Not part of a collection.
The Wrong Box
In Victorian England, a fortune now depends on which of two brothers outlives the other—or can be made to have seemed to do so.
- Original title
- The Wrong Box
- Language
- EN
- Country
- GB
- Budget
- —
- Revenue
- —
CinemaSerf
Sep 14, 2023 · via TMDB
Bryan Forbes is to be commended for assembling a glittering cast in this rather plodding adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson's novel. It centres around the fate of a £20,000 fortune - the result of a tontine between 20 families who each invested £1,000 in a lottery than would provide the entire fund for whichever of their young children survived! Over the course of time, nature takes it's course until, sixty years later, we are left with two brothers. "Masterman" (John Mills) and "Joseph" (Sir Ralph Richardson). The former is a conspiring old fellow who really cares about the cash - a feeling shared by his plotting grandson "Michael" (Michael Caine). The latter - who doesn't really care about the cash - a rather charming old buffoon with a tale to tell of just about everything, being kept going for as long as possible by his scheming nephews Peter Cook ("Morris"), Dudley Moore ("John") and charming neice Nanette Newman ("Julia"). The scene is now set for a series of lightly amusing escapades with a few cameos from (policeman) Tony Hancock, (doctor) Peter Sellers and a wonderfully paced (quite literally) effort from Wilfred Lawson as the butler "Peacock" leading to a rather farcical conclusion in a graveyard. It is certainly a great looking film, John Barry provides one of his less distinctive scores and the film really moves along quickly. It just wasn't funny. The impending jokes could be seen from space, and aside from Lawson, and Sir Ralph's nigh on perfect portrayal of the doting old "Joseph", the characters provide more for a star-studded gathering for the sake it it, rather for the cohesiveness of the (admittedly quite fun) plot. Not one of RLS's finest stories, this - it tries to ridicule the "virtues" of 19th century Britain, but this production lacks subtlety, wit to achieve that goal. It really overcooks the perceived eccentricities of the characters - especially with Messrs. Cook and Moore. There was a certain style of comedy and comedian prevailing in the UK in the 1960s - fans of which may get much more from this. As it is, though, I struggled with it.
User reviews courtesy of TMDB.
John Mills
Masterman Finsbury
Ralph Richardson
Joseph Finsbury
Michael Caine
Michael Hubert Gregory Finsbury
Peter Cook
Morris Finsbury
Dudley Moore
John Finsbury
Nanette Newman
Julia Finsbury
Tony Hancock
Detective
Peter Sellers
Doctor Pratt
Cicely Courtneidge
Major Martha
Wilfrid Lawson
Peacock
Thorley Walters
Patience
Gerald Sim
1st Undertaker
Peter Graves
Military Officer
Irene Handl
Mrs. Hackett
Norman Bird
Clergyman
John Le Mesurier
Doctor Slattery
Hilton Edwards
Lawyer
Norman Rossington
1st Rough
Diane Clare
Mercy
Tutte Lemkow
Strangler
Jeremy Lloyd
Brian Allen Harvey
James Villiers
Sydney Whitcombe Sykes
Graham Stark
Ian Scott Fife
Nicholas Parsons
Alan Frazer Scrope
Willoughby Goddard
James Whyte Wragg
Valentine Dyall
Oliver Pike Harmsworth
Leonard Rossiter
Vyvyan Alistair Montague
Hamilton Dyce
Derek Lloyd Peter Digby
Timothy Bateson
Clerk
Totti Truman Taylor
Lady at Launching
Michael Lees
Young Digby
Avis Bunnage
Queen Victoria
Gwendolyn Watts
Maidservant
Vanda Godsell
Mrs. Goodge
Marianne Stone
Spinster
John Junkin
1st Engine Driver
Reg Lye
3rd Undertaker
Penny Brahms
Twittering Female on the Moors
Andrea Allan
Girl on Train
David Lodge
Corpse Remover
Juliet Mills
Mannish Woman on Train
André Morell
Club Butler
Robert Ellis
Title Designer
Julie Harris
Costume Design
Bryan Forbes
Director
Larry Gelbart
Co-Producer
Bryan Forbes
Producer
John Barry
Conductor
John Barry
Music Arranger
John Barry
Original Music Composer
Robert Louis Stevenson
Novel
Larry Gelbart
Writer
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