ianlouisiana Mr M.Winner is a living contradiction of the old adage that there is no such thing as bad publicity.As a result of what appears to be rampant and patronising snobbery,his image - boosted by his preposterous and bad - mannered antics as a so - called "restaurant critic" - is that of an arrogant,none -too - intelligent boor.His tabloid newspaper column was childish and spiteful,his current TV ads for a motor car insurance company are unspeakable.And yet it all could have been so different...... This former infant terrible of the British cinema is a Cambridge man.A measly 3rd - generally awarded to any entrant who gets his Candidate Number right-and an editorship of Varsity were his share of the glittering prizes.During his days running what was at the time the sole newspaper at the University,he discovered that there was no need for him to purchase - like the vast majority of his fellow undergraduates - a bicycle as the law,as defined in the Larceny Act which was in force at the time,clearly stated that in order to be convicted of stealing,a defendant had to have intended to keep the property which was the subject of the charge. Armed with the moral certainty of the larcenous at heart he proceeded to "borrow" bicycles as it pleased him . This was an important lesson for the young Winner,and one he remembered by the time he got round to making "The Jokers",as the whole plot of the movie revolves around that arcane point of English Law. The really sad thing about Mr Winner's decline into self - parody is that "The Jokers" is a very good film. Mr O.Reed and Mr M.Crawford are both outstanding as the brothers intent on "borrowing" the Crown Jewels.The whole production fizzes with fun and energy and plays its part in perpetuating the mainly mythical "Swinging Sixties" image of life in Upper Middle Class West London. The late Mr Reed was devilishly handsome and suave and determinedly ploughed the lonely furrow of the devoted follower of Bacchus until his untimely but hardly unexpected death during the making of "Gladiator". Mr Crawford,rather more cute and cuddly,is fondly remembered by many as the well - meaning simpleton Frank Spencer,source of a million bad impressions.Ultimately,of course,Mr Crawford found his true niche as a purveyor of Lord Lloyd - Webber's musical wallpaper.But all this was unimaginably far in the future.Watch their wide - eyed and innocent pleasure in the sheer joy of performing. They are ably assisted by a comforting list of sterling British Character Actors who have graced more movies than you could shake a stick at. A persuasive writer could put a case for the proposition that Mr Winner's career as a director peaked with "The Jokers".Certainly it is a work he might well wish to be remembered for rather than a lot of the stinkers he made to keep his wine - cellar stocked. Whatever one might say about him,there is no doubt that he had,and still has,chutzpah;any director that can actually direct Orson Welles - as he did in "I'll never forget whatshisname" - rather than just sit back and let him take over must at least have that. He may never have the need,financially,to make another film ,but I rather hope that,creatively,he can rustle up one last hurrah that will go some way towards restoring his reputation and diminishing the memories of the pot - boilers and duds that litter his CV..

cunningpal "The Jokers" is a cheerful, exuberant, amusing British comedy of the 1960s. It's full of bombs that hurt nobody, gore that isn't real, and stars Michael Crawford and Oliver Reed dashing through vibrant London in a mad plot to steal the Crown Jewels – and then return them. But younger brother "Michael" is also bent on revenge against his older brother David, played by Oliver Reed, who landed him in trouble often enough ... so David ends in prison, and Michael goes free, for awhile.Michael's most recent escapade, aided and abetted by David, caused him to be expelled from Sandhurst, the British military academy for army officers. The plot calls for a bomb threat to the Jewels in the Tower of London to be taken seriously, hence some preliminary bombs are set in various locations, one of them even going off, a bit too close for comfort. Michael phones in the threats under the name "Red George", the mad bomber, while David constructs the devices, often contained in coffee pots. The acting is excellent all round, with Harry Andrews as Scotland Yard's earnest inspector Marryatt tracking the ubiquitous bombers – first the Albert Memorial, next the Stock Exchange ("about to be depressed") – and James Donald as the army's somewhat addled and befuddled Col. Gurney-Simms. The DVD, obtained in August, 2006 from eBay, was apparently made from a very poor copy of the film. In some of the scenes the colors are too dark, and about an hour into the movie a vertical white line, which never completely goes away, appears in the center of the picture. There are other visual problems associated with old movies that have been run countless times. I don't know why it never seems to be shown as a TV movie, or why it's so hard to find.

CHRISTOPHER HEATH Two clever, but rebellious and anarchic upper-class brothers (Oliver Reed and Michael Crawford) plot the ultimate robbery - the theft of the crown jewels from the Tower of London and concoct what they believe is the perfect alibi; the trouble is, can they trust one another?Both are a couple of drifters from a highly privileged background and have been given the best in life, but they are bored and suffer from a superiority complex which means they think they are above the law and that winning is all that matters. The theft is a chance to cock a snook at the British establishment, of which they are a part, and to brag about it to their party-going 'hooray' friends, thus enabling them to become part of folklore for their generation. They believe they can get away with it so long as the jewels are returned to the Tower - and there lies the crunch. The opening scene shows the Crawford character being slung out of the army for breaking every rule in the book and circumnavigating the army's chain of command so that he can capture his objective on Salisbury Plain. The fact that he used his initiative is neither here nor there - he's a rebel with no ethics and that doesn't fit well with the British Army. In time of war, you need buccaneers like the brothers in order to win the day. They are straight out of sixteenth century tradition of Francis Drake and Walter Raleigh and this coincides exactly with the spirit of the hedonistic 'swinging sixties' where anything goes.The picture is tremendous fun and is well scripted by Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais, two of the best screenwriters around. Michael Crawford didn't want to participate in the making of the film originally as he thought no-one would believe he could be Oliver Reed's brother. However, prior to filming, he met Reed's real-life brother who displayed an uncanny resemblance to Crawford and this made him change his mind. THIS MOVIE MUST BE BROUGHT OUT ON DVD NOW!!!

johdousha Like another of the commenters, I saw this film on the late night telly. I loved it all the way, and as an American, managed to appreciate some of the British humor. One joke, in particular, that made me laugh up a storm was when some guy tries to explain the bomb plantings by blaming it on "the Mafia." Michael Crawford sniggers, "Surbiton branch?" I recommend this film to anyone who wants to be entertained by one of the first films in what would become the best years of British comedy.