Reluctant Heroes (1952) User Reviews

Anyone who's done national service will recognise this.

[Learner5 · 8/10 · 5 June 2001]

The cinema seemed to be full of them - young men who had been through national service. And how they recognised the archetypal characters portrayed on the screen. Time & time again dialogue was missed as the audience broke into uproarious laughter. The scene, in particular, where the 3 "squaddies" complete the necessary formalities on the day of enlistment is a comic gem. .I would like to say, "not to be missed" - but since I have never seen the film down to be on any T.V. channel, the chances of any of us catching it are not good.

Where is it?

[pwcejg · 7/10 · 12 April 2018]

Can it really be that no one has managed it unearth a copy of this little gem?

View it from the standpoint of one called up for National Service - and it hits the spot... the ludicrous military situations, the overblown character personnel - all the memories of two years in the Forces come flooding back with a poignant immediacy.

There should be a zero rating for this one!

[JohnHowardReid · 1/10 · 27 December 2015]

This tiresome British army farce is now thoroughly dated and also overshadowed by numerous imitators, most of them superior in all departments, particularly the script. This offering substitutes noise for wit and crude, amateurishly staged slapstick for humor. The action is confined to a few characters. Unfortunately, all this does is to show up what one-dimensional and totally uninteresting stereotypes they are! The plot itself is extremely slight and seems merely an excuse for a lot of monotonously boring yet super-loud chatter. Even an accomplished comedian like Ronald Shiner can make no headway with the witless dialogue he is handed. The rest of the players, lacking Shiner's professionalism, are even worse. In this sort of farce, it's usually essential to have some attractive females standing by, but this film has none! The heroine here fails to qualify by a wide margin. As for the direction, it would be mighty hard to find anyone more lackluster and devoid of inspiration. I couldn't even describe Mr. Raymond's work as routine. Other credits are likewise below par: The photography is flat, the sets are drab, the costumes unappealing, the film editing banal.

Reluctant Heroes - Whitehall Theatre, Film - and on Video?

[p-b-machin · 10/10 · 11 February 2006]

This excellent film accurately reflects life as a National Servicesman in the 50's and 60's. I know because I was one! Perhaps what is not so well known is the the film started life as one of run of Whitehall Theatre farces in London in which Brix Rix (now Lord Rix) and his wife Elspeth Grey starred. Wally Patch played the indomitable Sgt Bell on the stage and Brian Roix re-created the part of Gregory he had performed on stage. This particular farce is my favourite of the genre - but I wonder - has it been released on video? I would love to know as I have looked on the web to no avail. Having seen it on TV I would think that it must exist somewhere.