Private's Progress
Private's Progress is a
British comedy film of
1956, based on the novel by Alan Hackney. It was directed and produced by
John and Roy Boulting, from a script by John Boulting and Frank Harvey.
The action takes place during
The Second World War and follows the adventures of a young
undergraduate Stanley Windrush (
Ian Carmichael) who is conscripted into the
British Army. Unlike his friend Egan (
Peter Jones), Windrush is a most reluctant soldier and struggles through basic training at Gravestone barracks. Failing his officer selection board, he is posted to a holding unit, under the command of Major Hitchcock. Most of the soldiers are malingerers and drop-outs.
Windrush is finally posted to train as a Japanese interpreter, where he becomes the prize pupil. He's then contacted by his uncle, now a senior officer in the
War Office, to join a secret operation known only as "Hatrack". He is quickly commissioned and the operation is launched, ostensibly to recover looted artworks from the Germans, but in fact to steal the works and sell them to two very dodgy art dealers.
Windrush survives the operation, despite being briefly arrested by British forces whilst in German uniform, and is discharged from the army. He returns to University, but when some of the artworks are found to have identical copies in circulation, the game is up.
The film features many well-known British character actors, including
Richard Attenborough,
Dennis Price,
Terry-Thomas,
Miles Malleson,
Thorley Walters,
William Hartnell,
Peter Jones and
John Le Mesurier.
It was the first in a series of successful satirical comedies made by the Boulting brothers for their production company Charter Films. Their
1959 comedy
I'm All Right Jack also featured many of the same actors and characters.
*
Ian Carmichael (Stanley Windrush)
*
Richard Attenborough (Private Cox)
*
Dennis Price (Brigadier Bertram Tracepurcel)
*
Terry-Thomas (Major Hitchcock)
*
Miles Malleson (Windrush Snr)
*
William Hartnell (Sergeant Sutton)
*
Jill Adams (Prudence Greenslade)
*
Peter Jones (Egan)
*
Thorley Walters (Captain Bootle)
*
Ian Bannen (Private Horrocks)
*
Kenneth Griffith (Private Jones)
*
Victor Maddern (Private Blake)
*
John Le Mesurier (Psychiatrist)
*
Sally Miles (Catherine)
*
Derrick De Marney (Pat)
*
Christopher Lee (General von Linbeck's Aide)
* Cinematographer: Eric Cross
* Music:
John Addison* Art Direction: Allan Harris
* Editor: Anthony Harvey
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