Tony Hancock made his film debut in the truly abysmal 'Orders are Orders' in 1954 playing a bandmaster and he was simply dreadful in it. Seven years passed before he again assayed the silver screen but during that time he had the great good fortune to meet the brilliant writing team of Galton and Simpson and with television experience under his belt and his persona as Hancock firmly established he was far better equipped. Making the transition from small to large screen is fraught with danger but here it pretty well comes off. Here Hancock is a totally talentless and worthless painter who feels that it is only in Paris that he will be appreciated. This gives Galton and Simpson ample opportunity of having a dig at Existentialists and pseudo-intellectuals and the 'Emperor's new clothes' culture that exists in the world of modern art. These are by far the most inventive scenes in the film. Although it beggars belief Hancock's 'Infantile School' of painting is considered revolutionary and he is hailed as a genius. It is then that art dealer Sir Charles Brewer, played by the immaculate George Sanders, comes to call and makes him an offer he can't refuse....... Good support here from Paul Massie, Gregoire Aslan, the sensuous Margit Saad and the incomparable Irene Handl. Despite its weaknesses it is well-nigh impossible not to like this gentle comedy and the way in which it lampoons the gullible and the pretentious.
Review of Call Me Genius
