Director: John Guillermin

Writer: Bryan Forbes

Based on a book by: M. E. Clifton-James

Keywords: Drama, WWII, Biography

Name	Occupation	Birth	Death	Known for
Alfie Bass	Actor	8-Apr-1921	15-Jul-1987	Bootsie and Snudge
Bryan Forbes	Actor	22-Jul-1926	8-May-2013	King Rat
Harry Fowler	Actor	10-Dec-1926	4-Jan-2012	Cpl. Hoskins on The Army Game
Marius Goring	Actor	23-May-1912	30-Sep-1998	The Red Shoes
Walter Gotell	Actor	15-Mar-1924	5-May-1997	Gen. Gogol in James Bond films
Michael Hordern	Actor	3-Oct-1911	2-May-1995	The Slipper and the Rose
Sid James	Actor	8-May-1913	26-Apr-1976	Carry on...
Edward Judd	Actor	4-Oct-1932	24-Feb-2009	First Men in the Moon
Duncan Lamont	Actor	17-Jun-1918	19-Dec-1978	The Golden Coach
John Le Mesurier	Actor	5-Apr-1912	15-Nov-1983	Dad's Army
John Mills	Actor	22-Feb-1908	23-Apr-2005	Ryan's Daughter
Cecil Parker	Actor	3-Sep-1897	20-Apr-1971	The Ladykillers
Leslie Phillips	Actor	20-Apr-1924		Not Now Darling

REVIEWS

Review by Vic (posted on 24-Feb-2005)

If you can find a copy of this film (only available on PAL VHS, to my knowledge) you will not be disappointed. Full of cameos from the post-war British film circuit (a then unknown Sid James is the concierge at a hotel) this film is based on the amazing yet true story of Clifton-James, a lieutenant in the army who spent much of WW2 working in the accounts department of the army. Until, that is, he is spotted by a member of the intelligence because he had one rather obvious but underutilised talent. He looked the splitting image of General Bernard Montgomery. The story leads us through the training of James, through his own cameo appearance, pretending to by Monty on the coast of Africa. Culminates in a wonderful beach sequence... but I won't give the story away. The script is full of wonderful little puns and banter between the 2 intelligence chaps (John Mills) and the score is beautifully dated as post-war, low budget symphonic mickey-mouse fun. But the biggest twist is known from the start of the movie. The actor who plays both Monty and his heroic impersonator is none other than the man who actually had to pretend to be Monty during the war. He re-lives his most famous role in this fabulous telling of an event that saved literally thousands of lives of allied troops.

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