Well, kind of, because it's freaking funny. Why? It's about the first man in space. "The Russians?" Even worse. The laughable disaster of "Pitkin" kind.Again I'm writing a few words about a Norman Wisdom movie. And again I've got nothing bad to say. A great comedy from the good old black-and-white era. Finally in my DVD collection. I especially like the way this movie jumps from one subject to another (while some other reviewers are tend to consider it a drawback). Delivery service - suicide topic - Royal Navy - space travelling. And Mr Norman Wisdom delivers. He delivers his top-notch performance from the beginning of this picture till the very end adding ridiculous "Aye aye, sir" to his character's incompetent actions. And I was thoroughly surprised by the ladies' actions. The scene where some hot chick lures Norman into love-making is dynamite. How daring for 1960.Congratulations, Mr Norman Wisdom. You've made me laugh again. And not just once or twice during the movie but continuously. The fabulous highlights of the film for me are: Norman's collision with the local band, the three ways of "doing oneself in", the famous "man overboard" scene (I especially like the gun play here), the three ways of Norman's "trials" (gymnastics, diving-costume, mountains), the ridiculous "Attention!" boxing scene and a bit further - a reprise of it, and space travel with Norman pushing every button to get any result. The movie has also a very neat bunch of puns (look up the reference of this comment – it is a brilliant example).And don't tell me the movie's rating is lower than 7 out of 10. It must rub shoulders with Mr Charlie Chaplin's films on the top list. That's what I think.10 out of 10 (yes, I know it is too subjective, so what?). Thanks for attention.

'The Bulldog Breed' is one of my favourite Norman Wisdom films, but not one of his best.It is interesting because of the space flight angle, and the film certainly captures the mood of the era.In many respects this is a sad film; Puckle is portrayed as a rather tragic character, who never really finds his niche.The whole films carries a slight air of depression about it, which is not helped by the melancholy music score.There are several funny scenes, notably the 'man overboard' scene, the diving lesson, and the mountain climbing episode. In all of these though, the comedy is diluted by the overall gloom of the film.A hidden gem in the film are the brief, uncredited, appearances of Michael Caine and Oliver Reed in the cinema foyer scene.

Norman Wisdom is- in all of his films- very human. The puppy-dog eagerness, willingness to do anything set before him, ability to make a mistake and then go on to make it worse- are, of course, the very stuff of the comic character that he sets up for us to laugh at. But his genius lies in the ability to make us identify with him, to 'live the life' with him, even as we guffaw.In the Bulldog Breed there are stock characters aplenty, and the players act their roles accordingly, but Wisdom- like a wicked imp- seems to dodge and dart round the convention & hierarchy that still- in 1960- characterized much of the English way of doing things. He is like the benign counterpart of a poltergeist: causing disruption, certainly, but not as an alien or supernatural incursion, rather a human intervention into a stiff and inhuman environment. The sequence in which he gets a whole ship's crew into the water is an excellent example of this.One thing that often goes unremarked in Wisdom's films is the sexual presence there. There is almost always some lubricious lovely in the line-up and, in this case, Wisdom (after some other amorous adventures) ends up on the beach with a girl in a grass skirt, being told to 'carry on'. By contemporary standards what is there is so laughably little that it seems distinctly odd to regard it as 'sex interest' but, in historical context, it is definitely that, and as much a part of the humour as 'dirty postcards' were a part of the English seaside holiday of the time.Bear in mind, by the way, that in the years running up to the first moon-landing, this film is also a comment on Britain's presence in space!

As time passes, the warmth and innocence of Norman Wisdom films becomes a rarer and rarer treat. This is one of his best and includes all of the trade-mark ingredients. The scene where Norman throws the whole crew of a Navy frigate overboard is priceless and the reaction of the supporting cast to Norman throughout the film is as worth watching as the man himself. If you like the predictable, honest and gentle humour of the black and white Ealing era then this is one of the best.