A Private Function
1984, reissued
in 2009
R4 DVD
Comedy
Britain
Handmade Films
Umbrella
Entertainment
It is 1947 and Britain is still struggling
under food rationing as their economy gets back onto a post-war footing. Basic
foods are severely rationed, luxury foods like bacon are rare and only
available on the black market and the black market is only available to those
who can afford it. The local butcher is in on the meat racket but for the rest
of the village, one woman says “ I’m not
always sure we aren’t eating something that ran in the 2:30”
Gilbert is a young chiropodist who finds
out that the local upper class can not only afford the black market but are
raising an unlicensed black market pig for their own use. They will serve it as
the main piece of a banquet for the town’s elite to honour the young Princess
Elizabeth on the occasion of her impending marriage. The elite are snubbing
Gilbert’s social-climbing wife Joyce and his ever-hungry mother-in-law. Doctor
Swaby particularly (Denholm Elliott) has taken a dislike to Gilbert and
arranges to have him evicted from his new shop.
“Now, under
this National Health Service, any poorly little pillock can come into my
surgery and say "I'm ill! Treat me!" Honestly, sometimes I wonder
what the last war was FOR.”
For Gilbert, revenge is now becoming an
option.
Mr Wormold, the enthusiastic new Meat
Inspector, is determined to stamp out the black market in food. Gilbert and his
wife are determined to kidnap the pig for their own use.
Taking the pig proves fairly easy but
keeping it in the house is not so straightforward. It has a case of diarrhoea
from eating rats, rhubarb leaves and offal The smell is noticeable. Gilbert
must kill and dress the pig, something for which he has not been trained and
really has no stomach.
“But she’s my
friend.” complains Gilbert
“Kill her, kill
your friend” urges his wife.
The local gentry are also becoming
desperate. Without the pig the best they can obtain for their banquet is two
turkeys or a can of tuna. Then the word gets out about Gilbert’s pig and they
confront him. What will happen now? Will the arrogant doctor get his pig back?
Will Gilbert get his revenge? Will Mother get her feed of bacon? Will the
police get the lot of them? And what of the pig? What does it get out of the
deal?
This film stars the familiar trio of
Michael Palin, Maggie Smith and Denholm Elliott. There are many other familiar
faces from British comedy such as Pete Postlethwaite and Richard Griffiths
(you’ll recognise them when you see them) and their skills turn this genteel
little comedy into a hilarious class struggle. Alan Bennett’s script fits these
actors like a glove and offers them tremendous opportunity for some great
characterisations. My personal favorite is Liz Smith as Joyce’s slightly dotty
mother. Although it’s a minor part she plays it to perfection. She remembers
the better days and will eat anything that stands still.
Malcolm Mowbray’s sympathetic direction is
vital to the film’s credibility. It would be so easy to make Joyce look like a
pretentious social climber, which she is, but he treats her gently and her
aspirations come across as just a sad little foible rather than a major
weakness in her character. When it comes to the final showdown, she has the
guts to do what must be done.
“Come, Gilbert,
I think sexual intercourse is in order”
The film is nearly a quarter of a century
old but is still as funny as when I saw it as a new release. Good comedy is
timeless.
Reviews
appear on the Synergy website with a single cover image. In the digital and
print edition, reviews appear with multiple images. We recommend you download the free digital edition (or buy the print edition) to get the most from Synergy Magazine.
This
review will appear in Volume 2 No.4
(2009) of the digital and print edition of Synergy Magazine.
If
you came to this page directly (and missed our menu), click here
to go to the front page of Synergy Magazine Website or click the following
link http://www.synergy-magazine.com