of an eclectic range of spy films. However, in fact this is a mistaken view. Films such as The Third Man (1949), Casablanca,(1942), The Lady Vanishes (1938) and James Bond are all borrowed in order to spoof British culture; the eccentricity of the British and our view of the world, particularly during the Cold War era. Moreover, the film suggests that as Brits we are not afraid to send up ourselves and, moreover, that we have a sense of humour, thereby detracting from the'stiff upper lip' persona.

Acting wise the ' Carry On' team performed well, and were particularly adept at stereotyping British eccentrics. The message they conveyed via their respective acting roles in the film was to look on the bright side of life! The film has broad appeal to those interested in the genres of thrillers, spy, or comedy. Moreover it will appeal to film buffs of the black and white genre.

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Certifications:
Australia:G (DVD rating) / Australia:PG (VHS rating) / Australia:G (theatrical) / Sweden:11 / UK:A (original rating) (passed with cuts) / UK:U (tv rating) / UK:U (video rating) (1988) (2001) (2006)