Clockwise - Classic British comedy

Somewhere between the success of 'Fawlty Towers' and 'A Fish Called Wanda,' came 'Clockwise' - a film about a Basil Fawlty-esque headmaster who is obsessed with time-keeping, yet finds himself increasingly late for an important meeting in Norwich.

Seeing as it was released between the two masterpieces, it's fitting that it sits between the two in terms of enjoyment.  It sort of leans in and out of the other two, borrowing a little of each's style, but never quite matching either.  Cleese is now called Brian Stimpson, but is basically Basil doing a slightly different job, so you have him effectively performing as Basil, yet on the big screen.  Plus it's possibly the most bleak of all Cleese's projects.

It's easy to see why 'Clockwise' was never as much of a global hit as the other two. 'Fawlty Towers' delighted in showing up English eccentricity, whereas 'A Fish Called Wanda' was designed to appeal to an Anglo-American audience. 'Clockwise' has a distinctly British feel to it, therefore, only people of a certain age will truly get it (my young daughter watched it and simply said `Why don't they just use their mobile phones?' - ahh, to grow up in the 21st Century!).  I know that saying 'it doesn't take itself seriously' may sound a little obvious when it comes to a comedy.  However, it's definitely not really meant to be taken seriously in terms of realism.  I think its style of humour comes from the 'Carry On...' films' style of comedy, rather than the dark and gritty style of a black comedy like 'A Fish Called Wanda.'

I watched it when I was young and loved it then (but then I was brought up on 'Fawlty Towers!'), so watching it now brings back a healthy dose of nostalgia for me.  I seem to remember that most major criticism came from Cleece simply playing Basil again.  However, seeing as how great Basil was and we only ever got the two series on TV, I was delighted to see this 'faux-Basil' on the big screen.

If you're a fan of 'Fawlty Towers' and possibly the much under-rated 'Fierce Creatures,' then you should definitely give this a go.  You probably won't like it as much as all Cleese's other projects, but it should raise a few chuckles here and there.  Plus watch out for the many 'Fawlty Towers' cameos who are all great, as are all the supporting cast, but this is John Cleece's film through and through.  If you're a fan of him then you should definitely give it a go.

8/10 The Force is definitely strong with this one