Dad's Army (2016 film)

Dad's Army is a 2016 British war comedy film, based on the BBC television sitcom Dad's Army. Directed by Oliver Parker, set in 1944, after the events depicted in the television series. Catherine Zeta-Jones plays an elegant German spy, posing as a journalist, reporting on the Walmington-on-Sea Home Guard platoon.

Dad's Army
Theatrical release poster
Directed byOliver Parker
Produced byDamian Jones
Written byHamish McColl
Based onDad's Army
by David Croft
and Jimmy Perry
Starring
Music byCharlie Mole
CinematographyChristopher Ross
Edited byGuy Bensley
Production
company
DJ Films
Distributed by
Release date
  • 5 February 2016 (2016-02-05) (United Kingdom)
Running time
100 minutes[1]
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
Box office$12.8 million[2]

The production design was by Simon Bowles, and the cinematography by Christopher Ross. The film was released on 5 February 2016 in the United Kingdom by Universal Pictures. DVD and Blu-ray released in the United Kingdom on 13 June 2016. It received mostly negative reviews from critics. When the film was released in the United Kingdom, it reached second place in the box-office charts, behind Goosebumps.[3]

Plot

In the spring of 1944, German forces work to secure intelligence about the upcoming Allied invasion, after one of their spies is intercepted in London by MI5 agents, Major Cunningham and Captain Meeks. Meanwhile, Captain Mainwaring finds his Home Guard in the coastal town of Walmington-on-Sea suffer from a lack of appreciation for their work in contributing to the war effort. Things change when the platoon, during an exercise, accidentally force Rose Winters, an elegant journalist, off the road. When they learn she intends to write a report about them for a national magazine, the men feel delighted, but also are charmed by her presences, causing them to have feuds with the townsfolk, and especially with their wives. The matter is further complicated when Sergeant Wilson develops a friendship with Winters after recognising as a student he once tutored at the University of Oxford.

Unknown to the platoon, Rose is actually the spy sent by Germany to investigate the Allied invasion plans, but a transmission she sends by radio is detected by Cunningham and Meeks, who travel there to seek her out. After meeting with Mainwaring and informing him of the situation, he takes delight in using this as a means to save his platoon from being disbanded by the Home Guard's senior officer, Colonel Theakes, after a disaster during an important patrol near Dover. Rose swiftly joins the patrol through Private Joe Walker, after discovering his illegal bootlegging business, and uses the next patrol to discover important details on the Allies' plan, including where the invasion will take place. As the platoon work to find the spy on Mainwaring's orders, Rose deceives him in believing the spy is Wilson, who is promptly arrested.

While Mainwaring decides to meet with Rose to thank her for her assistance, the rest of the platoon detain Wilson for questioning, until evidence is brought to their attention that Rose is the spy they were seeking for. Tracking her down, they quickly find her holding Mainwaring prisoner with a Wehrmacht landing party, after he discovered the truth upon seeing a German U-boat appear in a nearby bay. However, the platoon help to rescue him with the aid of their wives, and manage to capture the landing party and Rose, causing the U-boat to flee. Cunningham and Meeks swiftly arrest her, ensuring her intelligence doesn't return, while Theakes commends the platoon, saving them from being disbanded. Mainwaring and Wilson reconcile, and both men join their platoon for a parade through Walmington-on-Sea.

Cast

Ian Lavender makes a cameo as Brigadier Pritchard, providing a link with the original series,[4] and Frank Williams reprises his role as the Vicar.[5]

The regular series character of the Verger Maurice Yeatman was not recreated for the film. Mrs. Mainwaring, who was a completely unseen character for the whole of the original series, now has a prominently visible role in the film, where she is portrayed as a Chief Volunteer of the local Auxiliary Territorial Service, and is even more pompous, domineering and vociferous than her husband.[6]

Production

Filming began in Yorkshire in October 2014.[7][8] Principal photography took place at North Landing, Flamborough Head and Bridlington. The East Riding Theatre in Beverley was used for Church Hall/Parade room and Captain Mainwaring's office. Sections of the film were also captured in Leeds and Pickering.[9] Jones' van from the original television series, on loan from the Dad's Army Museum, was used in the film.

  • Location filming for the film, at North Landing, Flamborough Head, Yorkshire. The scene involved German soldiers shooting with rifles and machine gun from behind their landing craft, at some of Captain Mainwaring's platoon. These are taking shelter behind "concrete" anti tank emplacements.
  • Michael Gambon as Private Godfrey, on the set of Dad's Army in October 2014. Filming took place on the beach at North Landing, Flamborough Head, Yorkshire, and at nearby Bridlington.

Reception

Dad's Army has received generally negative reviews from critics. The film holds has a 31% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 35 reviews, with an average rating of 4.91/10.[10]

On Metacritic, it has a score of 38 out of 100, based on seven critics, which indicates "generally unfavourable reviews".[11] Sean O'Grady, of The Independent, gave the film a five star review, remarking that rather than threatening the series' legacy, it "surpasses the original", calling it a "well crafted reproduction" containing all the elements that made the original so clever, durable and loveable.[12]

Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian was less convinced, giving it two stars, stating that "it's hard to escape the sinking feeling that this is a waste of talent – that this is a good natured, well meaning but pointless kind of Brit comedy ancestor worship; paying elaborate homage to a TV show that got it right the first time."[13]

Empire rated it two stars describing the plot as "moderately entertaining bunkum" and that "as a whole it's an inessential oddity – amiable enough but also over reverential and unlikely to leave a lasting impression".[14]

References
  1. "DAD'S ARMY (PG)". British Board of Film Classification. 22 January 2016. Retrieved 22 January 2016.
  2. "Dad's Army". Box Office Mojo.
  3. "UK Weekend Box Office 5th February 2016 - 7th February 2016". 25th Frame. Retrieved 23 November 2018.
  4. "Pictured: Ian Lavender plays cameo role in new Dad's Army film". The Telegraph. 21 November 2014. Retrieved 8 May 2016.
  5. Boudicca Fox-Leonard (26 January 2016). "Dad's Army star Frank Williams: It was extraordinary playing scenes with the characters again". Mirror. Retrieved 8 May 2016.
  6. Owens, Mike (July 2016). "Dad's Army - wartime sitcom given modern makeover". Soldier Magazine. Vol. 72 no. 07. pp. 70–71. ISSN 1462-1509.
  7. Amy Murphy (26 October 2014). "Dad's Army film: First photos of Catherine Zeta Jones, Toby Jones and Bill Nighy released". The Independent. Retrieved 16 November 2014.
  8. "Gambon and Courtenay to star in Dad's Army film". BBC News. 8 October 2014. Retrieved 16 October 2014.
  9. Clayton, Emma (9 February 2016). "Bradford youngsters step back in time to join star-studded cast in new Dad's Army film". Telegraph and Argus. Retrieved 9 February 2016.
  10. "Dad's Army (2016)". Retrieved 28 May 2020 – via www.rottentomatoes.com.
  11. Dad's Army at Metacritic
  12. O'Grady, Sean. "Dad's Army review: Mainwaring's men are back. And better than ever". The Independent. Retrieved 27 January 2016.
  13. Bradshaw, Peter (26 January 2016). "Dad's Army review: who don't you think you are kidding?". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 27 January 2016.
  14. Semlyen, Nick (2 February 2016). "Dad's Army Review". Empire Online. Retrieved 21 November 2016.
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