I never had the Alan Ayckbourn play to prejudice me while watching this delightful Michael Winner picture. I have seen some terrible reviews but felt I wanted to give an unbiased opinion for anyone thinking of watching this. Indeed, Alan Ayckbourn even collaborated on the screenplay with Winner so perhaps he felt it needed a different viewpoint as a movie, rather than as a play, who knows. Regardless of that, I just watched it as a movie and was surprisingly entertained. Jeremy Irons play Guy, recovering from the death of his wife, joins an amateur dramatic society headed by a bull of man, played with extraordinary gusto by Anthony Hopkins, a terrific performance, completed not long before he embarked on Silence of The Lambs, so he was at the top of his game. Irons is rather naïve and gets involved with rather seductive female members of the cast, at first, rather bewildered but then throwing himself in with enthusiasm. Prunella Scales gives a lovely, heartfelt performance as the frustrated wife of Anthony Hopkins who almost immediately falls in love with the tall handsome Irons. Jenny Seagrove is another seductress, although her motives are something more to do with a land deal that Irons is supposed to be able to secure for her and her husband (Gareth Hunt). Having a smattering of operetta knowledge will help the viewer as the cast are performing "The Beggar's Opera" with cast members constantly dropping out only to eventually hand the lead of Macheath to the inexperienced Irons. There is broad farce and pathos in Winner's direction which I really enjoyed and although Jeremy Irons is a bit bland it's made up for with Hopkin's blistering performance. Nice to see Sylvia Syms, another favourite of mine, in her middle years, still beautiful and still underrated, as is this movie.

This is truly a cute little little known that I feel deserves more recognition. It appears this movie was made on a low budge but something about that adds a certain warm quality to it. I had a very hard time finding this movie and had to order it from one of the local music stores here. A truly charming look at small theatre. Jeremy Irons has certainly shown that he is more than capable of comedy; something I'd like to see him in more often! The only drawbacks to this movie is the poor sound (and sometimes lighting) quality; I would love to see a DVD release. I would recommend this movie to any fan of Hopkins, Irons, theatre or just anyone looking for something different and light in nature.

With all the high-flying "special effects" movies around these days, this movie is a bare-bones, real-life-like story about real people in a small town and the relationships among them. The cast is fantastic. Jeremy Irons should have gotten an Academy Award for his performance. Anthony Hopkins also turns in an admirable character-driven performance that is just one more example of his outstanding acting ability. There were technical aspects of the photography and sound that could be criticized, but, ignoring those, it is a wonderfully portrayed story. Be sure to watch this film with someone who is a feeling person with a good sense of humor and an interest in different people with different personalities. This movie is one of my all time favorites.

I am surprised that other reviews for this film are negative. If anyone has ever participated in an amateur operatic society then they know that this movie is bang on. Perhaps it is an in-joke, but for us in the know it is hysterical. Most surprising is Anthony Hopkins revealing a remarkable gift fo comedy. His performance alone is worth seeing this. Jeremy Irons is perfectly cast as the stranger who wanders into these "strange doings", and the supporting cast (including the wonderful Lionel Jeffries)are superb. In short, this is one my all-time favorite comedies, and a "must-see" for anyone who has trod the boards with amateurs. I would think anyone would find it amusing, but apparently some of the other critics are quite clueless when it comes to this film. It's not available for purchase, but don't miss it if you find in on TV or in a rental store--especially if you have done an amaatuer musical or are a Hopkins fan. I give it a 10.