Dad's Army (2016 film)

Dad's Army

Theatrical release poster
Directed by Oliver Parker
Produced by Damian Jones
Screenplay by Hamish McColl
Based on Dad's Army 
by David Croft
and Jimmy Perry
Starring
Music by Charlie Mole
Cinematography Christopher Ross
Edited by Guy Bensley
Production
company
DJ Films
Distributed by
Release dates
  • 5 February 2016 (2016-02-05) (United Kingdom)
Running time
 100 minutes[1]
Country United Kingdom
Language English
Box office $11.9 million[2]

Dad's Army is a 2016 British war comedy film, based on the BBC television sitcom Dad's Army. Directed by Oliver Parker, set in 1944, after the events depicted in the television series. The story sees Catherine Zeta-Jones play a glamorous journalist, who is sent to report on the Walmington-on-Sea Home Guard platoon. This is all before MI5 discovers that there is a German spy, hiding in the fictional British town.

The production design was by Simon Bowles, and the cinematography by Christopher Ross. The film was released on 5 February 2016 in the United Kingdom by Universal Pictures.

Plot

The film is set during 1944, with the end of the Second World War in sight. In Walmington-on-Sea, Captain Mainwaring's Home Guard suffers from low morale. This is until a glamorous journalist arrives, to report on the platoon's exploits.

Meanwhile, MI5 have discovered a radio signal transmitted from Walmington-on-Sea towards Berlin, apparently the work of a spy, giving the Home Guard a chance to make a real difference in the war.[3]

Cast

Ian Lavender has a cameo as Brigadier Pritchard, providing a link with the original series. Frank Williams reprises his role as the Reverend Timothy Farthing. The regular series character of the Verger Maurice Yeatman was not recreated for the film. Mrs. Mainwaring, who was a completely unseen character for the whole of the original series, now has a prominently visible role in the film, where she is portrayed as a Chief Volaunteer of the local Auxiliary Territorial Service, and is even more pompous, domineering and vociferous than her husband.

Production

Filming began in Yorkshire in October 2014.[4][5] Principal photography took place at North Landing, Flamborough Head and Bridlington. The East Riding Theatre in Beverley was used for Church Hall/Parade room and Captain Mainwaring's office. Sections of the film were also captured in Leeds and Pickering.[6]

Location filming for the film, at North Landing, Flamborough Head, Yorkshire. The scene involved German soldiers shooting with rifles and machine gun from behind their landing craft, at some of Captain Mainwaring's platoon. These are taking shelter behind 'concrete' anti-tank emplacements.
Michael Gambon as Private Godfrey, on the set of Dad's Army in October 2014. Filming took place on the beach at North Landing, Flamborough Head, Yorkshire, and at nearby Bridlington.

Reception

Dad's Army has received mixed reviews from critics. The film currently has a 38% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 24 reviews, with an average rating of 5.1[7] On Metacritic, it has a score of 38 out of 100, based on 7 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".[8]

Sean O'Grady, of The Independent, gave the film a five star review, remarking that rather than threatening the series' legacy, it "surpasses the original", calling it a "well-crafted reproduction" containing all the elements that made the original so clever, durable and loveable.[9]

Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian was less convinced, giving it just two stars, arguing that "it’s hard to escape the sinking feeling that this is a waste of talent – and that this is a good-natured, well-meaning but pointless kind of Brit-comedy ancestor worship, paying elaborate homage to a TV show that got it right the first time."[10]

References

  1. ↑ "DAD'S ARMY (PG)". British Board of Film Classification. 22 January 2016. Retrieved 22 January 2016.
  2. ↑ "Dad's Army". Box Office Mojo.
  3. ↑ Ben Child (8 October 2014). "She's in the army now: Catherine Zeta-Jones joins cast of Dad's Army film". The Guardian. Retrieved 16 November 2014.
  4. ↑ Amy Murphy (26 October 2014). "Dad's Army film: First photos of Catherine Zeta Jones, Toby Jones and Bill Nighy released". The Independent. Retrieved 16 November 2014.
  5. ↑ "Gambon and Courtenay to star in Dad's Army film". BBC News. 8 October 2014. Retrieved 16 October 2014.
  6. ↑ Clayton, Emma (9 February 2016). "Bradford youngsters step back in time to join star-studded cast in new Dad's Army film". Telegraph and Argus. Retrieved 9 February 2016.
  7. ↑ Dad's Army at Rotten Tomatoes
  8. ↑ Dad's Army at Metacritic
  9. ↑ O'Grady, Sean. "Dad’s Army review: Mainwaring’s men are back. And better than ever". The Independent. Retrieved 27 January 2016.
  10. ↑ Bradshaw, Peter (26 January 2016). "Dad's Army review: who don't you think you are kidding?". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 27 January 2016.

External links

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