Dad's Army (1971 Film)
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''Dad's Army'' is a 1971 British
war War is an armed conflict between the armed forces of states, or between governmental forces and armed groups that are organized under a certain command structure and have the capacity to sustain military operations, or between such organi ...
comedy film The comedy film is a film genre that emphasizes humor. These films are designed to amuse audiences and make them laugh. Films in this genre typically have a happy ending, with dark comedy being an exception to this rule. Comedy is one of the o ...
directed by
Norman Cohen Norman Cohen (11 June 1936 in Dublin – 26 October 1983 in Van Nuys, California) was an Irish film director and producer, best known for directing two feature films based on television comedy programmes, ''Till Death Us Do Part (film), Till ...
and starring Arthur Lowe,
John Le Mesurier John Le Mesurier (, born John Elton Le Mesurier Halliley; 5 April 191215 November 1983) was an English actor. He is probably best remembered for his comedic role as Sergeant Arthur Wilson in the BBC television situation com ...
, Clive Dunn,
John Laurie John Paton Laurie (25 March 1897 – 23 June 1980) was a Scottish stage, film, and television actor. He appeared in scores of feature films with directors including Alfred Hitchcock, David Lean, Michael Powell and Laurence Olivier, generally p ...
,
Arnold Ridley William Arnold Ridley (7 January 1896 – 12 March 1984) was an English playwright and actor, known early in his career for writing the 1925 play '' The Ghost Train'' and later in life for the British television sitcom ''Dad's Army'' (1968–77 ...
,
Ian Lavender Arthur Ian Lavender (16 February 1946 – 2 February 2024) was an English stage, film and television actor. He is best known for his role as Private Pike in ''Dad's Army'', a BBC sitcom set during World War II, of which he was the last survivi ...
and James Beck. It was written by Jimmy Perry and David Croft and was the first film adaptation of the
BBC television BBC Television is a service of the BBC. The corporation has operated a Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast television service in the United Kingdom, under the terms of a royal charter, since 1 January 1927. It p ...
sitcom ''
Dad's Army ''Dad's Army'' is a British television British sitcom, sitcom about the United Kingdom's Home Guard (United Kingdom), Home Guard during the World War II, Second World War. It was written by Jimmy Perry and David Croft (TV producer), David Crof ...
'' (1968–1977). It was filmed between series three and four and was based upon material from the early episodes of the television series. The film tells the story of the
Home Guard Home guard is a title given to various military organizations at various times, with the implication of an emergency or reserve force raised for local defense. The term "home guard" was first officially used in the American Civil War, starting ...
platoon A platoon is a Military organization, military unit typically composed of two to four squads, Section (military unit), sections, or patrols. Platoon organization varies depending on the country and the Military branch, branch, but a platoon can ...
's formation and their subsequent endeavours at a training exercise.


