Review for Bottoms Up!

Introduction

I’m far too young to have seen Whack-O!, although I might have caught a few episodes on repeat as a child, and I am certainly too young to have seen the feature spin-off Bottoms Up! when it was first released. The difference is that Bottoms Up! was a regular fixture of morning programming during the school holidays, and there’s always something to appreciate in a class full of kids getting one back on the authority figures of the day, especially when said authority figures are apt to dish out punishment on the end of a cane. Watching a bunch of stuffy schoolmasters fall afoul of some inventive pranks was always great fun, and especially when the headmaster was the inimitable Jimmy Edwards. A few years ago, I revelled in the classic comedy The Glums, which came to us courtesy of Network, and it’s Network again who rise to the occasion, bringing Bottoms Up! to DVD as part of their British Film collection. Only this time I get to watch the movie from the perspective of the enemy. I’m now old enough to wield a cane, rather than suffer its ignominy.


Chiselbury School aims to cater for the children of the elite, the best of the best. Unfortunately it attracts the worst of the worst, no doubt exacerbated by the confrontational and exploitative attitude its headmaster, one Professor Jim Edwards MA displays. He has an acquisitive attitude towards pocket money, and is apt to levy a few fines for even minor infractions, while he actively trains his arm for the diligent whacking of mischievous students, choosing from a range of canes suited to different circumstances. He’s supported in his regime, or rather waited on hand and foot by the assistant head, Pettigrew, but his arch-nemesis among the student body is the wily Wendover, who through being son of the bishop always manages to wheedle his way out of corporal punishment.


It all changes when a new Head of Governors is appointed. Lady Gore-Willoughby has seen the state of the school and she is not pleased. She gives Edwards an ultimatum, 12 weeks to turn the fortunes of the school around or start seeking honest employment. The quickest way would be to raise the school’s profile, and when rumours arise of the heir to an oil rich nation coming to the UK to study, that’s the kind of publicity that Chiselbury needs. And if the real Sheikh won’t actually come, Edwards will just have to make one.

Picture

Bottoms Up! is presented on this disc with a slightly animated menu. The original theatrical trailer is on the disc running to 3 minutes, and there’s a 7 minute slideshow gallery of images from the film, poster art, lobby cards, and stills. Also on the disc for computer owners are a couple of PDF files which reproduce the film’s press books.


The film itself gets a 1.66:1 anamorphic transfer, with black bars at the sides. The image is clear and sharp throughout, with strong contrast and nice detail. The print is relatively clean, the few moments of scratches and dirt only really becoming prevalent at scene transitions, and the film is nice and stable. Audio comes in the form of DD 2.0 mono English. There are no subtitles unfortunately, but the dialogue is clear throughout.

Conclusion

Bottoms Up! is a pleasant bit of nonsense. It’s a comedy movie very much of its time, a film designed to appeal to broad audiences, and very much a vehicle for its star. Jimmy Edwards carries the film, and it all hinges on how much you appreciate his particular brand of comedy. Personally, I love that authoritarian demeanour masking a larcenous streak, that knowing twinkle in the eye, and that effervescent approach to life, with a gift of the gab that’s punctuated by spoonerisms and malapropisms. The performance itself is the reason to watch the film, certainly not the story.


That story is one very familiar from half a handful of similar school comedies, whether it’s Carry on Teacher or the St Trinians movies. The schools are always of the public school variety, boarding schools where canings are rampant, classroom cliques always plot against the teacher, and mortarboards are always in view. The headmaster and his staff will not exactly be the souls of honesty, and some crisis will affect the school which will require the headmaster to come up with an underhand scheme. It’s all innocent and inoffensive fun, save for a couple of actors in brownface make-up. This was the fifties after all, and RADA was somewhat light on actors of Arab descent. You’ll have to make do with Melvyn Hayes instead.


It is an enjoyable if disposable romp, full of energy, great comedy from the pens of Michael Pertwee, Muir and Norden, and enjoyable characters. While Jimmy Edwards fills the screen, he does get able support from the simpering deputy head, Pettigrew, while the student body has a couple of memorable characters too, notably a rather old Melvyn Hayes transferring in as the son of a bookmaker (to whom Edwards owes money), but disguised as the sheikh’s heir. Having been thrown out of every other school in the land, he quickly makes his mark on Chiselbury, in the process becoming a foe to the previous big boy on campus, and eternal headmaster’s nemesis Wendover. I’m sure that Wendover grew up to become David Cameron. There’s also an early screen role for Richard Briers.


Bottoms Up! was great matinee entertainment when I was a child, and it still fills the role today. It’s the kind of film that you’ll appreciate most on a dreary, wet Sunday afternoon, as it will certainly brighten the day.