Doing Time (1979) User Reviews

Genius TV show translates well for fun packed movie.

[hitchcockthelegend · 8/10 · 4 March 2008]

Porridge is a spin off film from the successful TV series of the same name that aired on British BBC1 between 1974 and 1977. It's directed by Dick Clement who also co-writes with Ian La Frenais. It stars Ronnie Barker, Richard Beckinsale, Fulton Mackay, Brian Wilde and Peter Vaughn.

Lets face it, and lets be honest here, for many Brits who grew up with the TV show, Porridge is simply one of the greatest shows Britain has ever produced. Sharp and on the money in writing and characterisations, and boasting a cast that were always irresistible, it still manages to enthral millions today during continuous reruns on cable and satellite TV. In light of the regard and popularity the show had, it was perhaps inevitable that a film production was just a matter of time, because, well, all the great British comedies of the past had feature films made. But of course not all were particularly any good.

So it's with much relief to find that the film version of Porridge is a very decent offering. The plot sees Fletcher (Barker) involved as the manager of the prison football team, to which, unbeknown to the wily old lag, is being used as a front for an escape attempt by Oakes (Barrie Rutter), and naturally the smarmy menace of Grouty (Vaughn) is pulling the strings. Fletcher & Godber (Beckinsale) then accidentally get caught up in the escape and thus have to break back into the prison before anyone catches them! This set-up is wonderful and makes for some very funny comedy, executed with aplomb by Barker, Mackay and co. True that taking the characters out of the confines of the prison strips away much of what made the TV series so special, but the characters are so strong, the actors chemistry so evident, film stands tall enough to not sully the reputation of the show.

It's a delightful way to spend an hour and half with your feet up, as a stand alone film it entertains those not familiar with the TV show. While for us fans? It sits nicely alongside the show as an extended viewing of comic genius behind and in front of the camera. 8/10

R.I.P. fellas, your legacy lives on always.

Tremendously enjoyable

[pnagy · 8/10 · 1 April 2002]

Porridge concerns the lives of a group of prison inmates. The brilliant Ronnie Barker plays Fletch, cheeky, good-natured, optimistic, quick-witted and able to handle all the little foibles of the other prisoners and guards to his advantage. Think of an Ivan Denisovich without the Siberian background. The trouble begins when Mr Grout, an aristocratic crime boss at the top of the prison hierarchy, 'requests' Fletch to suggest to the guards a celebrity football match, where a team of famous faces will play a team of prisoners.

Never having seen the Porridge TV-series, I can't comment on any differences or similarities. However, it is hard to top the quality of this little comedy. The script is an excellent mix of character, witty word-play, amusing plot and some physical comedy, done in a way that only the British seem to do so competently. The situations in the prison are believable, and even the minor parts are well-rounded characters. Almost every other line contains some memorable gag. Some examples "Beware of him. He's known as the butcher of Slade Prison." "What did he do?" "Fiddled the VAT on some sausages." And then there's: "What's a peccadillo?" "South African bird that flies backwards to keep the sand out of its eyes." "No, that's not it. But I know what you're thinking of. That's called an armour-dildo." Oh, and how about that scene of the governor losing his self-respect and teeth in a huge pot of curry?

A brilliantly written and well-acted comedy. Highly recommended.

Inferior but Acceptable TV to Film Adaptation

[BJJManchester · 7/10 · 23 August 2008]

PORRIDGE was without doubt one of the greatest (if not the greatest) sitcoms ever produced on British TV,and two years after it's final episode (and a year after the sequel GOING STRAIGHT),everyone involved decided to produce a big screen version with all the familiar elements at hand.Looking at the rather cheap-jack and crude attempts in previous years (STEPTOE AND SON,ON THE BUSES and ARE YOU BEING SERVED? instantly come to mind among others),most critics and audiences would have dreaded such a prospect,as the film version of another great sitcom DAD'S ARMY was the only one that adequately cut the mustard.