Plot

1940 –
Operation Dynamo Operation or Operations may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * ''Operation'' (game), a battery-operated board game that challenges dexterity * Operation (music), a term used in musical set theory * ''Operations'' (magazine), Multi-Man ...
has just taken place. From the newly conquered French coastline, a
Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the German Army (1935–1945), ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmac ...
colonel looks out over the
English Channel The English Channel, also known as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates Southern England from northern France. It links to the southern part of the North Sea by the Strait of Dover at its northeastern end. It is the busi ...
with powerful binoculars. Surveying the
white cliffs of Dover The White Cliffs of Dover are the region of English coastline facing the Strait of Dover and France. The cliff face, which reaches a height of , owes its striking appearance to its composition of chalk accented by streaks of black flint, depo ...
, he spies Godfrey emerging from a lavatory. Godfrey joins the rest of his platoon, who are defiantly waving the
Union Flag The Union Jack or Union Flag is the ''de facto'' national flag of the United Kingdom. The Union Jack was also used as the official flag of several British colonies and dominions before they adopted their own national flags. It is sometimes a ...
. The colonel fumes contemptuously, "How can the stupid British ever hope to win?!" One morning, George Mainwaring, the manager of the Walmington-on-Sea branch of
Martins Bank Martins Bank was a London private bank, trading for much of its time under the symbol of "The Grasshopper", that could trace its origins back to Thomas Gresham and the London goldsmiths, from which it developed into a bank known as Martin's Bank ...
, and his chief clerk, Arthur Wilson, listen to
Anthony Eden Robert Anthony Eden, 1st Earl of Avon (12 June 1897 – 14 January 1977) was a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 1955 until his resignation in 1957. Achi ...
making a radio broadcast about forming the Local Defence Volunteers (LDV). At the local police station chaos ensues because there is nobody to organise the enrolment of the men. Characteristically, Mainwaring takes charge and after commandeering the local church hall he registers the assembled volunteers, with weapons being inspected. The local platoon is eventually formed with Mainwaring in command as
captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...
, Wilson as his
sergeant Sergeant (Sgt) is a Military rank, rank in use by the armed forces of many countries. It is also a police rank in some police services. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and in other units that draw their heritage f ...
and Jack Jones as the lance-corporal, plus Frazer, Godfrey, Pike and Walker as privates. With no weapons or training, the platoon is initially forced to improvise, using devices invented and assembled by Jones. These invariably backfire or malfunction with disastrous consequences. The chaos includes an anti-aircraft rocket launcher blowing up a farmer's barn and a one-man tank made from a cast iron bathtub rolling into the river with Private Joe Walker still inside. The platoon secures uniforms and, eventually, weapons. Following the evacuation from
Dunkirk Dunkirk ( ; ; ; Picard language, Picard: ''Dunkèke''; ; or ) is a major port city in the Departments of France, department of Nord (French department), Nord in northern France. It lies from the Belgium, Belgian border. It has the third-larg ...
, the LDV is renamed the Home Guard. The platoon is ordered to take part in a war games/training weekend, but Lance-Corporal Jones's van, recently converted to gas under Mainwaring's orders, breaks down after Jones accidentally pushes his bayonet through the roof of the van into the gas bag on the roof. They are towed by a steam roller. Out of control, the roller destroys the platoon's tents, as well as other equipment, angering Major-General Fullard who is in charge of the weekend exercises, and who is already cross with Mainwaring for previously refusing to cash his cheque at the bank, still under the impression that Mainwaring is a bank clerk. After a night sleeping without tents the platoon, bar Wilson, oversleep and miss breakfast despite being detailed to hold a
pontoon bridge A pontoon bridge (or ponton bridge), also known as a floating bridge, is a bridge that uses float (nautical), floats or shallow-draft (hull), draft boats to support a continuous deck for pedestrian and vehicle travel. The buoyancy of the support ...
during the day's exercise. The bridge has been sabotaged by the
Royal Marines The Royal Marines provide the United Kingdom's amphibious warfare, amphibious special operations capable commando force, one of the :Fighting Arms of the Royal Navy, five fighting arms of the Royal Navy, a Company (military unit), company str ...
and the results are comically chaotic, with Jones atop on a drifting white horse. Captain Mainwaring is summoned by the major-general and told that due to the platoon's poor showing he will recommend Mainwaring be replaced. While the platoon are walking back to Walmington, a
Luftwaffe The Luftwaffe () was the aerial warfare, aerial-warfare branch of the before and during World War II. German Empire, Germany's military air arms during World War I, the of the Imperial German Army, Imperial Army and the of the Imperial Ge ...
reconnaissance In military operations, military reconnaissance () or scouting is the exploration of an area by military forces to obtain information about enemy forces, the terrain, and civil activities in the area of operations. In military jargon, reconnai ...
aircraft is shot down and its three-man crew parachutes to safety. That night, they enter Walmington Church Hall, where a meeting is taking place to raise money to fund half of a
Spitfire The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and other Allied countries before, during, and after World War II. It was the only British fighter produced continuously throughout the ...
, the other half being funded by another nearby town. They hold all present as hostages, including the
mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...
and vicar, and demand a boat back to
France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
. Mainwaring and his men reach home and discover what has happened. By this point Fullard, the Navy, the Marines and the police have begun to arrive. The Home Guard platoon infiltrate the building though the church crypt. Dressed in choir surplices, they enter the church hall singing ''
All Things Bright and Beautiful "All Things Bright and Beautiful" is an Anglican hymn, also sung in many other Christian denominations. The words are by Cecil Frances Alexander and were first published in her ''Hymns for Little Children'' of 1848. The hymn is commonly sung ...
'', with their own extemporised second verse. Mainwaring takes a revolver concealed under a collection plate and confronts the Luftwaffe leader, who aims his Luger pistol at him. Both officers agree they will shoot at the count of three, with Mainwaring warning the Germans that if he dies, 7 men will take his place. The platoon then draws their rifles from beneath their white robes. The German intruders reluctantly surrender, with Fullard left stunned at the sight of the victorious Home Guard. Mainwaring and his men become the pride of the town. Wilson reveals that the German officer's gun was empty. Smiling, Mainwaring replies, "So was mine". In the final scenes, Mainwaring and the Home Guard look towards France from the cliffs. The weather has changed for the worse and it is unlikely that Hitler will ever invade, although that does not stop the group lying down and listening when they start to suspect they have detected a Nazi attempt to tunnel into Britain.


