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en>Peter Galvani: /* Plot */

2022-08-08T18:54:38Z

Plot

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{{EngvarB|date=November 2016}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2021}}
{{Infobox film
| name = Dad's Army
| image = Dads_army_movie_.jpg
| alt =
| caption = Theatrical release poster
| director = [[Norman Cohen]]
| producer = [[John R. Sloan]]
| screenplay = {{Plainlist|
* [[Jimmy Perry]]
* [[David Croft (TV producer)|David Croft]]
}}
| story = Jimmy Perry
| based_on = {{based on|''[[Dad's Army]]''|Jimmy Perry<br />and David Croft}}
| starring = {{Plainlist|
* [[Arthur Lowe]]
* [[John Le Mesurier]]
* [[Clive Dunn]]
* [[John Laurie]]
* [[James Beck]]
* [[Arnold Ridley]]
* [[Ian Lavender]]
* [[Bernard Archard]]
}}
| music = [[Wilfred Burns]]
| cinematography = Terry Maher
| editing = Willy Kemplen
| studio = Norcon Film Productions
| distributor = [[Columbia Pictures]]
| released = {{Film date|1971|03|12|df=y}}
| runtime = 95 minutes<ref name=bbfc/>
| country = United Kingdom
| language = English
}}
'''''Dad's Army''''' is a 1971 British [[War film|war]] [[comedy film]] and the first [[film adaptation]] of the [[BBC Television|BBC television]] sitcom ''[[Dad's Army]]''. Directed by [[Norman Cohen]], it was filmed between series three and four and was based upon material from the early episodes of the television series. The film tells the story of the [[British Home Guard|Home Guard]] [[platoon]]'s formation and their subsequent endeavours at a training exercise. The film version of the television series comprises the following cast members: [[Arthur Lowe]] (Captain George Mainwaring), [[John Le Mesurier]] (Sergeant Arthur Wilson), [[Clive Dunn]] (Lance Corporal Jack Jones), [[John Laurie]] (Private James Frazer), [[Arnold Ridley]] (Private Charles Godfrey), [[Ian Lavender]] (Private Frank Pike) and [[James Beck]] (Private Joe Walker).

==Plot==
1940 – [[Operation Dynamo]] has just taken place. From the newly conquered [[France|French]] coastline, a [[Wehrmacht]] colonel looks out over the [[English Channel]] with powerful binoculars. Surveying the [[white cliffs of Dover]], he spies [[Private Charles Godfrey|Godfrey]] emerging from a lavatory. Godfrey joins the rest of his platoon, who are defiantly waving the [[Union Flag]]. The colonel fumes contemptuously, ''"How can the stupid British ever hope to win?!"''

One morning, [[Captain George Mainwaring|George Mainwaring]], the manager of the [[Walmington-on-Sea]] branch of [[Martins Bank]], and his chief clerk, [[Sergeant Arthur Wilson|Arthur Wilson]], listen to [[Anthony Eden]] making a radio broadcast about forming the [[Home Guard (United Kingdom)|Local Defence Volunteers (LDV)]].<ref>The actual talk was given in the evening, when most people would be listening to their radios.</ref> At the local police station chaos ensues because there is nobody to organise the enrolment of the men. Characteristically, Mainwaring takes charge and after commandeering the local church hall he registers the assembled volunteers, with weapons being inspected.

The local platoon is eventually formed with Mainwaring in command as [[Captain (British Army and Royal Marines)|captain]], Wilson as his [[sergeant]] and [[Lance-Corporal Jones|Jack Jones]] as the [[Lance-Corporal|lance-corporal]], plus Frazer, Godfrey, Pike and Walker as [[Private (rank)|private]]<nowiki/>s. With no weapons or training, the platoon is initially forced to improvise, using devices invented and assembled by Jones. These invariably backfire or malfunction with disastrous consequences. The chaos includes an anti-aircraft rocket launcher blowing up a farmer's barn and a one-man tank made from a cast iron bathtub rolling into the river with [[Private Joe Walker]] still inside. The platoon secures uniforms and, eventually, weapons. Following the evacuation from [[Dunkirk evacuation|Dunkirk]], the LDV is renamed the ''Home Guard''.

