Reviews

Despite the absence of a credit in the IMDb listing for this episode, I must compliment the unknown actor who has a dog(that is not seen) who comes to the shop for,**spoiler** "a packet of condition powders."**end of spoiler** Whoever he is the man is a genius of comic timing second only to Ronnie Barker himself.

Watching this actor perform with the invisible dog is a highlight of the whole programme. I'm sure that Linda Baron, the gloriously-built Nurse Gladys, is genuinely laughing at the man's antics. I think, had I been in her role, that I would have laughed on camera.

Without a doubt a true gem in a series that is dotted liberally with gem-like episodes. I give it 10 out of 10 for originality.

John

...I was kinda puzzled by it. After all, there was no discernible dialogue nor was there any commentary. It was just a series of images. True the 3D was impressive and only poked your eye out when it was felt to be necessary.

But time has been very kind to this film and I appreciate it a whole lot more since I got my 3D system up and running. Transitions became my first 3D DVD purchase(it was what prompted me to buy a Shutterglass 3D system in the first place). Since then I have watched it over a hundred times in the 2 years I've had it. Each time I watch it I see something new.

I'm not going to go into detail about what the film is about, suffice to say that it deals with communication; as part of the blurb on the back of the DVD box says:[**spoiler**] "--from birch bark canoe, steam engine railways and telegraph, to the wonders of high-tech satellite communication and high-definition television."[**end of spoiler**]

All that I will say is that the imagery is second-to-none and the only thing that worries me is that I might wear out my disc! This film(and the DVD) warrants a 10 out of 10 in my book! Catch it if you can--especially in 3D.

What can be said about Tommy Steele that hasn't been said already? He's a consummate entertainer who tries(at least) to give the audience value for money in whatever he does.

Did anyone see his stage production of 'Singin' In The Rain' a few years back? Sheer brilliance from start to finish. And now he's appearing over the Christmas(2005) period(in the London Palladium, his former SITR home) in a stage adaptation of 'Scrooge'(the Albert Finney film musical that rose--and sank--in the(early) 70s(incidentally Michael Medwin, one of Tommy's co-stars in this film, takes a small role in the Finney musical as Fred, Scrooge's nephew).

But I'm here to discuss 'It's All Happening'(US title, 'Dream Maker').

As Tommy is a great singer it's only natural that the background for the movie should be a record company. Tommy plays a sort of gofer(one who runs around fetching and carrying for bosses too lazy to do things for themselves) to one of the higher-ups in said record company.

Tommy plays an orphan whose former home is in financial straits and, since he knows so many recording artists, he persuades some of them to appear in a concert in order to raise the necessary cash(I'm wondering if John Landis caught sight of this film as his plot for 'The Blues Brothers' has a similar device).

Some of the guest stars who appear all have a background of 70s British popular culture. Marion Ryan, Geoff Love, The George Mitchell Singers(without black face a la their roles in BBC TVs 'Black and White Minstrel Show') all put in an appearance along with a gentleman known as Shane Fenton in this film but who would later come to be known as Alvin Stardust(I always thought he looked a bit like the actor who played Lovejoy in that series). There's also a grinning Russ Conway(the pianist, not the American actor) playing a Spanish-type melody.

Of course there are trials and tribulations before we get to the happy ending. One plot involves the father of Tommy's girlfriend. The man is wealthy and wants to know if Tommy is a fortune-hunter. He hires a private detective played by Carry On star Bernard Bresslaw. That pairing alone makes the movie worthwhile for me.

Another problem is that Tommy gets fired--although he can still go ahead with his concert--because of a setup with the bosses' secretary. But that ultimately leads to the happy ending. Then, on top of all that, he goes and loses the letters inviting his stars to the concert! But all ends well. The orphanage get their money, Tommy gets his girl--and a recording contract to boot! And the film ends with a reprise(by the whole cast) of the song, 'Dream Maker'.

There was only one error in the movie, as far as I could see. That comes when the curtain pulls back so Tommy can go into his song and dance number. It is different from the curtain that can be seen on the stage of the theatre. Obviously the theatre was a real one but Tommy's routine was done on a sound stage at Pinewood(or maybe Elstree) and so the production team hung similar-looking curtains but they didn't get the hang quite right.

That aside, this is a lovely film and it literally cries out for a widescreen DVD release. I don't know how many of the pop stars who appeared in it are still alive(Russ Conway isn't, I do know that) or how long they'll stay alive. Since this film is virtually a time capsule it would be as well to place it on a disc so that those who saw it originally can be captivated by its magic once more. I have no idea who owns the rights to the film but I would hope that whoever does should do the decent thing and place it on one of those shiny silver discs for people like myself to enjoy!

It would seem that I have a great many complaints about various DVD releases of famous films(check out my reviews for 'Krakatoa, East of Java' and 'When Worlds Collide' if you don't believe me). Well I'm afraid nothing has changed.

However, up front I must say that this is a brilliantly animated movie and will always be one of my favourites--despite the criticism that follows.

When I purchased my first DVD copy of 'Alice In Wonderland' I was tempted to get rid of my videotape version.

I'm very glad that I didn't and I'll tell you why.

