Review of Magnificent Two, The

Introduction

Made in 1967, "The Magnificent Two" is Morecambe and Wise`s third and last venture into feature films. None of their full length features captured the magic of their rapport and the fact thatthis is the last doesn`t necessarily bode well for the film. Did they go out on a high or was their swan song a damp squib? The answer surprised me.

The plot of "The Magnificent Two" (such as it is) is a melange of their previous outings - mistaken identity, foreign parts and seductive women who fall for Eric (or so he thinks). Eric and Ern find themselves selling toys in the Latin American banana republic of Parazuela. By strange coincidence, Eric is the double of rebel leader Torres (actually he isn`t, and why they didn`t cast Eric as Torres too is beyond me). After Torres is killed, Eric is bribed to pose as him. The plot then runs through the usual clichés (mistaken identity, assignation attempts, revolution) before arriving at a cosy conclusion.

Video

Video is 1.78:1 Anamorphic and, like all Carlton`s Morecambe and Wise DVDs, it looks good. The image is crisp and detailed and there is little damage evident. It has the look of a cheap Sixties Brit com (Carry On, etc) but this only serves to add a certain nostalgic atmosphere. The cinematography is unmemorable with the dubious exception of the climactic battle charge.

Audio

The sound is mono, duplicated across both front channels. It is perfectly adequate for the movie. The score is dull and lifeless.

Features

The only extra is a dull trailer

Conclusion

This is the last of my reviews of the three Morecambe and Wise DVDs and I was quite looking forward to it. It has been years since I have seen any of the movies and I have a nostalgic fondness for all of them. Working purely from hazy memory, I would have ranked them (best to worst) as "That Riviera Touch", "The Magnificent Two" and "The Intelligence Men". Having watched them again, I`ll leave Riviera at the top but "The Magnificent Two" is by far the worst of the series. It has little to recommend it. The plot is dull and hackneyed and far too tight, leaving little room for Eric`s comedic skills to shine.

Performances are stilted and the music is a bandito cliché.

The only memorable scene is possibly memorable for all the wrong reasons. At the very end of the film, a band of all-female revolutionaries charge a fortress wearing only skimpy red bra and panties. And black boots. This represents the worst of Sixties sexism and, to a 14 year old boy in the early Eighties, was probably extremely racy. Maybe that`s why I rated it higher than it deserved at the time.

The release of these DVDs is quite timely, with "The Play What I Wrote" having brought Eric and Ernie back into the nation`s consciousness. At budget price, there is possibly merit in buying them all, if you are a fan. On all of them picture and sound quality is good. That said, "The Magnificent Two" is definitely the least of the three and if you want to buy just one, I`d recommend "That Riviera Touch".