The cinema version of PORRIDGE generally comes across rather well,though with definite flaws.The first half-hour or so is certainly the best,with plenty of very funny incident and occasionally hilarious one-liners,with such performers as Brian Wilde,Richard Beckinsale,Fulton Mackay,Peter Vaughan and of course,the brilliant Ronnie Barker,more than effectively repeating their memorable comic characterisations from the classic TV series.In the film's final two-thirds however,inspiration begins to flag,with a somewhat over-stretched plot involving the smuggling out of a new con (Barrie Rutter) during a football match.And much unlike virtually every episode of the TV version,the incidents depicted become rather foolish,flabby and lacking in credulity,which inevitably would have been far more subtle,taut and concise in it's regular half hour sitcom format.Being filmed almost wholly on location in the middle of winter also doesn't help;it all looks very bleak and morose which gives the film a rather pessimistic mood,in stark contrast to the TV version which despite the obviously grim countenance of a prison,still managed to amuse with spectacular success with a minimum of location work,and mainly being set in a convincingly constructed studio set with less harsh lighting,which despite it's claustrophobic feel still managed to produce a consistent vein of optimism.

Still,the performances from Barker,Beckinsale,Mackay and co. remain as good as ever to the final shot,and there's enough amusing moments to prevent the film from being anything near the vapid quality of most TV to film spin-offs from this period of British film history.With the execption of the forgettable sitcom BLOOMERS,it was sadly the final released work to feature the immensely talented young actor Richard Beckinsale;he had previously made a name for himself in the slight but amusing sitcom THE LOVERS,before he really hit the big time with his performances in PORRIDGE and another great sitcom of the 1970's, RISING DAMP (arguably the best example of this genre the ITV network ever produced) opposite Leonard Rossiter.He would undoubtedly have become a very big star in the 1980's and 1990's had it been not for his tragically premature death of a heart attack in 1979 aged only 31.Like his fellow co-stars,his performance isn't quite as good as it was in the peerless TV series,but it is still a perfectly acceptable epitaph to his talents and a genuinely classic BBC TV original.

RATING:6 and a Half out of 10.

As big-screen adaptions go, excellent

[LiamABC · 1 March 2004]

If you're going to make a film of Porridge, this is it. The nature of film demands a "big" storyline, and what could be bigger than the plot of this?

Some people have said that the film doesn't quite have the same zest as the series. That is true - but then it goes to show how amazing the series was, because this is one heck of a good film.

It has also been said that the plot (which I won't give away for people who haven't seen it) is weak. Here I disagree. The only minus point I have about the plot is the fact that the subplot about new arrival Rudge disappears about 2/3 of the way in. As for the main plot, see above. It's the only story you could do when making a film of Porridge!

OK, so the pace of the film is a little slow - BUT you must remember that some people watching the film aren't familiar with the TV series, so they had to set the scene first.

They could easily have re-used hundreds of scenes and lines from the series, but to their credit, they didn't - both Fletch and Godber are nearing the end of their stretches, and they brought in a new "first-offender", the aforementioned Rudge - that way, Fletch is able to dish out a little bit of advice to him the way he did to Godber in the series - again, to ease in "first time" Porridge-viewers.

When you consider the number of TV sitcoms that were adapted for the big screen, and how much the quality varied, the good ones stand out all the more. And this is one of the best.

Effective Translation To Screen

[Theo Robertson · 7/10 · 16 February 2013]

PORRIDGE is one of the most fondly remembered TV shows Britain has ever produced . It never hit the heights of comedy genius that John Cleese and Connie Booth managed with FAWLTY TOWERS but scriptwriters Ian La Frenais and Dick Clement managed to craft a character driven comedy set in a British prison with an excellent cast of comedy actors . This is the film version of the television show released almost two years after the final episode was broadcast

What is striking is that how much this film version emulates the television comedy . The colourful characters are true to form with the bossy arrogant Mr Mckay , the naive Mr Barraclough , the prison Mr Big Grouty , the sneaky Ives , the posh educated Banyard , and the two protagonists who carried the show Lenny Godber and Norman Stanley Fletcher . Perhaps the biggest disappointment from the cast is the lack of on screen scary black Scotsman Mclaren due to scheduling difficulties involving Tony Osoba

It's difficult to graft a strong plot onto a character driven comedy and a plot involving a prison breakout is perhaps a too obvious plot but at least the writers tried . Up until the escape we're kept amused by the snappy one liners the show was renowned for . It also contains some abrasive bitchy dialogue that sounds totally natural :