The platoon is ordered to take part in a war games/training weekend, but Lance-Corporal Jones's van, recently converted to gas under Mainwaring's orders, breaks down after Jones accidentally pushes his bayonet through the roof of the van into the gas bag on the roof. They are towed by a [[steamroller|steam roller]]. Out of control, the roller destroys the platoon's tents, as well as other equipment, angering [[Major-General]] Fullard who is in charge of the weekend exercises, and who is already cross with Mainwaring for previously refusing to cash his cheque at the bank, still under the impression that Mainwaring is a bank clerk.

After a night sleeping without tents the platoon, bar Wilson, oversleep and miss breakfast despite being detailed to hold a [[pontoon bridge]] during the day's exercise. The bridge has been sabotaged by the [[Royal Marines]] and the results are comically chaotic, with Jones atop on a drifting white horse. Captain Mainwaring is summoned by the major-general and told that due to the platoon's poor showing he will recommend Mainwaring be replaced.

While the platoon are walking back to Walmington, a [[Luftwaffe]] [[reconnaissance]] aircraft is shot down and its three-man crew parachutes to safety. They enter Walmington church hall, where a meeting is taking place to raise money to fund half of a [[Spitfire]], the other half being funded by another nearby town. They hold all present as hostages, including the [[mayor]] and [[vicar]], and demand a boat back to [[France]]. Mainwaring and his men reach home and discover what has happened. By this point Fullard, the Navy, the Marines and the police have begun to arrive.

The home guard platoon infiltrate the building though the church [[crypt]]. Dressed in choir surplices, they enter the church hall singing ''[[All Things Bright and Beautiful]]'', with their own extemporised second verse. Mainwaring takes a revolver concealed under a collection plate and confronts the Luftwaffe leader, who aims his [[Luger pistol|Luger]] pistol at him. Both officers agree they will shoot at the count of three. The platoon draws their rifles from beneath their robes. The German intruders reluctantly surrender. Mainwaring and his men become the pride of the town. Wilson reveals that the German officer's gun was empty. Smiling, Mainwaring replies, "So was mine".

In the final scenes, Mainwaring and the Home Guard look towards France from the cliffs. The weather has changed for the worse and it is unlikely that Hitler will ever invade, although that does not stop the group lying down and listening when they start to suspect they have detected a Nazi attempt to tunnel into Britain.

==Cast==
{{Div col}}
* [[Arthur Lowe]] as Captain Mainwaring
* [[John Le Mesurier]] as Sergeant Wilson
* [[Clive Dunn]] as Lance-Corporal Jones
* [[John Laurie]] as Private Frazer
* [[James Beck]] as Private Walker
* [[Arnold Ridley]] as Private Godfrey
* [[Ian Lavender]] as Private Pike
* [[Liz Fraser]] as Mrs Pike (portrayed by [[Janet Davies (actress)|Janet Davies]] in the television series)
* [[Bernard Archard]] as Major General Fullard
* [[Derek Newark]] as Regimental Sergeant Major
* [[Bill Pertwee]] as [[Chief ARP Warden Hodges|Hodges]]
* [[Frank Williams (actor)|Frank Williams]] as Vicar
* [[Edward Sinclair]] as Verger
* [[Anthony Sagar]] as Police Sergeant
* [[Pat Coombs]] as Mrs Hall
* [[Roger Maxwell (actor)|Roger Maxwell]] as General Wilkinson ("Peppery Old Gent")
* Paul Dawkins as Nazi General
* [[Sam Kydd]] as Nazi Orderly
* [[Michael Knowles (actor)|Michael Knowles]] as Staff Captain
* [[Fred Griffiths (actor)|Fred Griffiths]] as Bert King
{{div col end}}

==Production==
[[Principal photography|Filming]] took place between 10 August and 25 September 1970, at [[Shepperton Studios]] and various locations, notably [[Chalfont St Giles]] in [[Buckinghamshire]] and [[Seaford, East Sussex|Seaford]] in [[East Sussex]], as well as the church of St Mary Magdalene, [[Shepperton]], which is adjacent to the studios.<ref name="CSG">{{cite web|url=http://www.chalfontstgiles.org.uk/films.htm|title=Films shot in Chalfont St Giles|access-date=27 December 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140601172853/http://chalfontstgiles.org.uk/films.htm|archive-date=1 June 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Differences from the television series===
[[File:Dads Army van 1971.jpg|thumb|right|The [[Ford Model AA]] used in the film]]
The film made a number of significant changes, imposed by [[Columbia Pictures]], such as recasting [[Liz Fraser]] as Mavis Pike instead of [[Janet Davies (actress)|Janet Davies]] and filming outdoor scenes in [[Chalfont St Giles]] rather than [[Thetford]]. Also, the bank was now [[Martins Bank|Martins]] (a genuine bank of the time) rather than Swallow, and, with the increase in budget, the set interiors and the vehicles used were completely different, and the streets of Walmington had extras walking on them. The audience saw the Germans preparing across the [[English Channel|Channel]], rather than them simply being an unseen threat, and the events of the platoon's formation were revised in various ways for the big screen treatment.