For three quarters of an hour I revelled in the story as well as the artwork involved.

Then we got to the Mad Hatter's Tea Party.

Possible Spoiler Here:

No doubt something went wrong when the engineers were creating the digital transfer. Perhaps someone belched at the wrong time. That is the only explanation I can give for the transfer of two pieces of dialogue. Originally(and my tape version confirmed this) after the pocket watch has gone berserk(what watch wouldn't after having the likes of tea, salt, butter and jam inserted into its inner mechanism?)the White Rabbit says, '...and it was an Unbirthday present, too.' The Mad Hatter replies with, '...It Was?!' Then he and the March Hare throw the Rabbit out of their garden to the tune of the 'Unbirthday Song'. Well on the DVD the two conversations have been reversed making the conversation(and the whole sequence) irrelevant. For me it spoils an otherwise perfect film.

In the hope of finding the problem had been corrected I purchased two more DVD copies. The first of these was the last region 2 release; it was no better than the previous copy. Finally, in desperation, I purchased a region 1 edition(the Gold Collection). You can probably imagine my disappointment when I discovered that the Americans must have suffered from the same problem!

Regretfully I must conclude that ALL copies of Disney's 'Alice In Wonderland' suffer from the same complaint. The only thing I can do is to keep my tape copy(I have no idea how much longer it will last; it's showing considerable wear. I must have had it for at least ten years and maybe longer) until as such time as Disney rectify this irritating situation.

I have never read the books so I'm unable to comment on that aspect of AIW. All I can say is that the film looks and sounds marvellous.

I give the film 9 out of 10 because of the above criticism.

I have the region 2 version of this film and must first have a gripe about it. For such a classic piece of 50s sci-fi 'When Worlds Collide' has been woefully neglected. Surely the releasing company could have found someone to provide a commentary, or even a featurette, couldn't they? The only extra on the disc is a trailer, one lousy trailer. But that's the most this particular company usually provide(I'm not going to name names, those who read this review will know who I'm referring to anyway), with the exception of 'Forrest Gump'. There they gave us a double disc release, worthy of the trouble the filmmakers went to to get Forrest(Tom Hanks) in with such historical personages. But this is a review for 'When Worlds Collide', not 'Forrest Gump'.

Possible Spoilers follow...

Now I saw this film at the tender age of seven when it first came out(I'll let you work out my age from that clue yourselves). I was blown away by not only the storyline which, to a highly susceptible seven-year-old, was the most frightening thing ever, but by the special effects--especially the much-derided last scene as well as the flooding of New York and other various sequences of nature running amok. Incidentally did anyone notice(in that last scene on Zyra), a futuristic city in the distance, almost on the horizon? Perhaps they were going to do a sequel about how the various refugees survived on Zyra(did they meet other Zyrans? Were there indeed any Zyrans?).

One other point; occasionally there have been references to high body counts in films(either on-screen or off) but this one has them all beat. There can be nothing higher, body-wise, than the destruction of an entire planet(the original Star Wars(1977) comes pretty close when the Death Star obliterates Alderaan but there is a definite population on Earth whereas Alderaan's is unknown. Go and ask George if he knows).

So what is left to say about 'When Worlds Collide'? I find nothing wrong with the acting, special effects nor the story-line. Simply put, the movie is everything I came to expect from the 50s and is one of the best sci-fi movies of an entire century. Forget 'Armageddon' or 'Deep Impact' (although I prefer the latter to the former since it stars a pre-Frodo performance by the extremely talented Elijah Wood), this one has them beat by more than the standard mile--more like a couple of hundred miles! All in all this is a film worth studying on how to make a really fine movie. And, until that company release a 'Special Edition' DVD, I will hang on to my extras-light disc.

My verdict: 10/10. A winner all the way!

The television versions of this movie have always frustrated me as have the various releases onto videotape.

There are several incidents at sea as the Batavia Queen is making its way to Krakatoa. An underwater eruption, birds behaving oddly, a pressure build-up and excessive heat(more excessive, no doubt, than normal). Now along comes John Leyton to give an explanation to Diane Baker that all of these incidents are leading directly to Krakatoa.

Why, oh why, does the explanation inevitably get cut whenever it is shown on TV(as well as on video)? It would be far better were the incidents themselves to be eliminated. At least then the explanation could be left in as a reference to unseen incidents.

Apart from that I feel the film is entertaining although not without its faults.

I've made a great deal out of the above deleted scene but now must attempt to redress the balance, so to speak. Thus far the various(UK) transmissions of the film have, as I have said, omitted this scene. However I recently purchased a newly-issued Region 1 version of the film in which this missing scene has been restored--much to my intense pleasure. This version has a running time of 2 hours and 11 minutes. It would have been slightly longer had the intermission been kept in.

My reason for awarding the film only 6 out of a possible 10 is because of the various television transmissions as well as the truncated tape editions. Had they been complete the film would have got at least 9 out of 10.

My final analysis? Not one of the greatest disaster movies ever made(The Towering Inferno, for me, would get 10 out of 10) but an entertaining flick nonetheless.

Watch it if you get the chance--even the truncated version.