" I bet if we brought Michael Parkinson and the Goodies you wouldn't have held them for questioning ? "

" Probably not . But you didn't did you ? "

All in all this is an effective film adaptation of a classic British sit-com

Excellent TV to film spin-off which can stand alone

[enochsneed · 10/10 · 8 June 2014]

Increasingly desperate to stay viable, in the 1970's the British film industry grasped at the idea of making movie versions of popular TV comedy shows, figuring audiences would go to the cinema to see what they enjoyed in their own homes every week. At first, these were very successful - the first 'On The Buses' film did better UK box office than 'Diamonds are Forever' in 1971. Soon the formula was stretched paper-thin by repetition and serious mistakes were made (the 'Rising Damp' film version failed because it had to move out of Rigsby's scruffy house, the fantasy of the setting was part of the show's success).

Two major exceptions were both written by Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais. 'The Likely Lads', produced by British Lion in 1976, had a streak of melancholy and a view of human relationships which made for a very downbeat comedy indeed.

For the film version of 'Porridge' Clement and La Frenais not only wrote the script but produced (through their own company Witzend) and directed. As a result the characters are not changed or put into the fish-out-of-water situations that were standard for this type of film, such as the staff of Grace Brothers holidaying on the 'Costa Plonka' (yes, that is supposed to make you laugh) in 'Are You Being Served?'.

So we are safely in Slade Prison, just with a bit more location work. Fletcher, Godber, McKay, Barrowclough and 'Genial' Harry Grout are all in place. More important, they are still the characters from the TV series, not altered to fit the new medium. The relationships between them are less intimate because of the need to open the story out but it all works. The plot is slightly recycled from a TV Christmas special (Fletcher coerced by Harry Grout into helping in an escape attempt, although this time he does not realise he is being used) but it was worth revisiting.

One interesting feature of the film is the lack of any music soundtrack. This keeps the link with the TV version and gives the action an air of reality, even though we are watching a comedy-fantasy version of prison life.

Above all, it is funny - laugh out loud, gloriously funny. The TV half-hours are truly great programmes, but this version can stand proudly alongside them and be watched and enjoyed for itself. Very, very highly recommended.

Darker Nooks and Crannies of Slade and the Soul...

[velvoofell · 7/10 · 15 December 2007]

Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais seized the opportunity the 1970s genre of British sitcom movies offered. they took it, few other scriptwriters did. This was, namely, the chance to do on the silver screen what they could not do on prime-time BBC.

Lovable caricatures are subtly toned down here - Fletcher begins with the persona from the sitcom then changes. The quipping, upbeat Fletcher is revealed as a mask for the born loser/survivor he truly is.

The opening scenes where new character 'Grudge', a new, young inmate, is booked in and led around by the wardens could easily have been taken from John McKenzie's 'A Sense of Freedom'. Mckay, too, is deftly rendered a touch more three-dimensional. His mantra bemoaning the inmates' status as lower than normal people betrays his true feelings.

Peter Vaughan's Kray-like 'Grout' again all but turns to the camera and says "That's a cartoon version of me on the telly - I'm really a nasty piece of work'. The film very subtly does that which recent Brit comedy-turned-movie 'The League of Gentlemen's Apocalypse' deliberately attempted - the creation of real-world versions, far less comfortable versions, of the stalwart caricatures of the TV show's pantheon.

Even funnier than the TV Series.

[CharltonBoy · 8/10 · 1 January 2003]

What is odd about this film is that i didnt know it existed.There are many spin off films made from British Comedy series's such as Steptoe and Son , On The Buses and Are You Being Served all of which are shown at christmas at far too shorter intervals and all are far inferior to the actual TV shows. Porridge is different. This has hardly ever been seen on TV and is very funny , even funnier than the TV series. Ronnie Barker has a fantastic knack of comedy timing. When he delivers the punch lines you cant help but smile or in the case of this film laugh out loud. The film is very true to the programme and has all the characters we have grown to love over the years.The story is nothing spectacular but it does not need to be because the interaction between wardens and lags is what makes the film. This is one of the best comedy series to film i have ever seen. 8 out of 10.

