FemaleFirst.co.uk: DVD: The Runaway Bus [1954] [DVD]

The Runaway Bus [1954] [DVD]
enlarge	Director: Val Guest Actors: Frankie Howerd, Margaret Rutherford, Petula Clark, Belinda Lee Studio: Pickwick Group Limited Category: DVD List Price: ~~£5.99~~ Buy New: £2.88 as of 23/11/2009 10:40 GMT details You Save: £3.11 (52%) New (10) Used (1) from £2.88 Seller: gzoop Rating: 15 reviews Sales Rank: 7963 Format: Black White, PAL Languages: English (Unknown), English (Original Language) Rating: Universal, suitable for all Region: 2 Number Of Discs: 1 Running Time: 74 Minutes Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2 Dimensions (in): 7.1 x 5.4 x 0.6 EAN: 5050457518493 ASIN: B000IYV1SI Theatrical Release Date: 1954 Release Date: October 16, 2006 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days


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Customer Reviews: Showing reviews 1-5 of 15 1 2 3 Next » Great movie - but terrible DVD quality... January 15, 2008 FAMOUS NAME (UNITED KINGDOM) 4 out of 5 found this review helpful Hilarious gem starring Frankie Howerd and Margaret Rutherford - both in fine form! Pity about the awful DVD quality (you will see from all the previous reviews - everyone is complaining about it, and quite right too!) However, this aside, this is a real treat! br / br /Some 'classic' moments in this, in particular Frankie Howerd as he runs straight into a fake body hanging from a gallows, and Belinda Lee searching for a dropped book on the bus - but Ms. Rutherford thinking she's dead! (Ms. Lee bringing a real 'sparkle' to this picture as Janie Grey, who was to die so tragically in a road accident just a few years later) br / br /Terry Alexander also stars - looking good as usual, alongside Pet Clark who many viewers may not immediately recognise. Ms. Rutherford's husband 'Stringer Davis' also appears - one who would go on to star in several films alongside his wife - a lovely and terribly 'gentle' mannered man. br / br /A great movie that is only marred by the terrible quality of the DVD transfer - but I guess it's better than no copy at all! br / br /N.B. The Five Stars are for the movie - not the DVD quality! Brill 100 Percent Recommeneded September 10, 2009 Mr. F. Adams (London) I Just Watched This Ive never Laughed So Much Frankie Howard And Magreat Rutherford At There Best br / br /Frankie Age 27 A good film badly presented! February 16, 2007 Dee-en (London) 65 out of 65 found this review helpful Fans of Frankie Howerd will know that this was his film debut and that he was against the idea of making a film for fear that his style of comedy wouldn't work on the big screen. Luckily he choose veteran film maker Val Guest to direct the picture and the combination of comedy and drama works very well. The story is centred around a coach full of passengers travelling from one airport to another during a bad fog with Frankie at the wheel. The coach also carries a secret stash of stolen gold bullion and one of the passengers is responsible for the theft, but which one? Basically it's a rehash of the old smuggled goods story used previously in numerous films from The Ghost Train to Oh Mr Porter, but here it has the added bonus of Frankie providing the laughs and boasts a superb cast including Margaret Rutherford, a young Petula Clark and Terence Alexander. The only problem is that for this release Pickwick have not only chosen the worst print they could find to duplicate from but also it has been edited, cutting out the best two scenes in the film! These were where Frankie telephones his elderly grandmother to tell her he'll be late home and he more-or-less goes into his act, getting more and more exasperated by the fact that she can't understand what he is trying to tell her. These scenes were apparently improvised on the set when Val Guest explained that the film was running short by a few minutes and it is a testament to Frankie's skill that he was able to come up with the goods at a moment's notice. To cut these humorous scenes out of the film is a crime. So it's four stars for the film but NO stars for the presentation. [...] More like a runaway projectionist October 18, 2006 Carry On fan (Somerset, UK) 33 out of 34 found this review helpful This film is difficult to watch - I'd say it was for hardened Frankie Howerd fans or lovers of early British cinema only. The plot is fine, Howerd's acting is great (you can see the talent bursting to escape) but the film is let down technically. It's on the Pickwick label so I never expected a visual masterpiece but even so the quality is really poor. My particular disc went into 3 second hibernation at 15 minutes, 30 minutes and 50 minutes. The worst, however, is at a reel-change where the viewer is treated to the 4,+,3,+,2,1, countdown. br / br /Additionally, I think a section of bad frames have been chopped from the middle of the film. At one point, Frankie Howerd drops into a river having climbed down from the bus whilst it's on a bridge; but in the next scene, he's talking to his passengers behind the bus in a field. br /I last saw the 'Runaway Bus' on television - the print had been cleaned and properly edited so what on earth were Pickwick thinking in releasing the film in this state? br / br /Overall, the strength of Howerd's acting overcomes the poor presentation. This film is worth watching if you love him but worth missing if not. Missing Scene February 12, 2007 AJ (Sheffield, UK) 25 out of 26 found this review helpful An enjoyable movie, actually bought more for my 7-year-old daughter whos a big Frankie Howerd fan (A Touch of the Sun is her favourite). I had no great expectations of quality, especially as Pickwick's logo stuttered along the screen at the start, but more noticeable for me (after having watched on TV a few times) was the whole 'telephone box' scene with Reginald Beckwith was missing altogether. I'll wait for the next outing on UK Gold. Showing reviews 1-5 of 15 1 2 3 Next »

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