Cast

* Arthur Lowe as Captain Mainwaring *
John Le Mesurier John Le Mesurier (, born John Elton Le Mesurier Halliley; 5 April 191215 November 1983) was an English actor. He is probably best remembered for his comedic role as Sergeant Arthur Wilson in the BBC television situation com ...
as Sergeant Wilson * Clive Dunn as Lance-Corporal Jones *
John Laurie John Paton Laurie (25 March 1897 – 23 June 1980) was a Scottish stage, film, and television actor. He appeared in scores of feature films with directors including Alfred Hitchcock, David Lean, Michael Powell and Laurence Olivier, generally p ...
as Private Frazer * James Beck as Private Walker *
Arnold Ridley William Arnold Ridley (7 January 1896 – 12 March 1984) was an English playwright and actor, known early in his career for writing the 1925 play '' The Ghost Train'' and later in life for the British television sitcom ''Dad's Army'' (1968–77 ...
as Private Godfrey *
Ian Lavender Arthur Ian Lavender (16 February 1946 – 2 February 2024) was an English stage, film and television actor. He is best known for his role as Private Pike in ''Dad's Army'', a BBC sitcom set during World War II, of which he was the last survivi ...
as Private Pike *
Liz Fraser Elizabeth Joan Winch (14 August 1930 – 6 September 2018), known professionally as Liz Fraser, was a British film actress, best known for being cast in provocative comedy roles. Early life Fraser was born in Southwark, London. Her year of b ...
as Mrs Pike (portrayed by Janet Davies in the television series) *
Bernard Archard Bernard Joseph Archard (20 August 1916 – 1 May 2008) was an English actor who made many film and television appearances. Early life and career Archard was born in Fulham, London, where his father Alfred James Aloysius, who was born in Maryle ...
as Major General Fullard *
Derek Newark Derek John Newark (8 June 1933 – 11 August 1998) was an English actor in television, film and theatre. Career Newark began his working life as a soldier in the Coldstream Guards before joining the Royal Artillery. However, he wanted to beco ...
as Regimental Sergeant Major *
Bill Pertwee William Desmond Anthony Pertwee (21 July 1926 – 27 May 2013) was an English actor and comedian. He is best remembered for playing Chief ARP Warden Hodges in ''Dad's Army'' and P.C. Wilson in '' You Rang, M'Lord?''. Early life Pertwee was bo ...
as Chief ARP Warden Hodges * Frank Williams as Vicar * Edward Sinclair as Verger * Anthony Sagar as Police Sergeant *
Pat Coombs Patricia Doreen Coombs (27 August 1926 – 25 May 2002) was an English actress. She specialised in the portrayal of the eternal downtrodden female, comically under the thumb of stronger personalities. She was known for many roles on radio, ...
as Mrs Hall * Roger Maxwell as General Wilkinson ("Peppery Old Gent") * Paul Dawkins as Nazi General *
Sam Kydd Samuel John Kydd (15 February 1915 – 26 March 1982) was a British actor. Most of his film roles were very small but he appeared in more than 290 films, more than any other British actor, including 119 between 1946 and 1952. His best-known ro ...
as Nazi Orderly * Michael Knowles as Staff Captain * Fred Griffiths as Bert King


