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The Huggetts Collection - Holiday Camp/Here Come The Huggetts/Vote For Huggett/The Huggetts Abroad
RRP: £24.99
Our Price: £17.93 (subject to change)
Collecting Peter Hammond and charmingly side tracked
Review date: 2007-11-11 Rating: 8 out of 10
I bought this collection because I have been charmed by Peter Hammond for 50 years. Lost him somewhere along the way but rediscovered him when I bought the DVD set of "The Buccaneers."
So I got to work on collecting anything I could that he'd done - with a special eye to his Directing (which is very visual with great care for light and color). But I stumbled over The Huggetts and these 4 films are as charming as it can get without being treacle.
Although I am an American, I can identify with many aspects of these films. I was born in 1947 and raised in a working-class neighborhood in a family that counted weekly Grange meetings, clog dancing and Fiddling among their High Spots.
I vividly remember my girlfriend's family getting their first phone. I can also remember, vaguely, something disturbingly like a Holiday Camp. I have actually done or have seen many of the things that transpire in these films.
Tightly filmed, they flow well, tempered with a "common" humor and traditional values that anyone can relate to.
Peter Hammond is charming on the eyes, putting me in mind of a young Jimmy Stewart in looks and style. And he comes with a good sense of comic timing, never going over the top. His exchanges with the Petula Clark character are endearing - he always seems willing to go along with her dream.
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Reviews
a taste of Britain's finest hours
Review date: 2007-08-07 Rating: 10 out of 10
With many of the Ealing classics already released I've been waiting in anticipation for Gainsborough's Huggetts films to get the DVD treatment - and a fine job has been made of them too; many thanks to the team responsible. Nicely packaged 4 DVD's offset-stacked in a gatefold inside a slip case with a very informative 12 page booklet written by British comedy scholar Robert Ross. It's easy to take for granted just how good these films are; the direction and editing are transparent, the camera's always in the right place and the quick-fire dialogue is so expertly delivered you feel no sense of rehearsal at all; the timing is always spot on and you become aware you're watching players who have learned their craft and are showing you a tradition that has it's roots in music hall where genuine talent flourished.
As a 60's child these films portray a time unknown to me but a comfortable familiarity stems from my fond memories of watching old British films with my dad and that is the link for people of my generation to a Britain that has sadly gone. If a comment is made that these films are dated I would suggest that this is the appeal and is what makes these documents of another time so special.
Even with just a casual interest in old British films you won't be disappointed with this purchase.
Product Details/Specifications
Actor(s):
Kathleen Harrison
Petula Clark
Jack Warner
Hazel Court
Creators:
Jack Warner (Primary Contributor)
Kathleen Harrison (Primary Contributor)
Director(s):
Recording label: ITV DVD
Manufacturer: ITV DVD
EAN: 5037115244635
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 4
Format: Box set, Black & White, PAL,
Release date: 2007-05-21
Audience rating: Universal, suitable for all
Region code: 2
Running time: 347 minutes
Language: English (Original Language)