Better than most films based on TV shows

[Red-Barracuda · 6/10 · 25 October 2021]

In this movie version of the TV series, there is a football game organised between the prisoners and some London celebrities, although no one actually famous pitches up. Fletcher and his mate escape from the prison unwittingly and then try to break back in. This is definitely somewhat better than most films based on telly shows, the very format of the show means that they can't do what most of these types of endeavours do, namely all go on a group holiday to the Costa del Sol. That's a good thing.

shear class

[shardy958855709 · 10/10 · 13 January 2007]

sadly cant put an 11 rating of this film as it certainly deserves it. This is a spin off from the TV series and only the name and characters are the same. The plot, unlike other sitcoms-turned-movies like Steptoe, Dads Army and Are You Being Served, is completely new.

Brief outline as here is no way I'm going to spoil it for anyone. Barker is the lovable rogue Fletch and he has been put in charge to arrange a football match in order for another con to escape. The jokes are fresh, the story is fresh and the characters are fantastic. This deserves Oscars for performance, script and direction.

Catch this on DVD. Its well worth the money and the time to watch it.

No Bad

[GoliathsBigBrother · 7/10 · 13 January 2022]

Starts off as good as a TV episode, but the laughs fade towards the end, the escape is all a bit silly and too contrived. As usual, some great one-liners from Barker and 'Grouty' remains one of the most threatening characters you'll ever meet in a comedy!

Surprisingly good film version of a classic TV series

[trevorwomble · 8/10 · 31 December 2018]

If you love the series this is based on you won't be disappointed (unlike some other tv to film adaptations). The scriptwriters have very smartly avoided the usual trap of taking the characters that work so well on the small screen and putting them in a ridiculous situation that so many other films (like On the Buses) have done with usually poor results. The photography does have a stark realism to it (it certainly looks very cold) and the colour scheme gives the film a certain bleakness but as the film is set in and around a prison it doesn't really take anything away and won't spoil the enjoyment of watching Fletcher and co get up to their normal tricks.

The story fits in well with the characters and settings. Almost all the familiar characters from the tv show are here and having Dick Clement and Ian Le Frenais write (who wrote the original tv series) write the film script keeps the continuity of characterisation and wit going. As usual Ronnie Barker totally steals every scene he is in, even against veteran character actors like Fulton Mackay and Peter Vaughan (as Grouty). The whole thing is an almost seemless transition from tv to silver screen with some wonderful funny dialogue and charming supporting actors thrown in (including a very young Daniel Peacock as a newly incarcerated inmate).

There is a sadness knowing that Richard Beckinsale passed away at the ridiculously young age of 31 just weeks after filming wrapped but at least the film doesn't dishonour his memory. As a swansong to him and as an adaptation to probably Ronnie Barker's most beloved character this film doesn't disappoint, even if the tv series is still marginally superior.

Best of the big screen British TV comedies

[Leofwine_draca · 7/10 · 21 September 2016]

PORRIDGE is perhaps the most successful of the many big screen adaptations of British comedy TV series of the 1970s. It's certainly the funniest. The writing of this film is near-perfect, featuring the same cast that we all know and love and yet expanding the storyline with extra characters and a bigger plot than usual. I thought that it was actually better than the bigger budgeted ESCAPE TO VICTORY which tells almost exactly the same storyline.

The film is a success thanks to Ronnie Barker, whose Fletcher remains the life and soul of the party. He's witty, articulate, and always ready with a funny one-liner. The supporting cast of character actors are fine too: Peter Vaughan is reptilian and frightening, Richard Beckinsale warm-hearted and goofy, and Fulton Mackay strict but human. The inclusion of new faces like Julian Holloway, Sam Kelly, and Gorden Kaye is a delight. There isn't a great deal of plotting here, but the football match is well staged and funny and there's never a slow moment - just lots of funny ones.

Nothing like the TV series

[c.tomlinson · 2/10 · 1 January 2022]

Like all films of the 70/80's made off the back of its far more successful TV series, porridge is no exception.

Stretching a 30min episode to over 90mins just doesn't work and in the case of Porridge as much as another film it contains too much what you call,"Filler material" just to fill up the 90mins

Watch the class TV series and you will see that it contains far more of classic material and more of the jokes that made the series what it was.

