YOU MUST BE JOKING

UK, 1965, 100 minutes, Black and white.
Michael Crawford, Lionel Jeffries, Denholm Elliott, Wilfred Hyde- White, Bernard Cribbins, James Robertson Justice, Leslie Phillips, Terry Thomas.
Directed by Michael Winner.

You Must Be Joking is a British comedy of the mid-sixties. As in the past there were parodies of British Institutions, so this film parodies the Army and the psychological tests required for recruits. The fatuous nature of such tests and the results is humorously exposed, especially In the character of the psychologist played by Terry Thomas.

A group of veteran British actors plus Michael Callan take the roles of the soldiers being tested. Michael Winner in the early part of his career directs at a fairly fast and stylish pace. Winner then went on to make such films as The Jokers and I'll Never Forget Whatsisname before moving to America and a number of films with Charles Bronson and Burt Lancaster Including Lawman, Scorpio, Death Wish.

1. Audience response to British comedy and its style of humour? The tone of the title? The presentation of British types, the satire on the army? The emphasis on British stupidity? satire and parody and the overall effect?

2. The flashy direction by Michael Winner? The emphasis on style? The credits and the photos and humour, the pace of the editing, shots, editing?

3. How plausible was the basic situation? How humorous and sufficient for parody? General Aykood as the bumbling English military type? His not wanting responsibility? The irony of his eventually being enough for dishonesty?

4. Major Foskett and psychology? The setting up of the test? His glee especially in getting Clegg back to the starting maze? His being disturbed in the middle of the night? The failure of the test?

5. Audience response to the test in itself? How silly?
the things to be got?

6. Mc Gregor and the satire in the intrepid Scotsman? Scottish type, wanting to win? The petting of the flower and allowing himself to be robbed by Annabelle? His growing exasperation? The sequences with the greyhound, with the bell from Lloyd's etc?.? His desperation in getting to the finishing post?

7. Clegg as the simple soldier, the irony of his so many attempts at digging his way out? Mansfield and the wheeler dealer of the military? His using, of coupons to requisition everything in the name of the army and General Lockwood? The irony of his being exposed? General Lockwood?

8. The importance of the man who hired the helicopter, stayed in his hotel all the time and did not have to move, got his minions to do all the jobs, especially his girlfriend? His getting his friend from Lloyds to get the bell? The irony of his arrival?

10. Tim as hero? Friendship with Annabelle? His encounter with the librarian for the discovery of the rose? Annabelle's robbing Mc Gregor of the rose? The sequence of finding the singer, joining in the singing and the dancing? His robbing of the Liberty Bell and its going into the crater?

11. The build-up to the converging of the various men towards the finishing post?

12. The madcap finale with parody of people arriving by ambulance, car, parachute?

13. What was the point of so much parody about the English, the army?