Make Mine Mink (1960)

I wanted to but couldn't!

good back-story, and good acting

Wow! What a bizarre film! Unfortunately the few funny moments there were were quite overshadowed by it's completely weird and random vibe throughout.

The acting in this movie is really good.

It's just as well the charming and beguiling Billie Whitelaw is included in this rather knockabout farce, as well as a number of other expert players who can similarly overcome both the over-talkative dialogue and the rather long time it takes for the movie to actually start moving! In fact, it's chiefly the cast that makes this entry worth watching. Even the minor roles are expertly filled. You can spot Kenneth Williams giving one of his typically fruity portrayals. Hattie Jacques, as always, is a delight. Alas, Robert Asher's director, while it does have some inventive touches here and there, tends to be slow and heavy-handed. However, other credits are serviceable and production values are well up to "A" standard.

While I'll admit that "Make Mine Mink" starts off a bit slowly (especially since the opening song is VERY annoying), as the film progresses, it becomes quite original and funny. The film is set in a boarding house in Britain. At first, the viewer thinks the film is about the servant, Lily, as you learn that she's an ex-con who is trying very hard to turn over a new leaf. However, the film blind-sided me, as the three boarders and the lady of the house, all respectable folks, decide, on a lark, to steal mink coats from a local store! They find it exhilarating and cannot stop--and they soon begin pulling one job after another. It's actually amazing that they are as successful as they are, as the quartet are made up of some serious bumblers--and there is where the comedy is at its best. I could say more but think it's a film you just need to see for yourself. Suffice to say that the film must be funny if Terry-Thomas ISN'T the funniest cast member!

I give "Make Mine Mink" 10/10, because it enchanted me from the first time I saw it on WOR back in 1968. I was a youngster then, and found it very engaging.And you know what? Things have not changed!The movie sports a terrific cast, led by Athene Seyler and Terry-Thomas, and they make the movie tick! While the plot may seem unrealistic, it IS a comedy, and its purpose is to make one laugh. It is also clear how the movie is as much a spoof of the British establishment, and a commentary on the redundancies that so many Britishers felt after World War II.Some people might find the movie dated, because it was shot in 1960, but that adds to the charm. The jazzy soundtrack music really adds to the overall cool ambiance, and is reason alone to give the movie high marks."Make Mine Mink" remains a personal favourite, even after all this time!!

I begin this by turning first to a review by BARLEEKU, who called this film a 'rarity' back in'05. I also have very similar relation to this film, having grown up in NYC, and - like him - seeing MAKE MINE MINK, on our local Channel 9's late night movie.I'd not seen this film in many years. I only had bits of memories of this film. For me, time has made it better, as, having recently got hold of a copy (which, for some reason, is very hard to do, here in the states). Back then, I remember (as well as a kid can) there was a whole gay humor subtext. Having seen the film now, I can appreciate it so much more.Two of my favorite actors - Hattie Jacques (pronounced 'Jakes') portrays the full figured Nanette Parry - who gives a slight lecherous look as she gives young debs etiquette lessons, and the MARVELOUS Kenneth Williams, as Freddie Warrington, the fence. For those who don't know much about these two great actors, they both costarred in many of the CARRY ON films, with Jacques usually playing a 'matron' character, and Williams, as an effete. Williams had previously done incredible work in a BBC radio show, ROUND THE HORNE, in which he and Hugh Paddick played Julian and Sandy - two (ahem!) chorus boys, who spoke in the slang speak of Palori, as, homosexuality itself was illegal in the UK until '67, so, for those 'in-the-know' listeners, it gave a whole other level to the action.Here, Williams (whose voice/dialect work is legendary) is the 'fence' for a bunch of old women (and one man, the terrific Terry-Thomas), who steal furs - for charity.I must also say how much I love Athene Seyler - who plays Dame Beatrice Appleby, whose apartment all the rest live in. As was pointed out elsewhere, she was the oldest cast member, and outlived them all (she passed away at age 101 in 1990. Bravo! (I recommend you see her tell a story about a hat on YouTube - extremely funny, and she was much older than she was here).This film hearkens back to a lost time, and a very specific type of film we'll not again - the caper films, such as The Ladykillers (the original NOT the remake). It also throws a light on the legendary Rank Films, from which sprung so many of the UK's best and brightest talent.Several people have commented how they felt this story didn't 'hold up.' I disagree - wholeheartedly.Just as Shakespeare's stories have 'held up,' or, Gone With The Wind can STILL bring grown men to tears, so does 'funny.' It might not be the type of humour the commenter likes, or understands, but, that does not mean funny isn't funny.I'm NOT comparing Make Mine Mink with those 2, directly, but, things which move a person - no matter which way - sad, happy, etc., that does not change. As for the commenter who found certain aspects 'unbelievable,' I'm always amazed; why do those types even GO to see a film, which is all about escape? (I'll even go so far as to say it reminds me of someone who saw The Spy WhoLoved Me. Nothing in the film - none of the daredevil, UNrealistic situations, or such bothered this person - except, the white Lotus - ONLY when it drove up on shore. They actually quibbled NOT about the car turning into a sub, but, that it could then manage to survive AND then be drivable. I laughed at this person - YES, this is a true story - because, the point is, 'enjoy the film, and don't strain your brain). In this caper film, the fur stealing, is irrelevant. It's a joy to see these actors - and the rest of the cast perform.As it's over six years since BARLEEKU wrote his review (where he wondered if seeing MAKE MINE MINK all these years later, would it still hold up - I have to say 'yes.'The film, which was based on the book BREATH OF SPRING, by Peter Coke, was turned into the Broadway musical 70, Girls, 70, by Kander and Ebb.