Priceless keep-sake of unforgettable TV series

[hacker-9 · 21 May 2000]

"Porridge" the movie was made some time after the last episode had been completed-some time, in fact, after the sequel "Going Straight" had been shown. This does not deter at all from the fun, and as TV spin-offs go, this rates as one of the best; due almost entirely to the quality of the original characters from the timeless BBC comedy series. Ronnie Barker was never better than when he assumed the mantle of our anti-hero Norman Stanley Fletcher; aided in no small way by outstanding character support- the wonderful Fulton Mackay as his strutting nemesis Prison Officer Mackay, coupled with the genial Barroclough (Brian Wilde) and a menacing Peter Vaughan as Grouty. Add to this the poignancy of seeing Richard Beckinsale in his last film appearance before his tragically early death at 31 a few weeks after the film's completion and it becomes clear that the film, although no masterpiece in itself, should be treasured keenly by all who value British comedy at its best.

A decent film version of a popular television sitcom

[tonypeacock-1 · 6/10 · 26 December 2020]

British cinema in the 1970s was in a bit of trouble.

Apart from its world class studio and technical facilities at locations such as Pinewood homegrown cinema relied on the dying embers of the Carry On franchise and several film versions of popular television shows of the day like On The Buses, Bless This House etc.

Porridge was probably the most popular television situation comedy of the mid to late seventies and was ripe for a film version which was eventually done with this version from 1979.

Featuring a funny script from comedy writers Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais.

The cast is great. Comedy genius Ronnie Barker has great comic timing and probably earns the audience respect as a 'lag' with lines such as 'if you can't do the time, don't do the time'.

As with most of these films cardboard wall, cheap television sets on the television show are changed for genuine locations and outdoor scenes.

The film also has a decent soundtrack and has radio background sounds of hits of the time.

A decent addition to the TV sitcom to film version.

Fletcher's final stir

[ShadeGrenade · 9/10 · 2 November 2011]

The fad for British films based on hit sitcoms came to an end as the '80's dawned. Among the last batch were 'Rising Damp' and 'George & Mildred' ( both 1980 ), and, of course, this, derived from Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais' masterpiece about wily convict 'Norman Stanley Fletcher' ( magnificently played by the late, great Ronnie Barker ). The series had ended three years before. In between we had had 'Going Straight' which chronicled the ex-lag trying to adjust to life without the iron bars across the windows. 'Porridge' begins with a mini-bus pulling up at the gates of H.M. Slade Prison - among the new arrivals are poker-faced officer 'Beal' ( Christopher Godwin ), first-time offender 'Rudge' ( Daniel Peacock ) and bank robber 'Oakes' ( Barrie Rutter ). Contrary to what was established at the end of 'Going Straight', Fletcher and Godber are back behind bars in the same nick and even sharing the same cell again. Godber's status as Fletcher's son-in-law is never mentioned. And 'Mackay' ( Fulton Mackay ) is once again making Fletcher's life difficult even though he left the prison service at the start of 'Going Straight'. So the movie's clearly set during the original run of the series. Yet at one point 'Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick' by Ian Dury & The Blockheads can be heard on the radio. It wasn't a hit until late 1978.

Continuity problems aside, what about the film itself? It is episodic in structure, as though three episodes had been bolted together. The first features Fletcher coming into possession of Mackay's false teeth after he has sneezed them into a big pot of curry in the prison kitchen ( note that Godber's assistant - played by Zoot Money - is called 'Lotterby'. Named after Sydney Lotterby, the show's producer, no doubt ). The second has Grouty ( Peter Vaughan ) ordering Fletcher to organise a celebrity football match to provide cover for Oakes' escape ( he has money from his last job stashed away somewhere ). The third and final part has Fletcher and Godber making their way back to the nick across open country, dodging police cars and having run-ins's with angry farmers.

