Reviews

I have not read all the other reviews here, so please excuse me if I am repeating earlier observations, but this Carry On Sargeant film is absolutely the same plot as the first Police Academy film (or rather, the other way round). Carry On Sargeant is a considerably better film and demonstrates that Carry On movies could be exceptionally funny without the outright smut and double entendres of the later iterations. It really is quite touching in the finale. It rather is a farewell to the gentle British comedies of the 1950s.

I think I saw this film first on 'Disneyland' on Australian television back in the late sixties. And I had not seen it again until today on Netflix. More than fifty years, yet I could remember the Vienna boys delight when they were told their world tour would end in Australia, and one of them saying he was going to buy a boomerang. Australia was so far off the world map in those days, that any mention in popular culture was quite a big deal for inhabitants. McHales Navy, Gilligan's Island, films like 'Wackiest Ship in the Army' and 'Donovan's Reef', that was about it. It was really strange to be living in such a large country/continent, but to be unknown to such much of the world. It used to make my eyelid quiver when Australia and its population of six million or so got a mention in any context. Now, in this rapidly shrinking world, when Australia has been well found by some of the best known free-loaders and carpetbaggers of biblical antiquity, I would rather like to go back to the naive country that the Vienna Boys' Choir found here in 1962.

A really nice, modest little movie. It somehow makes the bleak town in northern England where it is set seem cheery and attractive. Notable for the presence of Anthony Newley in a very early role. Also Dianna Dors is there, very beautiful in a platinum blonde way, and Honor Blackman as the female romantic lead is aloof and fetching. Male lead John McCallum has a touch of Keith Miller the Australian cricketer about him. Quite compelling theme music. Overall, a surprisingly pleasant couple of hours - its usually played in Australia in the early morning hours, and thus goes quite well with a cup of Milo and a piece or two of cheese on toast for insomniacs.