The Punch And Judy Man [1962]

---

---

Editorial reviews

Amazon.co.uk Review
The Rebel (1961) and The Punch and Judy Man (1963) are the only two feature films made expressly as star vehicles for the great television comic Tony Hancock. The Rebel is by far the more ambitious, being in colour with Parisian locations, a large cast, and not least a supporting role for international star George Sanders. The opening rebellion against office life surely inspired The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin, while references follow to Look Back in Anger (1958) and Billy Wilder's The Apartment (1960) and Some Like It Hot (1959). Hancock goes to Paris to follow his artistic muse and as he rises through the art world his naivety is taken for genius, allowing for some very funny moments and spot-on satire, which are just as relevant today as 40 years ago.

Filmed in black-and-white in Bognor Regis, The Punch and Judy Man is a more modest yet evocative portrait of life in a small coastal resort. Hancock is the titular beach entertainer who is happy to live from day to day with the affable companionship of John Le Mesurier and Hugh Lloyd. The problem is he's burdened with a socially ambitious wife, Sylvia Syms. Gentle humour comes from Hancock's frustrations as a proto-Basil Fawlty, and the film, packed with familiar British character actors, has an old-fashioned charm. It makes for an enjoyable supporting feature to The Rebel, which is undoubtedly a minor classic.

On the DVD: Tony Hancock Double Feature presents both films at 4:3 ratio. The earlier film looks decidedly cropped in several scenes, though the latter survives the reformatting largely unscathed. The Rebel's colour is faded and the image grainy, while The Punch and Judy Man generally has a much stronger black and white image. Even so, there is some flickering and print damage. The music is distorted in The Rebel but the mono sound is fine during The Punch and Judy Man. There are no extras. --Gary S Dalkin

---

Customer reviews

review by: Shaun date: 2008-03-26 rating:
The Rebel is the greatest film ever made!
When I'm asked, "what is your favourite film of all time". Well I find it impossible to pick one favourite, but if it would be a top ten, then The Rebel would be close to actually being the winner.

---

review by: date: 2004-11-02 rating:
what can you say?
If you havn't seen these two fine examples of post war british ironic comedy, then then you must buy and see them.
I don't think that my waffling on for para upon para can do justice to them . make your own mind up, you won't be dissapointed .
note a very young Olly Reed in the rebel.

---

review by: date: 2003-08-25 rating:
Tony's the man!
The Punch and Judy Man is a superb film. This is Tony Hancock's best film. It's witty and charming. It always reminds me of a traditional fun holiday at a British seaside town full of ice-cream,rock, fun-fairs, fish and chips and Punch and Judy puppet shows.Tony Hancock plays a puppeteer disillusioned with his life in a seaside town married to a socially ambitious wife(Sylvia Syms) who wants to move up the social ladder and live amongst a better class of people.At an important social function both the husband and wife are in for a rude awakening.
Hancock is a genius and a legend! The Punch and Judy Man is a wonderful film as his amazing talent just blazes out onto the screen. His gestures, mannerisms and his lively personality are a joy to behold. This is one of my favourite British comedy films and it has a great supporting cast of British actors such as Sylvia Syms, John Le Mesurier, Hugh Lloyd, Mario Fabrizi and Ronald Fraser. I highly recommend this film to anyone to see because it is a great British comedy classic and it should not be forgotten.

---

review by: DJ MacDonald date: 2003-07-18 rating:
Best Of British!
Some say these aren't the best quality Hancock comedies, but to be honest they are some of his best acting roles, "The Punch & Judy Man" is the weakest of the two, but it is the one I enjoy watching the most, it has comedy, emotion, realism, sentimentality all the nostalgia that's needed to transport yourself back to the early sixties. It is one awesome package, coupled along with the fondly remembered "The Rebel" or "Call Me Genius" as it was known in the states. Hancock is without shadow of a doubt the uncrowned king of british comedy and these films give fuel to reasons why.


review by: date: 2003-04-02 rating:
The Rebel
Received wisdom has it that Tony Hancock's feature films aren't as funny as his TV and radio shows. Maybe so, but by any standards The Rebel - with a screenplay by Hancock regulars Galton and Simpson - is still pretty damn brilliant and takes the mickey out of modern art in inspired fashion. Hancock plays a bowler-hatted commuter with a boring clerical job in the City. Secretly, though, he yearns to be an Artist, and one day he chucks it all in and goes to Paris, where he starts wearing a beret, calls everyone 'mon brave', and founds the 'Infantile School of Painting', which basically means he chucks paint around and rides bicycles through the results. Among the film's treats are Dennis Price as a Salvador Dali figure who sleeps in a fishtank, Nanette Newman as a beatnik in blue lipstick and an ahead-of-its-time 'pink triangle' joke. The story goes off the boil when it's forced to tidy up all its loose ends in the later stages, but it's a must for lovers of British comedy.

---

Similar products

The Tony Hancock BBC Collection (8 Disc Box Set)
A Prize Of Arms [1962]
Steptoe And Son - Series 8 [1974]
School For Scoundrels [1960]
Hancock: The Best Of Hancock

---

Similar categories

Video . Video . Categories . Classic Films . Comedy . 1960s
Video . Video . Categories . Classic Films . Directors . Ford, John
Video . Video . Categories . Comedy . General
Video . Video . Categories . Television & Documentary . Comedy . Television Classics . Hancock, Tony
Video . Video . Refinements . Condition (condition-type)
Video . DVD & VHS . Categories . Comedy . All Comedy
Video . DVD & VHS . Categories . Classics . Comedy
Video . DVD & VHS . Refinements . BBFC Rating (intended_use_browse-bin) . U
Video . DVD & VHS . Refinements . Release Date (feature_three_browse-bin) . 1960 - 1969
Video . DVD & VHS . Refinements . Editions (feature_two_browse-bin) . Standard Edition
Video . DVD & VHS . Refinements . Format (binding_browse-bin) . VHS

---