Saturday, August 08, 2020

Movie review - "Man of the Moment" (1955) **

 For around a decade Norman Wisdom was one of the biggest stars in British cinema - a huge draw at home and in communist countries.

He's little Chaplin-esque - a big kid, playing for pity, engaging in slapstick. He sings a few numbers here. 

He wasn't my cup of tea but this wasn't the strongest vehicle. He's a clerk who winds up a diplomat in Geneva and gets involved in the affairs of a small Pacific Island - the locals are played by actors with New Zealand accents, notably Inia Te Wiata, who popped up in a few British films.

Lana Morris is fun as Wisdom's co star as is Belinda Lee as a film star ordered to seduce Wisdom.

The movie really comes alive in a chase through a TV studio and Wisdom goes from show to show - it's funny, anarchic and imaginative, and gives an insight into what the film could and should have been. 

But if you like Wisdom...

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