All this is very good stuff, if not quite in the same class as the show itself. It was overshadowed on its release by the sad death of Richard Beckinsale a few months before. As the critic of 'Photoplay' magazine noted, his was a great talent and the film does nothing to disprove this. Paul Ableman wrote a novelisation for Pan Books entitled 'Porridge: The Inside Story' in which he took the opportunity to develop the characters and expand the situations a bit further, such as having Fletcher and Godber working behind the bar in the Prison Officers Club ( and which explains how they knew about it at the end of the film ). Alongside the regulars ( only Christopher Biggins' 'Lukewarm' is missing and Michael Barrington's 'Mr.Treadaway' has been replaced by Geoffrey Bayldon's ), the irreplaceable Brian Wilde shines as the tame warder 'Mr.Barraclough', who drinks in the cellar because its an alternative to going home and facing his wife!

Funniest moment? Fletcher commenting on Mackay's adjustment to the evening meal. "He sees himself as an authority on curry on account of where he was stationed during the war!". "India?", his friend asks. "No, Bradford!", comes the reply. Not a great joke admittedly, but impeccably delivered by Barker.

Porridge

[CinemaSerf · 7/10 · 3 January 2024]

Building on the huge success of the BBC Television series, this time we join the career petty criminal "Fletcher" (Ronnie Barker) and cellmate "Lenny" (Richard Beckinsale) in their Cumbrian wilderness prison where they regularly spar with chief warder "Mackay" (Fulton Mackay) and bamboozle the kindly "Barrowclough" (Brian Wilde). The van turns up one afternoon carrying two new arrivals. One is "Oakes" (Barrie Rutter) the other, well he's the new prison officer "Beal" (Christopher Godwin). The former is a bit of an heavy and it's soon clear that with the help of de facto prison governor "Grouty" (Peter Vaughan) he won't be staying long. To that end, "Fletch" is encouraged to organise a celebrity football match during which their latest inmate will do some body-swapping and make his escape. Of course, it nearly goes to plan but the unwitting "Lenny" manages to clash with a goalpost and next thing, they are both in the baggage hold of a bus heading to freedom. Abandoned by "Oakes" they conclude their best plan now is to break back in... There are some cracking one-liners and witty rhymes from the on-form Barker and he tussles engagingly with an equally on form Mackay who plays the pompous warden with considerable skill - both have super comedy timing. Beckinsale doesn't feature quite so much here, but is always good value as is Peter Vaughan as the cultured, opera-loving, version of "Mr. Bridger" and a really well cast group of supporting actors. They tried a few film versions of popular comedies in the 1970s and I think this is probably the best - it can still make you laugh.

Worth doing time for!

[nmk2002uk · 8/10 · 25 March 2004]

Finally got this on disk the other month. And it was worth the wait. As an avid Porridge and Ronnie Barker fan, I thought the film done justice to a really funny series. Other movie spin offs have been mundane(On the Buses, for example), but this one was well written and well acted. Starring the original cast from the series (apart from Christopher Biggins), it continued Norman Stanley Fletcher's fight against the system. Even though it did contain a couple of jokes from the program, its a mere overlook to a really funny film. Even Fletcher with his little scams (McKays teeth bein gone example) have trasferred well to the big screen version. This is one film you wouldn't want to do time!

Never let the b*****ds hrind you down!

[knightofni2004-257-546706 · 10/10 · 25 August 2023]

Normally, tv sitcoms never translate well to the big screen. I mean, they're fun enough but there are some (George & Mildred, Rising Damp, and the first Steptoe & Son movie to name a few) that are as much fun as pulling out your teeth without anesthesia. Porridge, on the other hand, is one of the better ones. In fact, I'd say its by far the very best one.

The plot sees Fletcher & Godber having to break back into prison when they are unwittingly caught up in old prison hand Grouty's scheme to break an inmate called Oaksy out during a supposed celebrity football match against some of the other inmates (including a young Karl Howlman). A few of the old show's cast return (apart from Tony Osoba, who's role was cut down due to other commitments, and Geoffery Bayledon taking over as the prison governor) with the film being made mainly in Chelmsford Prison when it was empty due to being renovated after a fire. It was also the last appearance of Richard Beckinsale as Godber as he sadly passed away a few weeks after filming.

