Sometimes in 1947 Britain it was hard to grasp that we had "won the war" as we used to say in those days with scant regard for the efforts of our Russian and American allies.Everything was "On the ration",the shops were half - empty,British Industry was struggling with the burden of "Export or Die" and returning servicemen were finding that their jobs had been taken by non - combatants in their absence.Germany,on the other hand,was being rebuilt by the Yanks at astronomical expense whilst we were the recipients of the occasional "food parcel"Were we bitter?I should say so.Hence any chance to hit back at "them"(the government,authority in general,those seen as untouched by years of hardship) was seized with alacrity. Thus the Black Market thrived.If a butcher(Mr P Postlethwaite,say)had kept back one of his pigs from the men from the Ministry of Agriculture to keep for his own use it would be seen as a perfectly acceptable gesture particularly if we were to be beneficiaries from the crime through his shop. In "A Private Function" that master of the extraordinary ordinary Mr Alan Bennett has captured that era of spivs with cardboard suitcases alighting from black Morris Eights,dodgy nylons,blue - painted horse meat and large crispy fivers as if preserved in amber. He well knows the social aspirations of lower middle class Brits and the lengths they would(would? - still will..)go to in order to "improve" their perceived standing in the community.Miss M.Smith's ambitions in this area know no bounds.Her unfortunate husband(Mr M.Palin - mercifully a Python - Free performance for once) is completely in her thrall. He steals Mr Postlethwaite's pig and keeps it for use at the eponymous Private Function to celebrate the wedding of Princess Elizabeth,hoping to ensure favourable reaction to his application to open a shop and also to further his wife's social hopes. Almost parochially British in content,"Private Function" may be a curate's egg for those to whom our manners and mores are a bit of a mystery,but those looking for a successor to the old Alec Guinness - Stanley Holloway school of comedies need look no further.

This movie already had everything to please me before I even started watching it. Knowing that this was a British comedy, was already enough for me to decide that I wanted to see it, but that it was situated in the first post-WWII years, only made it even more interesting for me. I'm very interested in that time period, but in my opinion there aren't enough good movies about it. However, it's not because I think that I'll like a movie, that I'll automatically give it a good rating. I still need to watch it first."A Private Function" is situated in a small town in England in 1947. Even though the war is over for about two years, there still is a rationing of meat and more in particular of pork. The butchers and farmers are severely controlled in order to prevent the start of a black market, but the rules aren't always obeyed. When Princess Elizabeth is going to marry, a local group of businessmen and notables are organizing a party to impress the local government. They have a pig illegally raised and want to slaughter it for the event. But just before the party, the pig is stolen by Gilbert Chilvers on the instigation of his wife and his mother-in-law, who can't live with the idea that they no longer belong to the notables of the community and therefore can't get more meat...If you like the typical British humor, than this is definitely a movie you shouldn't miss. Especially when they keep the pig in their own house, you can be sure of some hilarious scenes. One reviewer said that you shouldn't watch it when you don't like toilet humor. I'm afraid I can't follow him in that opinion. I don't like that kind of humor at all, but it never was shown in this movie either. It's just insinuated and that's why I could live with it without any problem. Another good reason why you should give this movie a try is the acting. Michael Palin is excellent as the somewhat quiet, but lovable husband who does everything his wife - Maggie Smith plays that role really very well - wants him to do. But the other actors, even though most of them aren't very famous, are very good and interesting to watch.All in all this is a comedy that deserves a lot more attention than what it has received so far. I really enjoyed watching it and regularly had a good laugh. What more can you possibly want from a comedy? A good story and some fine acting? They are all in it as well and that's why I give this movie a 7.5/10.

This movie is so uninteresting I sincerely doubt it would have made a passable 30-minute sitcom episode. Nothing happens in the whole thing! I didn't find it vulgar, ridiculous, funny, anything- it is simply a waste of time.

This is one of those very droll, and sometimes bizarre British comedies that is absurdly funny. The plot centers around a couple in the days right before Elizabeth II's coronation and the machinations of a social climbing Maggie Smith who equates pork with prestige. She manages to get her henpecked husband (Michael Palin) to kidnap a pig, and well the rest just needs to be experienced. I thought the movie was hilarious, but I have known others who found it just plain ridiculous. Those who disapprove of bathroom humor need not see this one.