Production

Filming took place between 10 August and 25 September 1970, at
Shepperton Studios Shepperton Studios is a film studio located in Shepperton, Surrey, England, with a history dating back to 1931. It is now part of Pinewood Group, the Pinewood Studios Group. During its early existence, the studio was branded as Sound City (not ...
and various locations, notably
Chalfont St Giles Chalfont St Giles is a village and civil parish in southeast Buckinghamshire, England. It is in a group of villages called The Chalfonts, which also includes Chalfont St Peter and Little Chalfont. It lies on the edge of the Chiltern Hills, we ...
in
Buckinghamshire Buckinghamshire (, abbreviated ''Bucks'') is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Northamptonshire to the north, Bedfordshire to the north-east, Hertfordshir ...
and Seaford in
East Sussex East Sussex is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Kent to the north-east, West Sussex to the west, Surrey to the north-west, and the English Channel to the south. The largest settlement ...
, as well as the church of St Mary Magdalene,
Shepperton Shepperton is a village in the Borough of Spelthorne, Spelthorne district, in north Surrey, England, around south west of central London. The settlement is on the north bank of the River Thames, between the towns of Chertsey and Sunbury-on-Tha ...
, which is adjacent to the studios.


Differences from the television series

The film made a number of significant changes, imposed by
Columbia Pictures Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc., Trade name, doing business as Columbia Pictures, is an American film Production company, production and Film distributor, distribution company that is the flagship unit of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group ...
, such as recasting
Liz Fraser Elizabeth Joan Winch (14 August 1930 – 6 September 2018), known professionally as Liz Fraser, was a British film actress, best known for being cast in provocative comedy roles. Early life Fraser was born in Southwark, London. Her year of b ...
as Mavis Pike instead of Janet Davies and filming outdoor scenes in
Chalfont St Giles Chalfont St Giles is a village and civil parish in southeast Buckinghamshire, England. It is in a group of villages called The Chalfonts, which also includes Chalfont St Peter and Little Chalfont. It lies on the edge of the Chiltern Hills, we ...
rather than
Thetford Thetford is a market town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the Breckland District of Norfolk, England. It is on the A11 road (England), A11 road between Norwich and London, just east of Thetford Forest. The civil parish, coverin ...
. Also, the bank was now Martins (a genuine bank of the time) rather than Swallow, and, with the increase in budget, the set interiors and the vehicles used were completely different, and the streets of Walmington had extras walking on them. The audience saw the Germans preparing across the Channel, rather than them simply being an unseen threat, and the events of the platoon's formation were revised in various ways for the big screen treatment. Many of the changes, in particular the recasting of Mrs Pike, met with criticism. Fraser was chosen because director Cohen wanted a less homely, more "sexy" actress for the role. Perry has said "It was a mistake...not to cast Janet in the role because the viewing public has come to recognise her as Mrs. Pike. But that was a decision made by Columbia.".


Release

''Dad's Army'' was passed with a U certificate by the
British Board of Film Censors The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) is a non-governmental organisation founded by the British film industry in 1912 and responsible for the national classification and censorship of films A film, also known as a movie ...
on 27 January 1971. Its UK premiere was on Sunday 14 March 1971 at the Columbia Cinema in
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
.


