Lurcio (Frankie Howerd) inadvertently becomes the owner of a scroll that bears all the names of Emperor Nero's (Patrick Cargill) assassins. Cue desperate attempts by the conspirators to recover the scroll while Lurcio lurches from one bad situation to another. Oh and Vesuvius is rumbling threateningly in the background.
Up Pompeii was born out of the British television series of the same name than ran from 1969 to 1975. Anyone who is familiar with the Carry On series of films will know the name Talbot Rothwell. A writer of many of the Carry On movies, he also penned the first series of Up Pompeii, and also co-wrote the second series with Sid Colin . It is Colin who wrote the screenplay for this here big screen version of Up Pompeii. So the link to Carry On, as well as Howerd who starred in two of the better movies from that franchise, is evident as much as it is important for potential first time viewers. Up Pompeii isn't any good, and this in spite of boasting the considerable talents of Howerd. It takes the Carry On formula of innuendo based farce and cram it for all it's worth. The film literally is 90 minutes of Howerd manfully making double entendre in every sketch. Which was fine for the first 10 minutes, but no matter how much sexy flesh and double takes that are crow-barred into the Roman parody mix, the joke quickly wears thin. Thinner than the slimline plot I have to say.
Saying that it's very British, and one for the Brits only, really doesn't cut it as an excuse for such pointless one trick cinema. I'm a very proud Brit myself and consider myself something of a flag waver for the best of Carry On, but this film is desperately poor and only of interest to Howerd enthusiasts {me, kind of} or those that adore lovely ladies legs {me, definitely}. But you know what,? even the red blooded male in me was dulled by the bludgeoning nature of the script. Come the merciful end of the film I was ready to be thrown to the lions as well. Incredibly the film spawned two sequels, Up The Chastity Belt & Up The Front. Now that fact is far funnier than Up Pompeii actually was. "Guards, I'm ready to fight Elsa now". 2/10
Up Pompeii was born out of the British television series of the same name than ran from 1969 to 1975. Anyone who is familiar with the Carry On series of films will know the name Talbot Rothwell. A writer of many of the Carry On movies, he also penned the first series of Up Pompeii, and also co-wrote the second series with Sid Colin . It is Colin who wrote the screenplay for this here big screen version of Up Pompeii. So the link to Carry On, as well as Howerd who starred in two of the better movies from that franchise, is evident as much as it is important for potential first time viewers. Up Pompeii isn't any good, and this in spite of boasting the considerable talents of Howerd. It takes the Carry On formula of innuendo based farce and cram it for all it's worth. The film literally is 90 minutes of Howerd manfully making double entendre in every sketch. Which was fine for the first 10 minutes, but no matter how much sexy flesh and double takes that are crow-barred into the Roman parody mix, the joke quickly wears thin. Thinner than the slimline plot I have to say.
Saying that it's very British, and one for the Brits only, really doesn't cut it as an excuse for such pointless one trick cinema. I'm a very proud Brit myself and consider myself something of a flag waver for the best of Carry On, but this film is desperately poor and only of interest to Howerd enthusiasts {me, kind of} or those that adore lovely ladies legs {me, definitely}. But you know what,? even the red blooded male in me was dulled by the bludgeoning nature of the script. Come the merciful end of the film I was ready to be thrown to the lions as well. Incredibly the film spawned two sequels, Up The Chastity Belt & Up The Front. Now that fact is far funnier than Up Pompeii actually was. "Guards, I'm ready to fight Elsa now". 2/10