In the spring of 1944, German forces work to secure intelligence about the upcoming Allied invasion, after one of their spies is intercepted in London by MI5 agents, Major Cunningham and Captain Meeks. Meanwhile, Captain Mainwaring finds his Home Guard in the coastal town of Walmington-on-Sea suffer from a lack of appreciation for their work in contributing to the war effort. Things change when the platoon, during an exercise, accidentally force Rose Winters, an elegant journalist, off the road. When they learn she intends to write a report about them for a national magazine, the men feel delighted, but also are charmed by her presence, causing them to have feuds with the townsfolk, and especially with their wives. The matter is further complicated when Sergeant Wilson develops a friendship with Winters after recognising her as a student he once tutored at the University of Oxford.
Unknown to the platoon, Rose is actually the spy sent by Germany to investigate the Allied invasion plans, but a transmission she sends by radio is detected by Cunningham and Meeks, who travel there to seek her out. After meeting with Mainwaring and informing him of the situation, he takes delight in using this as a means to save his platoon from being disbanded by the Home Guard's senior officer, Colonel Theakes, after a disaster during an important patrol near Dover. Rose swiftly joins the patrol through Private Joe Walker, after discovering his illegal bootlegging business, and uses the next patrol to discover important details on the Allies' plan, including where the invasion will take place. As the platoon work to find the spy on Mainwaring's orders, Rose deceives him in believing the spy is Wilson, who is promptly arrested.
While Mainwaring decides to meet with Rose to thank her for her assistance, the rest of the platoon detain Wilson for questioning, until evidence is brought to their attention that Rose is the spy they were seeking. Tracking her down, they quickly find her holding Mainwaring prisoner with a Wehrmacht landing party, after he discovered the truth upon seeing a German U-boat appear in a nearby bay. However, the platoon help to rescue him with the aid of their wives, and manage to capture the landing party and Rose, causing the U-boat to flee. Cunningham and Meeks swiftly arrest her, ensuring her intelligence doesn't return, while Theakes commends the platoon, saving them from being disbanded. Mainwaring and Wilson reconcile, and both men join their platoon for a parade through Walmington-on-Sea.
Ian Lavender makes a cameo as Brigadier Pritchard, providing a link with the original series,[4] and Frank Williams reprised his role as the vicar.[5]
The regular series character of the verger Maurice Yeatman, originally played by Edward Sinclair was not recreated for the film. Semi-regular platoon member Private Sponge, originally played by Colin Bean, appeared as a nonspeaking role for Alex Leam. Mrs. Mainwaring, who was a completely unseen character for the whole of the original series, now has a prominently visible role in the film, where she is portrayed as a chief volunteer of the local Auxiliary Territorial Service, and is even more pompous, domineering and vociferous than her husband.[6]
Dad's Army has received generally negative reviews from critics. The film holds a 31% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 35 reviews, with an average rating of 4.91/10.[10] On Metacritic, it has a score of 38 out of 100, based on seven critics, which indicates "generally unfavourable reviews".[11]
Sean O'Grady, of The Independent, gave the film a five star review, remarking that rather than threatening the series' legacy, it "surpasses the original", calling it a "well crafted reproduction containing all the elements that made the original so clever, durable and loveable."[12]
Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian was less convinced, giving it two stars, stating that "it's hard to escape the sinking feeling that this is a waste of talent – that this is a good natured, well meaning but pointless kind of Brit comedy ancestor worship; paying elaborate homage to a TV show that got it right the first time."[13]
Empire rated it two stars describing the plot as "moderately entertaining bunkum" and that "as a whole it's an inessential oddity – amiable enough but also over reverential and unlikely to leave a lasting impression".[14]
Related Research Articles
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Sergeant Arthur Wilson is a fictional Home Guard platoon sergeant and bank chief clerk, first portrayed by John Le Mesurier in the BBC television sitcom Dad's Army.
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Dad's Army is a 1971 British war comedy film and the first film adaptation of the BBC television sitcom Dad's Army (1968–1977). 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 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, John Le Mesurier, Clive Dunn, John Laurie, Arnold Ridley, Ian Lavender and James Beck.
"Round and Round Went the Great Big Wheel" is the twelfth episode of the fifth series of the British comedy series Dad's Army that was originally transmitted on 22 December 1972.
"Wake Up Walmington" is the first episode of the ninth and final series of the British comedy series Dad's Army. It was originally transmitted on 2 October 1977.
Dad's Army is a British television sitcom about the United Kingdom's Home Guard during the Second World War. It was written by Jimmy Perry and David Croft, and originally broadcast on BBC1 from 31 July 1968 to 13 November 1977. It ran for nine series and 80 episodes in total; a feature film released in 1971, a stage show and a radio version based on the television scripts were also produced. The series regularly gained audiences of 18 million viewers and is still shown internationally.
References
↑ "DAD'S ARMY (PG)". British Board of Film Classification. 22 January 2016. Retrieved 22 January 2016.
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