It’s time for my Not Now, Comrade blu-ray review. It’s a 1976 British comedy starring a whole host of familiar faces. The cast includes Leslie Phillips, Michele Dotrice, Roy Kinnear, Carol Hawkins, Ian Lavender and Windsor Davies to name just a few. It recently came out on blu-ray released by the Network. I’d never seen this film before so it’s time to find out if this fabulous cast translates into an entertaining comedy.
- Not Now Comrade (1976)
- Genre: Comedy
- Directed by Ray Cooney & Harold Snoad
- UK Rating 12
- Discs: 1
- Released By Network
- Blu-ray Released: 14 September 2020
Plot
Erotic dancer Barbara Wilcox (Carol Hawkins) falls for a Russian ballet dancer Rudi Petrovyan. He wishes to defect and with the help of Barbara he does so in a roundabout kind of way. He ends up in the boot of the wrong car and ends up at the home of Commander Rimmington (Leslie Phillips).
The KGB tracks him to Commander Rimmington and set up surveillance on the house. How will he evade the Russian agents and disappear with Barbara?
Style / Direction
This British comedy from the seventies was directed by Ray Cooney & Harold Snoad. Meanwhile Jack Hildyard took care of the cinematography. The film is a comedy farce that does become a little repetitive after a while. In the end despite its decent cast it struggles to be more than an average amusing affair.
Music / Audio Effects
The music is provided by Harry Robinson.
Acting / Characters
The cast is good and likeable. With the likes of Ian Lavender, Michele Dotrice, Carol Hawkins and Roy Kinnear being the main driving force behind the comedy. They all produce good performances but it’s probably the overall story that lets the film down.
Meanwhile Leslie Phillips, Windsor Davies, June Whitfield and Don Estelle appear to bolster the comedy but the story never really utilises their comic talents that well.
Cast
- Leslie Phillips as Commander Rimmington
- Michele Dotrice as Nancy Rimmington
- Roy Kinnear as Hoskins
- Carol Hawkins as Barbara Wilcox
- Ian Lavender as Gerry Buss
- Windsor Davies as Constable Pulford
- Don Estelle as Bobby Hargreaves
- Ray Cooney as Mr. Laver
- June Whitfield as Janet Rimmington
- Lewis Fiander as Rudi Petrovyan
- Richard Marner as 1st Russian official
- Michael Sharvell-Martin as 2nd Russian official
Conclusion: Not Now, Comrade (1976) Film Review
Make no mistake Not Now, Comrade (1976) is far from a terrible film it’s simply an average British comedy with a strong cast. I found there to be enough amusing moments to keep me interested. I would say it kind of gets itself stuck in a cycle of repetition when the plot really needs to be moved on.
Overall it’s probably more entertaining than most of the depressing television being served up at the moment.
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Conclusion: Not Now, Comrade Blu-ray Review
I’ve no real complaints when it comes to the picture quality, it looks fine. I didn’t notice any marks of note and the image is pretty sharp.
The film comes in two aspect ratios to choose from, 1.175:1 widescreen or the fullscreen version.
Extras
- Fullscreen Version
- Original Theatrical Trailer
- Image Gallery
Not Now, Comrade (1976) Blu-ray
Not Now, Comrade (1976) released by Network is available now on blu-ray from Amazon.co.uk.
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Popcorn Cinema Rating:
Not Now, Comrade (1976)
MOVIE RATING: AVERAGE
BLU-RAY PICTURE: GOOD
EXTRAS: DECENT
Not Now, Comrade (1976) Film Trailer
Clip not representative of the blu-ray version
That concludes my Not Now, Comrade blu-ray review, I’m aiming to review more British films soon. What’s next? Check back soon…
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Summary: Not Now, Comrade (1976) Blu-ray Review
Movie title: Not Now, Comrade (1976)
Movie description: 70's British Comedy
Duration: 90 mins
Director(s): Ray Cooney, Harold Snoad
Actor(s): Leslie Phillips, Michele Dotrice, Roy Kinnear, Carol Hawkins, Ian Lavender, Windsor Davies, Don Estelle
Genre: Comedy
- Movie Rating
- Blu-ray Picture Rating
- Extras
Summary
Great cast, average comedy
