Rotten to the Core (film)

Last updated

Rotten to the Core
"Rotten To the Core" (1965).jpg
UK campaign book
Directed by John Boulting
Written by Roy Boulting
Jeffrey Dell
Len Heath
John Warren
Produced byRoy Boulting
Starring Anton Rodgers
Charlotte Rampling
Eric Sykes
Ian Bannen
Cinematography Freddie Young
Edited byTeddy Darvas
Music byMichael Dress
Distributed by British Lion
Release date
  • 14 July 1965 (1965-07-14)(UK)
Running time
89 mins
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish

Rotten to the Core is a 1965 black and white British comedy film directed by John Boulting starring Anton Rodgers, Charlotte Rampling, Eric Sykes and Ian Bannen. It was co-written and produced by his Boulting and his brother Roy Boulting. The film received a BAFTA nomination for Alex Vetchinsky's production design. [1]

Contents

It was Charlotte Rampling's first credited role. The principal comedy sections are supplied by Eric Sykes in various guises as an undercover policeman.

Plot

Upon finishing a prison sentence, a trio of crooks go in search of their one-time leader, known as "The Duke", who was supposed to safeguard their share of the money which was never recovered. However, the Duke's girlfriend Sara tells them the Duke is dead and the money is long gone. Later, the gang discover that she's lying, and that the Duke has set up a spa, the Hope Springs Nature Clinic, as a front. The Duke is planning a major heist with some criminal cronies. [2]

The complex plot involves the police, the British Army, officers of the German army and a complicated deception by means of rail, with real German army officers being tricked into getting off the train one stop early, to be replaced by criminals in their guise. Leading the army group is Lt Vine who is successfully deceived by the whole affair (aided by Sara feeding him false information) and he has to bear the brunt of the blame.

Cast

Production

The film was based on an original idea by Roy Boulting which he gained, he told The New York Times , when recuperating from a broken neck in 1964. "Call it a cynical comment on organised thievery today," he said. Filming began in February 1965 at Shepperton Studios. [3]

Critical reception

The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: "This is the film about bumbling crooks emerging from jail, mounting a daring coup, and ending in total disaster, which British studios seem to produce with unfailing regularity roughly once a year. The jokes are occasionally mildly funny, but usually very familiar. Anton Rodgers plays (rather well) the Peter Sellers role as the mastermind; Eric Sykes contributes his turn as a bumbling private detective; and so on, and so on. Only Thorley Walters, in an engaging performance as a narcissistic and health-obsessed police inspector, manages to break the bonds of routine." [4]

Variety wrote that Anton Rodgers "shows versatility in four or five characterizations...(But) the Boulting Brothers' knives are less sharp than customary. The Boultings put their faith in an unknown girl (Charlotte Rampling) as the Duke’s moll. She is quite easy on the eye but lacks the experience and personality." [5]

Time Out wrote the film had "some mildly funny moments, but most of the jokes are laboriously set up and loudly telegraphed." [6]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boulting brothers</span> Twin brothers and filmmakers

John Edward Boulting and Roy Alfred Clarence Boulting, known collectively as the Boulting brothers, were English filmmakers and identical twins who became known for their series of satirical comedies in the 1950s and 1960s. They produced many of their films through their own production company, Charter Film Productions, which they founded in 1937.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eric Sykes</span> English comedian, writer and actor (1923–2012)

Eric Sykes was an English radio, stage, television and film writer, comedian, actor and director whose performing career spanned more than 50 years. He frequently wrote for and performed with many other leading comedy performers and writers of the period, including Tony Hancock, Spike Milligan, Tommy Cooper, Peter Sellers, John Antrobus and Johnny Speight. Sykes first came to prominence through his many radio credits as a writer and actor in the 1950s, which include collaboration on some scripts for The Goon Show. He became a TV star in his own right in the early 1960s when he appeared with Hattie Jacques in several popular BBC comedy television series.

