Directed by Robert Day and written by John Warren and Len Heath, while in prison, Dodger plots the perfect heist: break out, steal diamonds, get back before noticed. With days left on sentence and a solid alibi, he’s confident nothing can go wrong. Starring: Peter Sellers, Maurice Denham, Lionel Jeffries, David Lodge, Bernard Cribbins, Wilfrid Hyde-White, Irene Handl, George Woodbridge and Liz Fraser.
If you were looking for a quintessential example of British humour from the 1950s and 1960s, you wouldn’t go wrong with Two Way Stretch. Its style of comedy is perfectly of the era, it’s silly, slapstick and farcical. Almost its entire identity is built around being unreservedly ridiculous in a very British and light-hearted way. Granted, there’s not a lot to it, this is quite a simple story and the heist itself is quite short lived but it’s a film that’s made to be pure entertainment. It wasn’t made for an audience looking for something complicated or unexpected, it was meant to be reliably funny, and that it is.
Part of what makes it still work is the sense of imagination at work. Everything is nicely exaggerated, their relaxed time in prison, and the ease of their schemes. The way that it moves and the tone that it sets all fit perfectly with the sense of humour. It’s light and nonchalant, purely comedy, it flows in a leisurely manner and throws in a bit of excitement now and again. Although, it does do well to capture that heist feel even though the act itself is fairly short, it’s a lot of build up but it strikes some classic chords.
It may not be hugely strong but it’s never not entertaining to watch Peter Sellers. Not all of his filmography is stellar but he never disappoints. He had such an inspired range and could elevate anything he was in with his confident, charming presence. However, he also happens to be supported by a whole host of familiar faces that all have something to add. Bernard Cribbins in particular is excellent, along with Sellers and David Lodge, they make for one dodgy dealing, dreadfully enjoyable trio. Irene Handl and Liz Fraser are similarly great additions.
Two Way Stretch is an ideal choice for a bit of easy, Sunday afternoon viewing. It’s a tad on the simple side and its heist could have been slightly more difficult but you can’t deny the star power of Peter Sellers. There’s such a fantastic cast that make this more than worth watching, and coming in at under ninety-minutes, it’s a nice quick watch. It’s utterly and unapologetically British, it’s funny and charmingly light-hearted.
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