Carry On Up the Khyber (1968)
Sir Sidney Ruff-Diamond looks after the British outpost near the Khybar pass. Protected by the kilted Third Foot and Mouth regiment, you would think they were safe, but the Khazi of Kalabar has other ideas—he wants all the British dead. But his troops fear the 'skirted-devils, who are rumoured not to wear any underwear.
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Sadly Over-hyped
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Highly Overrated But Still Good
I retired from work a year ago, and one of the gifts I received was the box set of the Carry On series. Now this was a surprise as I like most people have seen them over the years but wouldn't describe myself as a fan. Anyway as they were kind enough to buy me the DVD's I saw it as my duty to watch them all again and grade them out of ten. It was hard going to be honest ,but it confirmed my suspicion that this was the best. Its well made, funny with really good performances and is less crude that most. Sid James, Kenneth Williams and Berbnard Breslaw are excellent, but how I wish Roy Castle wasn't in it, he's really out of his depth. Jim Dale would have been fantastic. Never mind, still very enjoyable and definitely the best by quite a way.
CARRY ON UP THE KHYBER has much in common with previous CARRY ON outings such as CARRY ON FOLLOW THAT CAMEL: the humour is broad, the cast all play similar characters, and the shot-in-the-UK locations have a special nostalgic charm all to themselves. This might well be the last of the great historical movies made by the team, as their fortunes (and budgets) started to wane soon afterwards.Still, it's best to enjoy it while it lasts, and there's plenty to enjoy here, not least an on-form cast giving it the best of their abilities. Sid James is back (after being incapacitated in CARRY ON DOCTOR) on his top, woman-hunting form, and Kenneth Williams once more makes for a hilarious bad guy. There's also an extended role for the great, underrated Peter Butterworth, who I think gives the funniest performance in the whole film, particularly at the end.By this stage, the jokes are almost entirely sexual or rely on references to various body parts for effect. Still, they come at a ferocious pace and you can't beat the smutty innuendo which is used at just the right level without being too explicit. Everything flows naturally and the cast work together well. Also, CARRY ON UP THE KHYBER has the best climax of any CARRY ON film: the wonderful dinner party sequence, which takes the mickey out of the famed British stiff upper lip to glorious effect.
Disaster strikes in the Raj when it's revealed that the famed British Devils In Skirts who occupy India, wear underpants under their kilts. The absence of which was something that kept the natives living in fear.Awards and high praise for the "Carry On" franchise is like a dog that speaks Irdu, extremely rare. Granted, few of them rise above "titter me this madame" like comedy, and some are not fit to be used as coasters. But look inside this 31 film run and you find a handful of gems, a couple of which are fit to be on any list of Great British comedies from the 60s. One such film is Carry On Up The Kyber, which arguably is the best of the bunch. Directed and written by the usual Thomas/Rothwell team, Up The Kyber is a genuinely funny, knowing and original comedy.It's pretty much a given that the best "Carry On's" were the costume spoofers. So here we be in India in 1895, in the company of The Third Foot And Mouth Regiment {snicker snicker} and Emma Walker's fabulous costumes. Innuendo is kept to a bashful level as opposed to smutty overkill, the humour more concerned with taking pot shots out Imperialism and upper crust ignorance and snobbery. Officer's chain of command and the stiff upper lip in the face of certain death, oh yes the band really will play on. There's also smart jokes such as the one in my title, and watch out for a sly Rank Organisation gag. All dealt with cunningly and sharply by the likes of Sid James, Joan Sims, Kenneth Williams and Peter Butterworth. Character names remain ridiculously charming, Rhandi Lal, Private Jimmy Widdle, Bungit Din {leader of the Burpas} and Brother Belcher. While the set pieces, crowned by the now famous dinner party finale, are excellently constructed.Subtitled "The British Position In India," this is not your standard saucy seaside postcard picture {try saying that fast three times}. Hugely entertaining for a myriad of reasons, it's actually something of a British treasure that's still delighting newcomers to it each decade. 8.5/10
The Carry On series had many ups and downs, but this offering is the best of the entire series and a fantastic comedy in its own right. The jokes come fast and often and the overall quality of the film is apparent. This is the perfect Carry On line up too, Sid James, Kenneth Williams lead the cast which includes Charles Hawtrey, Joan Sims, Terry Scott, Bernard Bresslaw and Peter Butterworth, all of whom are at the peak of their craft. The addition of Roy Castle to the cast as the heroic lead is perfect and the sets and set pieces are great.The story, which is one of the most coherent, is set during the British occupation of India during the reign of Queen Victoria. Sir Sidney Ruff-Diamond (Sid James) is thrust into the middle of a plot to reveal the feared 'Devils in Skirts' the British army who traditionally wear nothing under their kilts as underwear wearing oppressors by the Khasi of Kalabar (a deliciously sneering Kenneth Williams) who intends to start a revolution and end Sir Sidney's cushy job. Stiff upper lips, cross dressing, randy missionaries, stolen underwear and a final brilliant dinner scene in the midst of a full scale revolt showcase the reason that the Carry On Series and not Monty Python is the best representation of British comedy at its finest.Take a tea break and check out this comedy gem from the bosom of the British Empire.