<i>Elizabeth</i> (film) 1998 film by Shekhar Kapurr

Elizabeth is a 1998 British biographical period drama film directed by Shekhar Kapur and written by Michael Hirst. It stars Cate Blanchett in the title role of Elizabeth I of England, with Geoffrey Rush, Christopher Eccleston, Joseph Fiennes, John Gielgud, and Richard Attenborough in supporting roles. The film is based on the early years of Elizabeth's reign, where she is elevated to the throne after the death of her half-sister Mary I, who had imprisoned her. As she establishes herself on the throne, she faces plots and threats to take her down.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ian Carmichael</span> English actor (1920–2010)

Ian Gillett Carmichael, was an English actor who worked prolifically on stage, screen and radio in a career that spanned seventy years. Born in Kingston upon Hull, in the East Riding of Yorkshire, he trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, but his studies—and the early stages of his career—were curtailed by the Second World War. After his demobilisation he returned to acting and found success, initially in revue and sketch productions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charlotte Rampling</span> English actress (born 1946)

Tessa Charlotte Rampling is an English actress. An icon of the Swinging Sixties, she began her career as a model. She was cast in the role of Meredith in the 1966 film Georgy Girl, which starred Lynn Redgrave. She soon began making French and Italian arthouse films, notably Luchino Visconti's The Damned (1969) and Liliana Cavani's The Night Porter (1974). She went on to star in many European and English-language films, including Stardust Memories (1980); in The Verdict (1982); Long Live Life (1984), and The Wings of the Dove (1997). In the 2000s, she became the muse of French director François Ozon, appearing in several of his films, notably Swimming Pool (2003) and Young & Beautiful (2013). On television, she is known for her role as Dr. Evelyn Vogel in Dexter (2013).

<i>Oliver Twist</i> (1948 film) 1948 British film by David Lean

Oliver Twist is a 1948 British film and the second of David Lean's two film adaptations of Charles Dickens novels. Following his 1946 version of Great Expectations, Lean re-assembled much of the same team for his adaptation of Dickens' 1838 novel, including producers Ronald Neame and Anthony Havelock-Allan, cinematographer Guy Green, designer John Bryan and editor Jack Harris. Lean's then-wife, Kay Walsh, who had collaborated on the screenplay for Great Expectations, played the role of Nancy. John Howard Davies was cast as Oliver, while Alec Guinness portrayed Fagin and Robert Newton played Bill Sykes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hayley Mills</span> British actress (born 1946)

Hayley Catherine Rose Vivien Mills is a British actress. The daughter of Sir John Mills and Mary Hayley Bell and younger sister of actress Juliet Mills, she began her acting career as a child and was hailed as a promising newcomer, winning the BAFTA Award for Most Promising Newcomer for her performance in the British crime drama film Tiger Bay (1959), the Academy Juvenile Award for Disney's Pollyanna (1960) and Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year – Actress in 1961.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ian Bannen</span> Scottish actor (1928–1999)

Ian Edmund Bannen was a Scottish actor with a long career in film, on stage, and on television. He was nominated for an Academy Award for his performance in The Flight of the Phoenix (1965), the first Scottish actor to receive the honour, as well as two BAFTA Film Awards for his performances in Sidney Lumet's The Offence (1973) and John Boorman's Hope and Glory (1987).

<i>Small Time Crooks</i> 2000 American film

Small Time Crooks is a 2000 American crime-comedy film written and directed by Woody Allen. It stars Allen, Hugh Grant, Elaine May and Tracey Ullman. The picture's plot has some similarities to that of the 1942 comedy Larceny, Inc.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thorley Walters</span> English actor (1913–1991)

Thorley Swinstead Walters was an English character actor. He is probably best remembered for his comedy film roles such as in Two-Way Stretch and Carlton-Browne of the FO.