Many of the changes, in particular the recasting of Mrs Pike, met with criticism. Fraser was chosen because director Cohen wanted a less homely, more "sexy" actress for the role.<ref>''Complete A-Z of Dad's Army'' Webber, R(Ed) 2000, London, Orion {{ISBN|0-7528-1838-4}}</ref> Perry has said "It was a mistake...not to cast Janet in the role because the viewing public has come to recognise her as Mrs. Pike. But that was a decision made by Columbia.".<ref>Jimmy Perry interviewed in Richard Webber ''Dad's Army: A Celebration'', (Virgin Publishing 1997), p.168, {{ISBN|0-7535-0307-7}}</ref>

Another less notable change was the vehicle portraying [[Jones' van (Dad's Army)|Jones' butcher's van]]. In the series, the van was a 1935 Ford BB (still registered as BUC 852), whereas a closed cab [[Ford Model AA]] was used for the film.

==Release==
''Dad's Army'' was passed with a [[History of British film certificates#1970-1982|U certificate]] by the [[British Board of Film Censors]] on 27 January 1971.<ref name=bbfc>{{cite web | url=http://bbfc.co.uk/releases/dads-army-1970 | title=''Dad's Army'' (U) | work=[[British Board of Film Classification]] | date=27 January 1971 | access-date=14 November 2016}}</ref> Its UK premiere was on Sunday 14 March 1971 at the Columbia Cinema in [[London]].

===Reception===
Critical reviews were mixed, but it was the fifth most financially successful film at the United Kingdom [[box office]] of the year.<ref>Peter Waymark. "Richard Burton top draw in British cinemas." Times [London, England] 30 December 1971: 2. The Times Digital Archive. Retrieved 11 July 2012.</ref><ref>{{cite book|page=269|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NTmrBgAAQBAJ&pg=PA268|title=British Film Culture in the 1970s: The Boundaries of Pleasure: The Boundaries of Pleasure|first=Sue|last= Harper|publisher=Edinburgh University Press|date= 2011|isbn = 9780748654260}}</ref>

===Sequel===
Discussions were held about a possible sequel, to be called ''Dad's Army and the Secret U-Boat Base'', but the project never came to fruition.<ref>Richard Webber ''Dad's Army: A Celebration'', (Virgin Publishing 1997), pp.164–169, {{ISBN|0-7535-0307-7}}</ref>
A second film was released in 2016 with an almost entirely new cast, also titled ''[[Dad's Army (2016 film)|Dad's Army]]''.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{IMDb title|0066963|Dad's Army}}
* {{Rotten Tomatoes|771438298|Dad's Army}}
* [http://www.findthatlocation.com/Film-Title/Dads-Army-Movie Filming locations from the ''Dad's Army Movie'']

{{Dad's Army}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dads Army (1971 film)}}
[[Category:Dad's Army|Dad's Army (1971 film)]]
[[Category:1971 films]]
[[Category:1970s war comedy films]]
[[Category:British war comedy films]]
[[Category:Films based on television series]]
[[Category:Films directed by Norman Cohen]]
[[Category:Films set in 1940]]
[[Category:Films set in Kent]]
[[Category:Films shot in Buckinghamshire]]
[[Category:Military humor in film]]
[[Category:Films shot at Shepperton Studios]]
[[Category:Columbia Pictures films]]
[[Category:Films set on the home front during World War II]]
[[Category:1971 comedy films]]
[[Category:British World War II films]]
[[Category:1970s English-language films]]

Dad's Army (1971 film) - Revision history

Kurt at 04:37, 20 February 2023

Kurt: 1 revision imported

en>Peter Galvani: /* Plot */