Clevercell Very disappointing...

Dorathen Better Late Then Never

Beystiman It's fun, it's light, [but] it has a hard time when its tries to get heavy.

Kaelan Mccaffrey Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

praestans Regardless of which title it goes by, this film is enjoyable- though somewhat tepid for a Carry On full throttle. I remember watching it as a child - but as an adult now, I'm more appreciative of the story line (yes, there is one), the clever innuendos and British humour charged double entendres: Nookie, Nocker, camp 68, Mustapha Leke, Le Pice. I've no idea why Carry Ons haven't been big in North America- suppose that's why Sergeant Bilko-Phil Silvers was drafted in - and he does very well to hold his own. Carry-Ons are more Are You Being Served rather than Monty Python. The other cast members Dale, Williams, Butterworth, Hawtrey are once again, superb examples of their craft - particularly impressive is the turn of the ever reliable Williams as the German commandant, as is Bresslaw as the excellent Arab chief. As I have mentioned, this is rather carry-on lite - subdued perhaps owing to the absence of Sid James, and or indeed to less screen time to women though they do get a fair bit compensatory exposure. Anita Harris is a revelation, but Angela Douglas is a bit more staid in this - the late great Joan Sims with and emphatic character presence is unfortunately and inexplicably underused and muted.What also must be noted, is the eerily prophetic/authentic terrorism theme. How harmless then - but the same thinking is a driver now. (The Arabic is impressively authentic though the words are in the wrong order! and some bizarre 'abdul' (actually means 'slave of'...)is made cultic. All in all, an understated Carry On but doesn't let you down too much.

GusF The second and final "Carry On" film without those words in the title, this is a major improvement over the decidedly lacklustre "Don't Lose Your Head". In an attempt to appeal to the American market, Phil Silvers was cast in the lead role. While he is extremely funny as Sgt. Nocker (who is basically Sgt. Bilko in all but name), his presence made little difference to the film's box office takings. He is not on the same level as the series' best guest lead Harry H. Corbett in "Carry on Screaming!" but he's not far behind either and is a great addition to the film. The dialogue is suitably ribald and witty while the difficult journey to the fort is the funniest extended sequence in the film.In his eighth "Carry On" appearance, Jim Dale gets his best role so far as Bo West, a parody of "Beau Geste", and he forms half of a great double act with Peter Butterworth as his dim-witted valet turned fellow legionnaire Simpson. Of the cast members from the older films, Kenneth Williams gets the most and the best material as the hilariously cod German accented Commandment Burger, a great parody of stuffy 19th / early 20th Century Prussian officer types. As ever, Charles Hawtrey does what he does brilliantly and Joan Sims has some of the film's best lines as Zig-Zig. Bernard Bresslaw plays Abdul Abulbul - you could write a song about someone with that name! - fairly straight and is very effective in the role, his towering height serving to make the Sheikh even more intimidating. As in "Carry On Cowboy", Angela Douglas makes for a rather dull female lead. However, the absence of Sid James was noticeable, as were the continued absences of Kenneth Connor and Hattie Jacques. At least two of them return in the next film "Carry On Doctor"!

clivey6 Not sure you could get away with screening this on BBC1 early evening these days, though its strangely reassuring to find that the old Middle Eastern Muslim antipathy goes back 100 years and is hardly anything new. Bernard Bresslaw is a revelation as the swarthy anti-imperialist and I must say I prefer him in this to his similar role in Carry On Up The Kyber, which others prefer.Many Carry Ons basically take one movie and spoof if, be it The Scarlet Pimpernel, Cleopatra, Hammer horror, James Bond. This one does The Four Feathers, as young posh boy Jim Dale leaves Blighty brokenhearted to join the Foreign Legion, with his trusty manservant in tow.Production values are high, which makes this a joy to watch on DVD. The desert may be Camber Sands, but as this was filmed in the summer of 1967, you get some lovely shots of blazing blue skies, unlike other Carry Ons which are meant to be balmy summer but in fact were filmed in February.Kenneth Williams mentions his tensions with interloper Phil Silvers in his diaries, though it's clear he may have been jealous of someone other than him monopolising the conversation. You don't get any sense of this with the first half of the film, where Silvers is on comic form and I personally soon forgot about Sid James, seeing as Silvers offered something different. The pace and interest does slacken towards the end, as there don't seem to be so many Carry On regulars on screen, it lacks that ensemble feel and with the Road films you did get a song or two chucked in to lighten the load.Within three months, Kenneth Williams and the team were back on filming Carry On Doctor that early autumn. That's a heck of a work ethic.

TheLittleSongbird This is not one of their best films but I liked it. The story is admittedly thin with a slight overbalance of the Bilko of the Dunes, the film feels rushed sometimes and Joan Sims the great actress she was has sadly little to do here. That said, I liked the set and costume design and the cinematography was good. The script is full of puns and innuendos, and there are some fun jokes particularly the Mustapha Leek one. The acting is decent generally, some of the regulars such as Sims are underused, but Phil Silvers is really quite excellent here, and Kenneth Williams, Jim Dale and Charles Hawtrey play their parts well. Overall, not exceptional but decent. 6/10 Bethany Cox