As I mentioned earlier, it is one of the better TV to film adaptions, and I think it's due to being not only written by Dick Francis (who co-wrote it and the series with Ian La Frenais), but he also directed it, which means he knows the material like the back of his had, and that is one of its strengths. Many of the gags hit, and when they do, they are very funny. It also doesn't fall into the trap many of these kind of films fall into, and that's using much of the same material from the shows. Like Steptoe & Son Ride Again, it's made up of all new material, and this helps it immensely. Every cast member slips back into their role brilliantly, losing none of the comic timing that the show was known for. Especially Ronnie Barker, who's the glue that held the show together, and is the same here. He has some of the best lines, and his opening song about Mr. Beale does tickle the funny bone. It reinforces the fact that Barker was the right choice to play old hand Fletcher.

It's also notable for having almost no music written for it, with only a couple of well known songs at the beginning (Without You by Nillson, and Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick by Ian Drury and the Blockheads, and another that im not too sure of as you reallt cant hear the lyrics) and an original song sung by Joe Brown at the end (Free Inside) which is a pretty damn good song in its own right.

If you loved the series (and let's face it, who doesn't its a classic series that's extremely well written and hilarious), then I think it's fair to say that you'll enjoy this. And even if you haven't seen the series, I think you'll still enjoy the film as it doesn't really need any explanation about anything.

"COPS" "What like a wooded glaze???" "Yeah a wooded glaze full of cops"

[RICHARDBLACK80 · 9/10 · 19 September 2005]

What a quality movie this is. I like this film so much that I would actually put this in my top ten movies ever (and I've watched a hell of a lot of films). I first watched this over one Christmas when I was a child when video players had first come out in the UK and my Dad bought a whole load of pirate videos back from his local boozer (about 1983).I saw this before I had experienced any of the brilliant series of porridge which is also very good. As said in previous comments a lot of these TV spin off either try and take the characters completely out of their environment (Are you being served, Holiday on the Buses or George and Mildred) or just rehash every funny joke from the original series (Rising Damp is an example). There is no amazing story to this film just a chain of events that lead to the bungled escape by Oakes who takes Fletch and Godber along with him and then their attempt to break back into prison. The jokes and various stories are all new and just as you think that it maybe running out of steam we have thirty minutes of them on the outside (but still not out of their environment as the theme is still the same). Even the soundtrack is really good with Joe Browns excellent 'Inside' (think thats what its called) and the opening credits, Neilsons 'Without you'. With Clement and Le Frenais you feel that they have thought through the whole story process and developed the story properly. The only other spin off I could probably say the same about is the Likely Lads which is also very good. The major criticism this film comes in for is that it came after the sequel series 'Going Straight' and there some confusion to whether the characters had ended up back in prison. I just see it as another story from when they where in nick. Simple.

A great film (but the TV series was even better)

[Niki-22 · 8/10 · 25 March 2000]

Many 1970s British TV comedy series were made into films - most were dire. This film is excellent, but below the level of the TV series which is one of the funniest programmes ever made. The characters (most of them) are all there from the TV series, but the pace is slower and thereby suffers in comparison. Despite this, the film is definitely worth watching. The plot centres around an elaborate escape plan which doesn't quite work the way it was intended, but Fletch, Godber, MacKay and Barrowclough can all be relied on. Perhaps the star of the film is Peter Vaughan as Grouty - at the centre of the action for a change. See the film - but see the TV series too.

Class War 101

[Zeech · 8/10 · 10 August 2016]

I watched this again over 3 decades after it was made with younger folks. How to make it relevant to them? The jokes fall flat in our new millennium — like the 'oh he's gay, so it's funny'. This in a sense made it relevant because it shows what was seen as funny back then.

What hadn't changed is the Class War aspect which is clear and present as the backdrop, starting with the accents. Quentin Crisp joke that 'In the US your accents shows where you're from. In contrast to the UK where your accent shows where you're from'. The middle accents come from the 2 governors of the prison. The official governor, from privilege and boarding schools and the shadow governor, the prisoner who runs things from the inside with aspirations of class, displayed by his brilliantly acted faked accent.

Between official and shadow governance is the space Fletcher moves, bopping and weaving. Fletcher, the main character we all watched Porridge for, is the survivor. He's not for the system or against the system to fight it, he just wants to get it off his back and get by (straight outta the book and movie 'The Spook Who Sat by the Door. Watch for his delivery of the line to a prison officer 'you, I, we are merely here to establish the status quo'.

