Review for The Bargee

What a treat! I've been a long time Galton and Simpson fan. I've loved just about everything they've written and have slavishly collected every surviving radio and TV episode of Hancock, as well as all the Steptoe and Son episodes and movie and radio outings. In fact, I can virtually quote every line of the Hancock film 'The Rebel' having watched it, and laughed aloud at it, so often over the years. I was also lucky enough to have enjoyed a whole evening in the company of Alan Simpson who was a regular at a pub in Hampton and I went there expressly to meet him. He turned out to be one of the least pretentious, most grounded individuals it has been my pleasure to meet and it was, for me, an entirely magical evening where I learned more about Hancock, Sid James, Kenneth Williams, Hattie Jacques (and husband John Le Mesuirer) and the Steptoe clan than I would have done reading any number of books and biographies. But I won't be divulging what I learned here. It was said in confidence and will remain in confidence.


So you can imagine the excitement that the arrival of this wonderfully restored, widescreen version of 'The Bargee' caused, especially with its brilliantly executed 'Look In' magazine style painted cover. What's more, despite my obsession with all things Galton and Simpson (other than Paul Merton's pedestrian re-treading of some of the Hancock classics, which served as a salutary reminder that good scripts were only half the magic); I have never seen 'The Bargee' before.


So, let's start by reviewing the ingredients. With at least half the film being shot on location, on canals and near locks in the Pennines, it will serve as a real treat for anyone looking for a historical glimpse into Britain's waterways of yesteryear (1965 to be precise). It boasts a sterling cast including Harry H. Corbett at the very top of his game, Ronnie Barker at the start of his belated on-screen career, Eric Sykes on top surrealist form, Derek Nimmo at his pre-Oh Brother height, and the inimitably cantankerous Hugh Griffith as a lock-keeper as well as great support from a young Richard Briers, and Julia Foster as the romantic interest.


That's 100% pure British quality - guaranteed! Ably directed by TV stalwart Duncan Wood (who directed Hancock, Steptoe, Oh Brother! amongst many others) with cinematographer Alan Hume (Bond, Hammer, Avengers etc), the results are fantastic. The attention to detail is occasionally beyond impressive, running up the scale to almost startling. One example is the beautiful shot of the church by night, which zooms out to reveal that it is a view from a window, and pulls back further to reveal a mirror on a table that perfectly frames a half-naked Harry H Corbett smoking in bed, intended to show the irony of his claim to be a religious man, preferring to go to Church than go to the pub with his mates. There are countless moments throughout the film where the cinematography, reflecting life on the waterways, is really superb.


So on to the story. And in truth, there isn't much of one. The film perfectly bridges the moment between classic (cosy) Ealing style comedy and the emerging, racier comedy of the late sixties. The plot, thin as it is, is enough to carry the film through in an entertaining and enjoyable way, and there are occasionally some stand out comic moments (such as the scene with Derek Nimmo as a naive young doctor telling the cantankerous Joe (Hugh Griffith) that his daughter is pregnant).
Harry H. Corbett plays the brilliantly named Hemel Pike, a self-styled 'Casanova of the Canals' - a barge-man with a 'woman at every lock'. As a free-wheeling bachelor boy, he is aided and abetted by his cousin, the illiterate Ronnie (Ronnie Barker) and he is clearly against marriage and monogamy ...until he comes across Christine, the pretty daughter of an over-protective lock keeper, Joe. While Ronnie distracts Joe down the pub with a drinking contest, Hemel has a liaison with Christine. Sadly, his carefree bachelor days may be at an end when Christine discovers she's pregnant, as does her father, who sets out to find the man responsible.
Needless to say, it all ends on a happy note.
The picture quality is really excellent with a first class transfer. It's vibrant and detailed - everything you would hope it to be. Other than a trailer, there are no extra features.

For those who love classic British comedy as much as I do, or who are fans of the mighty Galton and Simpson's work, then this release is for you.

Highly recommended.