Carry On Essay for A Very Brit Challenge

Watch one or two of the Carry On films and tell us what you thought of them (the individual episodes and the series as a whole) and if there was anything you didn't understand or found strange (Netflix, Hulu, and YouTube are good sources). Essay should be at least 500 words.

Carry On/Laughing Essay for "A Very British Challenge"

I wasn't sure if I was supposed to watch the movies or the shows. At first I thought it was the movie since it said "film." So I first watched Carry On Abroad (1972). But later I reread the instructions and it said "episodes" and "series" which suggested perhaps it was the television shows I was supposed to be watching. Perhaps "film" is used in England to represent television, though I didn't think so (unless it was a movie on TV). So I watched three TV episodes. Of the Carry On Laughing television episodes, I watched episodes two, three, and eleven, "The Baron Outlook," "The Sobbing Cavalier," and "The Case of the Coughing Parrot," (all 1975) respectively.

Then I read the instructions yet again and decided maybe it was supposed to be another movie, so I decided to watch Carry On Sergeant since I'm in the Army and love the Army. Alas, after over thirty minutes of searching YouTube, I couldn't find a working link. (I couldn't find any of the Carry Ons, TV shows or movies, on either Hulu or Netflix, but perhaps it's on DVD on Netflix as I only have the streaming membership.) I decided to watch the 1969 Carry On Christmas followed by Carry On Up the Khyber (1968).

Before watching any of the actual Carry On films or shows, I watched a countdown of the top ten Carry On movies called Greatest Ever Carry On Films to get titles, background, and to find a good one to watch. Carry On Sergeant was ranked number nine, Carry On Abroad was ranked number two by this show, Carry On Up the Khyber was number one.

When I began watching the first Carry On Laughing show, imagine my surprise when I recognized the music and cartoon. It turns out my parents used to watch it when we lived in Africa when I was a child. (Or perhaps it was on PBS after we returned, I don't recall exactly.) I remember loving the beginning cartoon, but losing interest quickly afterward. It was nice to view entire episodes and be able to see what my parents enjoyed about the series.

There were some double entendre and slapstick in the series, but not as much as the movies, but then, the episodes were less than thirty minutes, so less was required to carry the show. To be honest, I'm a little disappointed that the series only lasted for two seasons, thirteen episodes. I think there was quality acting and writing in them.

I enjoyed the series more than the movies, but a lot of that is my short attention span from a rocket that caused a minor traumatic brain injury while in Iraq. I liked Carry On Abroad the least of everything as it was too filled with sexual innuendos for me to enjoy. There was also some nudity in Carry On Abroad. When you add the slapstick comedy with the low-brow jokes, it wasn't my idea of a great movie. However, if you enjoy that sort of thing, it was well done. All of the Carry On movies worked with very small budgets, though Carry On Abroad had a larger one than most. I respect the work they were able to do with their limited financial resources and their talented writers and actors.

The movie I enjoyed the most was the 1969 Carry On Christmas. It wasn't as heavy handed with the sexual innuendos (or I was getting used to them) and had a lot of creative twists. After all, most Christmas specials don't have a vampire and Frankenstein.

Finally, I watched Carry On Up the Khyber from 1968. I liked this better than Carry On Abroad, but apparently so did most people as it was ranked number one on the previously mentioned show. In this movie I repeatedly heard the word "tiffin" which I wasn't familiar with, but easily got the meaning of. The movie also reminded me that England used to rule India, a fact I'd forgotten.

There wasn't anything I found hard to understand or strange, but I've visited more than forty countries and lived on five continents, so it's hard to find something I'd find strange that would be allowed to be filmed, especially in the 1960's and '70's. The language wasn't difficult for me either, because I've been to England and we had a number of British friends when we lived in Nigeria and Australia. I will say that there were a couple of times that I was, ever so briefly, unsure what they meant in the movie, Carry On Abroad, with two different double entendre, but the meaning was immediately driven home with clarity as they finished the joke.

Greatest Ever Carry On Films {link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lA3Jhn5m9RI}

Carry On Abroad {link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1yFaEqdU_Wc&list=PLEC49A346A3D0C068&index=188}

Carry on Abroad (Region 2)   (Rated: )

ASIN: B000085ROI
ID #113038

Product Type: DVD
Reviewer: Schnujo's Doing NaNoWriMo?
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Amazon's Price: $ 27.01

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Carry On Christmas {link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GF50yGiUkV4&index=3&list=PLc9_GUaYwQqA8bAFif4bLx...}

Carry On Up the Khyber {link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6TaJqaDnhS0

Carry On... Up the Khyber [Region 2]   (Rated: ASR)

ASIN: B00008YNFU
ID #113040

Product Type: DVD
Reviewer: Schnujo's Doing NaNoWriMo?
Review Rated: 13+

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"The Baron Outlook" {link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hinfu63Ev8E&index=172&list=PLEC49A346A3D0C068}

"The Sobbing Cavalier" {link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w82J_RwOQ04&list=PLEC49A346A3D0C068&index=171}

"The Case of the Coughing Parrot" {link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_5w5-1DJQ1w&index=173&list=PLEC49A346A3D0C068}