So yea, this old grimy film worked well as a conversation trigger on the 'how things were back then' theme, without any nostalgia, giving a new lease of life and relevance. Why was it a comedy unlike say HBO's brilliant Oz series? As the man said, if you going to tell people a painful truth you better make them laugh.

Shadow Governance

Porridge; A good healthy diet of wit and intelligence, leaving you full and satisfied.

[Cinema_Fan · 8/10 · 20 October 2006]

England was writhe with crime, in the cinematic sense, toward the end of the decade that had brought us Glitter Rock and Punk Rock. Toward the end of the Seventies and with the crossover into the Eighties, prison movies were to include the brutal Scum (1979), the Houdini exploits of McVicar (1980), and not forgetting the vicious ladies known as Scrubbers (1983), these Made In Britain misfits are amongst the serious and uncompromising hardcore collection of the riffraff prison underclass of that time.

This era's theme of imprisonment had also been the subject of light relief and comic substance, to the happy go lucky tune of life's misplaced souls that were doing Porridge, (as the movies American title suggests Doing Time): the English term for being imprisoned, you were "Banged to Rights" you were "Doing Time" and "Doing Porridge".

Nineteen seventy-four saw the release of British comedy sitcom Porridge; written by Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais, this later turned into the spin-off movie of the same name. Fundamentally an extension of the early seventies comedy show, we have the enduring and ever wistful Norman Stanley Fletcher, with his unforgiving contempt for authority and the establishment alike. The two writers here have not deviated from his original persona; a charm and charisma that transcends from television play and onto the movie screen, with his wise old owl intellect that knows best and never throws caution to the wind. Though the script is the classic all-round family entertainment variety, the actual storyline is somewhat basic and considering the genre here, apt.

Richard Beckinsale (1947 - 1979), as Lennie Godber, father to the beautiful Kate Beckinsale, born 1973, of Underworld (2003) and Van Helsing (2004), fame sadly passed away shortly after the making of Porridge, of a heart attack. While too young, his legacy has been passed on through his daughter, he would have been extremely proud to have seen her accomplishments. The world of light entertainment would never be quite what it was without him. Porridge is awash with the best of British, such as Fulton Mackay (1922 - 1987), Brian Wilde, Derek Deadman, Ken Jones and of course the greatest modern English comedy writer and actor the late Ronnie Barker (1929 - 2005).

This extension of the small screen had to have direction that was capable of retaining the attention span of an audience used to only the weekly half hour shows. The big screen adaptation is classic British cinema; the titters and chuckles among the theatregoers is only contagious. Humour abound, with its pessimistic and anti-establishment overtones that, while nonconformist, only reminds these prisoners of their individual plight. Here we see the pecking order of the hierarchy that are the building blocks of any modern day society. With its top dog Grouty, with his bodyguards Samson and Delilah, then there are the gofers, the go for this and go for that, the illiterates and we have the young and naive first offender Rudge, played here by Daniel Peacock, for example. In between this, we have the officers, just as misfit and imprisoned, though physiologically, as their jailbird counterparts. All bound together by a very wonderfully sharp and intelligent script, bringing about the adage sarcasm is the lowest from of wit, well this is not sarcastic humour, nor is this toilet humour, this is well written and thought out superlative comical fun. Any wonder then that during 1980 Porridge had won the Evening Standard British Film Award for Best Comedy.

Porridge definitely not lumpy!

[AndyP2609 · 8/10 · 1 February 2007]

I am also a big fan of Porridge and of all Ronnie Barker's work. Porridge is the absolute best example of a British sitcom (don't care what the public vote was!), and this film didn't disappoint.

Although there were a few repeated jokes (the alternative version of 'Scotland the Brave' is a particular favourite), it is the finest example of top comedy actors performing work by top comedy writers.

The fact that there are so many top quality quotes on this site from the film says it all. It's also a credit to Ronnie Barker's talent that he can appear in two vastly contrasting sitcoms as completely different characters at the same time (this, and Open All Hours), and be so believable in both roles.

There's no coincidence that Olivier said he was his favourite actor!