<i>Heavens Above!</i> 1963 British film by John and Roy Boulting

Heavens Above! is a 1963 British satirical comedy film directed and produced by John and Roy Boulting, and starring Peter Sellers. It was written by John Boulting and Frank Harvey, from an idea by Malcolm Muggeridge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Waris Hussein</span> British-Indian television and film director

Waris Hussein is a British-Indian television and film director. At the beginning of his career he was employed by the BBC as its youngest drama director. He directed early episodes of Doctor Who, including the first serial, An Unearthly Child (1963), and later directed the multiple-award-winning Thames Television serial Edward & Mrs. Simpson (1978).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anton Rodgers</span> English actor (1933–2007)

Anthony Rodgers was an English actor and occasional director. He performed on stage, in film, in television dramas and sitcoms. He starred in several sitcoms, including Fresh Fields, its sequel French Fields, and May to December.

<i>The Merchant of Venice</i> (2004 film) 2004 film by Michael Radford

The Merchant of Venice is a 2004 romantic drama film based on Shakespeare's play of the same name. It is the first full-length sound film in English of Shakespeare's play—other versions are videotaped productions which were made for television, including John Sichel's 1973 version and Jack Gold's 1980 BBC production.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eric Barker</span> English comedy actor (1912–1990)

Eric Leslie Barker was an English comedy actor. He is most remembered for his roles in the popular British Carry On films, although he only appeared in the early films in the series, apart from returning for Carry On Emmannuelle in 1978.

<i>The Family Way</i> 1966 British film by Roy Boulting

The Family Way is a 1966 British comedy-drama film produced and directed by John and Roy Boulting, respectively, and starring father and daughter John Mills and Hayley Mills. Based on Bill Naughton's play All in Good Time (1963), with screenplay by Naughton, the film began life in 1961 as the television play Honeymoon Postponed. It is about the marital difficulties of a young newlywed couple living in a crowded house with the husband's family.

<i>Carlton-Browne of the F.O.</i> 1959 British film by Roy Boulting and Jeffrey Dell

Carlton-Browne of the F.O. is a 1959 British comedy film directed by Roy Boulting and Jeffrey Dell and starring Terry-Thomas, Peter Sellers, and Luciana Paluzzi. It was written by Boulting and Dell and produced by John Boulting.

<i>Joey Boy</i> (film) 1965 British comedy war film by Frank Launder

Joey Boy is a 1965 British comedy war film directed by Frank Launder and starring Harry H. Corbett, Stanley Baxter, Bill Fraser, Percy Herbert, Lance Percival, Reg Varney and Thorley Walters. It was based on the 1959 novel by Eddie Chapman.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter Sellers on stage, radio, screen and record</span> British actor, 1925-1980

The British actor and comedian Peter Sellers (1925–1980) performed in many genres of light entertainment, including film, radio and theatre. He appeared in the BBC Radio comedy series The Goon Show, recorded a number of hit comic songs and became known internationally through his many film characterisations, among them Chief Inspector Clouseau in The Pink Panther film series. The filmmakers John and Roy Boulting described him as "the greatest comic genius [Britain] has produced since Charles Chaplin".

<i>45 Years</i> 2015 film

45 Years is a 2015 British romantic drama film directed and written by Andrew Haigh. The film is based on the short story "In Another Country" by David Constantine. The film premiered in the main competition section of the 65th Berlin International Film Festival. Charlotte Rampling won the Silver Bear for Best Actress and Tom Courtenay won the Silver Bear for Best Actor. At the 88th Academy Awards, Rampling received a nomination for Best Actress in a Leading Role.

References

  1. "BAFTA Awards". awards.bafta.org.
  2. Williams, Karl (2014). "Rotten-to-the-Core – Trailer – Cast – Showtimes". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times . Archived from the original on 6 March 2014. Retrieved 10 March 2014.
  3. Weiler, A.H. (28 February 1965). "Focus on 'Rotten' Crime in Britain". The New York Times. p. X9. Retrieved 4 July 2022.
  4. "Rotten to the Core". The Monthly Film Bulletin . 32 (372): 125. 1 January 1965 via ProQuest.
  5. "Rotten to the Core". Variety. 31 December 1964. Retrieved 10 March 2014.
  6. "Rotten to the Core". Time Out London. Retrieved 10 March 2014.