User Reviews

Just catching this film on a Thursday afternoon on the Talking Pictures TV Channel. I only watched it initially as I'm a huge fan of Alastair Sim, and I want to see as many of his films as possible especially unfamiliar ones.

The name of the event that the vicar wants to run is the Brains Trust, not the Brians Trust as has been mentioned elsewhere. This was a programme from my parents generation, that they would know well and I do vaguely remember it.

This has a motley collection of colourful characters and actors, including the following.

Alastair Sim personifies the Reverend William Paris, well meaning bumbling his way through the proceedings. Trying desperately to provide order out of chaos.

Janet Brown, its nice to see her in a film, I'm more used to seeing her later on as an extremely versatile impressionist, something she became famous for. Her character Jessie causes absolute pandemonium, when she asked her innocent question about marriage.

Edward Chapman is on form as the bumptious local Labour MP. I've seen most of him as Mr Grimsdale with Norman Wisdom.

Miles Malleson is perfect as the deaf old coot Dr. Hector McAdam.

Roland Culver absolutely is the arrogant opinionated George Prout, chauvinist husband who becomes maudlin when drunk.

Colin Gordon is the pompous self righteous professor Mutch.

Martita Hunt is the well meaning Lady Dodd who tries to keep her civil head while all around her disintegrates into mayhem.

The Brains Trust is meant to be a forum for erudite philosophical discussion, such was the excuse for the program. But it could simply be an opportunity for pompous big heads to bore the audience rigid.

The vicar as the self appointed master of ceremony, tries his best to pour oil on troubled waters. But he is totally unprepared for the situation as it unravelles before his eyes. Jessie is looking for answers to the eternal questions of love and happiness ever after. Unfortunately her persistence only exaserbates the situation, as she inadvertently unearthed a menage a trois.

Proffesor Hutch has unrequited feelings for Angela Prout, and resents her husbands stupid attitude towards her, feeling she would be betterJe off with him. Angela Prout has feelings for him but not in the way he hopes. George Prout is too pig headed and stupidly arrogant, taking his wife far to much for granted. Jessies question sparks an argument between Proffesor Hutch and George Prout, causing them to inadvertently wash their dirty linen in public.

While the vicar desperately needs to bring the proceedings to a conclusion, hoping never to be involved again he lamely promises to bring back a classical music ensemble for their delectation.

George Cole makes his cameo appearance as a private, to "thank the Padre for the best entertainment they have had, and hoping he will make the Brains Trust a regular event".

I have placed too many spoilers but I won't ruin the ending, suffice to say Jessie gets a pleasant surprise, and George and Angela are reconciled at last.

Alistair Sim was one of Britains finest comedy character actors, however even his talent could not raise this abysmal piece of cinema above the level of boring and tedious.There were some great British films made in the post war years, unfortunately this was not one of them, the story line was flimsy and predictable, the acting was wooden and the characters were stereotypes of middle class 50's middle England (with a stereotype labour politician thrown in for good measure).

Alistair Sim is a recently arrived Army chaplain in charge of providing the troops at a receiving center with counseling and entertainment. He walks into a situation that is a natural disaster. The soldiers are constantly leaving the base to patronize downtown pubs because that's where the action is. Sim's introduction to base entertainment is a string quartet -- four sweet old ladies sawing away at their instruments and producing a sound known to no human ear.

So, to keep the soldiers on the base, Sims arranges for a panel of smart people to provide the audience with a "Brain Trust." They'll answer any questions submitted by the soldiers and the female personnel of the base. "How is the house?" he asks. Half empty. "Ah, good -- half full!", exclaims Sim. That's the kind of guy he is.

The Brain Trust program takes up about half the film's running time. It consists of half a dozen people, mostly reluctant, who have problems of their own. The doctor is deaf. The society lady is giddy and out of it. The MP is a truculent Marxist. The artist is a drunk and his wife is having an affair with a mathematician, all of them on the panel. Sim is the "Question Master." The questions aren't the sort that "Mister Memory" answered in "The 39 Steps." They're more general. "Is there any evidence of life on the moon?" The surly mathematician replies, "No", period, and a long awkward silence follows while Sim fidgets, waiting desperately for expatiation.

The artist gets drunker, the politician more arrogant, the mathematician growlier, and a fight almost breaks out when one of the questions turns out to be, "Is marriage a good idea?" It ought to be funnier than it is. Granted that a chaplain on an army base isn't necessarily the most promising material yet more has been done with less. (What's funny about a guy who invents an indestructible thread in a textile plant?) Maybe it would have been more amusing if set in Victorian England instead of the 1950s. Sim is so rattled he almost falls to pieces while trying to field that question about whether marriage is a good idea, because marriage isn't a fit subject to discuss in front of young people. I've always admired Alistair Sim with his indecent smile and he does what he can with this role, but the lamentable fact is that there's not much to be done with it. He plays the chaplain as a well-intentioned nervous wreck. He's done better.

I absolutely love a lot of old British comedies, including earlier black and white ones. For example School for Scoundrels, Green Man, St Trinians, early Carry Ons, Norman Wisdom, Make Mine Mink, etc. Some of them aren't as funny as we would expect nowadays but still have a certain charm. I found this movie "Folly to be Wise" the absolutely dreadful as far as film making or comedy goes. The whole affair was akin to pulling teeth and it took me three sitting to get through the movie. The plot comes from nowhere and goes nowhere, the are characterless characters and the whole affair is underpinned by an absence of comedy. Alistair Sim is a good actor, even if not a favourite of mine, and George Cole makes an early appearance.

Spoiler - Basically the premise of the movie is - Sims set up a panel of people who do a show for the local troops whereby the audience members who have previously sent in questions get them answered by the menagerie of semi-intelligent people before the audience. A lady, who is getting to thinking she is too clever to marry a "dumb" soldier asks whether it's worth getting married. This causes a bit of a fracas between the panels members and is a bit of sore point as there is an affair going on (although it doesn't imply it's being consummated) and the people are often unpleasant to each other. At the end, following a speech by the "dumb" soldier - they decide that you learn about life by living it and not reading books and - happy ending alert - she decides to marry the "dumb" soldier.