Privates on Parade (film)

Privates on Parade is a 1983 film adaptation of the Peter Nichols play of the same name about a fictional – and mostly gay – military entertainment group, the "Song and Dance Unit South East Asia (SADUSEA)" assembled to entertain the troops in the Malayan jungle during the Malayan Emergency.[2]

Privates on Parade
Directed byMichael Blakemore
Written byPeter Nichols (play)
StarringJohn Cleese
David Bamber
Denis Quilley
Bruce Payne
CinematographyIan Wilson
Edited byJim Clark
Music byDenis King
Production
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Distributed byOrion Pictures
Release date
  • 18 March 1983 (1983-03-18)
Running time
113 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
Budgetunder £2 million[1]

Cast and characters

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Reception

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One critic stated that Privates on Parade was 'better suited to the theatre'.[3] Derek Winnert stated that 'there are some good jokes and songs, but Privates on Parade is sometimes a bit dodgy and dated, and the lurch into serious drama at the end works no better on film than it did on stage'.[4] Vincent Canby described the film as 'fine, witty, extremely self-assured [and] something seldom seen in movies-a melodramatic farce that comes complete with songs, dances, lewd jokes, sudden death, teary sentiment and smashing performances'.[5]

References

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  1. ^ Robert Sellers, Always Look on the Bright Side of Life: The Inside Story of HandMade Films, Metro 2003, pp. 121–131
  2. ^ Sandra Brennan (2009). "Privates on Parade". All Movie Guide. Retrieved 16 February 2009.
  3. ^ "Privates on Parade". cgiii.com. Retrieved 17 October 2020.
  4. ^ Winnert, Derek (18 July 2018). "Privates on Parade *** (1982, John Cleese, Denis Quilley, Michael Elphick, Nicola Pagett, Bruce Payne, Joe Melia) – Classic Movie Review 7306". derekwinnert.com. Retrieved 17 October 2020.
  5. ^ Canby, Vincent (22 April 1984). "Privates on Parade". The New York Times. p. G19.
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