Reception

Critical reviews were mixed, but it was the fifth most financially successful film at the United Kingdom
box office A box office or ticket office is a place where ticket (admission), tickets are sold to the public for admission to an event. Patrons may perform the transaction at a countertop, through a hole in a wall or window, or at a Wicket gate, wicket. ...
of the year. It gained a score of 31% on Rotten Tomatoes, and a score of 6.9/10 via IMDB. ''
The Monthly Film Bulletin The ''Monthly Film Bulletin'' was a periodical of the British Film Institute published monthly from February 1934 until April 1991, when it merged with '' Sight & Sound''. It reviewed all films on release in the United Kingdom, including those wi ...
'' wrote: "A reliable method of luring the public away from its television sets and back to the cinema is to remould successful TV series for the big screen. ''Dad's Army'', like ''
Till Death Us Do Part ''Till Death Us Do Part'' is a British television sitcom that aired on BBC1 from 1965 to 1975. The show was first broadcast in 1965 as a '' Comedy Playhouse'' pilot, then as seven series between 1966 and 1975. In 1981, ITV continued the sitc ...
'', has been done over in this way, with the usual loss of intimacy and subtlety of characterisation which the leisure of a weekly series allows. In this case, grooming for the cinema means the introduction of coarsening and inflating elements which overwhelm, almost to extinction, the fragile, nostalgic humour of the original. ... Though the scriptwriters are the same, even the verbal humour is cruder." In ''The
Radio Times ''Radio Times'' is a British weekly listings magazine devoted to television and radio programme schedules, with other features such as interviews, film reviews and lifestyle items. Founded in September 1923 by John Reith, then general manage ...
Guide to Films'' David Parkinson gave the film 3/5 stars, writing: "As with so many other TV spin-offs, the producers couldn't resist tinkering with the winning formula, and here we are treated to a Nazi invasion of Walmington-on-Sea that is somewhat at odds with the cosy incompetence that made the series so irresistible. But this is still great fun and it's always a pleasure to see such gifted character actors at work."
Leslie Halliwell Robert James Leslie Halliwell (23 February 1929 – 21 January 1989) was a British film critic, encyclopaedist and television rights buyer for ITV, the British commercial network, and Channel 4. He is best known for his reference guides, '' Fi ...
wrote "A pleasant souvenir but rather less effective than was expected because everything is shown – the town, the Nazis, the wives – and thus the air of gentle fantasy disappears, especially in the face of much coarsened humour."


Sequel

Discussions were held about a possible sequel, to be called ''Dad's Army and the Secret U-Boat Base'', but the project never came to fruition.Richard Webber ''Dad's Army: A Celebration'', (Virgin Publishing 1997), pp.164–169, A second film was released in 2016 with an almost entirely new cast, also titled ''
Dad's Army ''Dad's Army'' is a British television British sitcom, sitcom about the United Kingdom's Home Guard (United Kingdom), Home Guard during the World War II, Second World War. It was written by Jimmy Perry and David Croft (TV producer), David Crof ...
''.


References


External links

* *
Filming locations from the ''Dad's Army Movie''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dads Army (1971 film)
Dad's Army (1971 film) ''Dad's Army'' is a 1971 British war comedy film directed by Norman Cohen and starring Arthur Lowe, John Le Mesurier, Clive Dunn, John Laurie, Arnold Ridley, Ian Lavender and James Beck. It was written by Jimmy Perry and David Croft and was ...
1971 films 1970s war comedy films British war comedy films Films based on television series Films directed by Norman Cohen Films set in 1940 Films set in Kent Films shot in Buckinghamshire Military comedy films Films shot at Shepperton Studios Columbia Pictures films Films set on the United Kingdom home front during World War II 1971 comedy films British World War II films 1970s English-language films 1970s British films English-language war comedy films Films scored by Wilfred Burns