Main Cast: Richard Attenborough, Dennis Price, Terry-Thomas, Ian Carmichael, Peter Jones
Release Year: 1956
Country: UK
Run Time: 99 minutes
Plot
The Boulting Brothers enjoyed one of their biggest box-office successes of the 1950s with the wry service comedy Private's Progress. Though billed fourth, Ian Carmichael plays the central character, feckless British soldier Stanley Windrush. Interrupting his college education to serve his country, Windrush flunks out of officer's candidate school and is demoted to private. Much of the humor arises from the bookish hero's confrontation with the ruder and cruder side of army life, as represented by rough-hewn fellow private Cox (Richard Attenborough). As Major Hitchcock, Terry-Thomas offers a brilliant parody of the "Mad Dogs and Englishmen" school of military service, while Dennis Price is equally amusing as a nonplussed commanding officer named Tracepurcel (!) Also worth watching is future "Dr. Who" star William Hartnell as a loudmouthed sergeant. Halfway through the film, the plot rears its ugly head as the protagonists become involved with the covert reclamation of art treasures confiscated by the Nazis during WW2. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Review
Beloved by the British in the '50s, A Private's Progress is the kind of film that is always much better appreciated in its own home country; the references, atmosphere, and tone are so distinctly of their place (and time) that the film cannot be fully comprehended by one who wasn't "there." That said, Progress is still immensely engaging and enjoyable, kind of the cinematic equivalent of a friendly, garrulous stranger you meet in a pub while waiting for the rain to pass and are happy to while away the time with. Progress' strength lies in its perfectly tuned cast lead by Ian Carmichael, who makes dithering and silliness into something of an art and who can pull off even the hoariest comedic situations. Terry-Thomas is in especially fine form, giving, through his timing and delivery, immortality to the simple line "You're all absolute showers." (This makes no sense without the setup, but once a viewer has seen the film, he'll find himself quoting this line often). Throw in a delightfully scheming Richard Attenboroughand a wickedly amusing Dennis Price, and one can almost overlook the fact that there really is no plot until the last 30 minutes -- and that the end becomes a bit of a jumble because of that. The slapdash plotting is unfortunate, as it does keep the film from being a classic -- but in spite of that, Progress still has plenty of rewards. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide
