The Fast Lady

source: The Fast Lady

By the early sixties colour was available to the very occasional film with artistic ambitions thanks to Eastman Colour. Technicolor on the other hand was still only within reach of very commercial properties, which is why 'Tom Jones' is in the cheaper process while Technicolor was often squandered on showcasing television comedian like Charlie Drake... and Stanley Baxter. Having distinguished himself in supporting roles in 'Very Important Person' and 'Crooks Anonymous' it was Baxter's turn (his red hair doubtless making his stunt double's job a lot easier); while the title role refers to a bright green vintage Bentley Convertible. Leslie Phillips (who plays a character who rather improbably declares himself a teetotaller) later observed that "I've always looked back with pleasure on the movie". Shot on attractive locations in Buckinghamshire it provides a sometimes unique record in colour of an incredible array of guest stars from Graham Hill to 'Monsewer' Eddie Grey; not to mention Julie Christie who as usual gives the worst performance but looks absolutely ravishing. The best performance is probably given by Allan Cuthbertson as the driving instructor from hell.

March 2022 Around this time the lead 3 actors, Stanley Baxter, Leslie Phillips and James Robertson Justice made 2 comedies together, this and father came too. Both these films are excellent examples of the British comedy, plenty of knockabout likeable fun. Of course as is typical of these films you will also spot plenty of other recognisable faces. Fun funny film for the whole family 9.5 out of 10.

Odd to see Stanley Baxter as Julie Christie's love interest but it worked OK. A pleasant way of spending some time and in glorious colour. The Bentley registration TU 5987 "bought" by Stanley Baxter for £500 was sold in 2010 for £550,000. A great film for playing "my dad had one of those" with loads of vehicles on screen a lot of the time.

A not very taxing, and inevitably somewhat misogynstic, comedy with the experienced and rather typecast leading artistes hamming it up for all they can. Worth it for the sunny street views of England in the early 1960's. Fleeting bit parts by a number of big name British comedians - one wonders why more use was not made of them. Liberties are taken with a vintage Bentley in lots of sight gags that simply could not be afforded these days....

Good, clean family fun. Some giggles towards the end. In the tradition of the Doctor and Carry on films. Worth a place in the DVD collection.

Honestly the Fast Lady is a transition film - shades of 50s comedies like School For Scoundrels or the Doctor films, and shades of 60 with touches of Carry On. For my money this falls uncomfortably between the two stools - what should be a major hit with a great cast drag awfully in places - though the comedy is not bad it's just not at its best. A little crude perhaps? All in all, great to watch if there's nothing else on a Saturday afternoon but a long way from being my favourite - and I normally love anything with James Robertson Justice in it - curmudgeon at its best. The script can't decide whether it's New Britain 60s cool or a flashback to the 50s, but it has it moments. Stanley Baxter is the Scottish Norman Wisdom and if that's your cup of tea you'll love it.

Real comedy is comedy that depends on visual and audio presentation without having to be reinforced by swearing or bad behaviour that is so prevalent in a number of films and TV programmes today. In fact the only reason these two elements are used is that the script is not particularly funny in the first place. The Fast Lady is an amalgamation of scenes joined to make an extremely amusing storyline with the best of British comedians, many making only brief appearances. The main characters are Leslie Phillips as the smarmy used car salesman, Julie Christie who is absolutely gorgeous, James Robertson Justice as her overbearing father and Stanley Baxter who is out to woo young Julie. Easily the best real comedy that has lasted the test of time.

As a child of about 8 I had a mania for cars. This was back in the late 70s, when there were still a lot of cars from the 50s and 60s on the roads. I remember this film came on the telly one afternoon and I was absolutely hooked, loads of great cars...and it was really funny too! The film is a bit patchy (the daydream near the start is a bit overdone) but overall it's a real cracker of a film, you definitely come away from it with a big smile on your face. It's also a real 'spot the actor' film. Personally I love seeing all the bygone street scenery (the black and white striped signposts, the North Thames Gas Board shop with all the old fridges in the window, etc) and the great old British cars. I now live in the States and seeing this film makes me pine for the Old Country a bit! The film's now out on DVD, well worth another look.

THE FAST LADY is a typical and genteel comedy from 1962, featuring the obligatory all-star cast and a simple plot that's full of action and incident, however slight. I did find Stanley Baxter's somewhat laboured lead performance a bit grating in the extreme, and the wishy-washy romantic stuff with an idealised Julie Christie doesn't really go anywhere. However, the celebration of speed and classic cars is certainly endearing, and there are some fine performances in support, not least Leslie Phillips as the charming friend, James Robertson Justice as the stern father, and Kathleen Harrison as the landlady. The film is quite adequate throughout, but it really picks up for a fast and furious climax which features a quite wonderful string of never-ending cameos.