With the novel premise of a gang of London criminals hiding out in a run-down
island monastery, Crooks in Cloisters is a likeable comedy, with adept casting
and serviceable gags - mostly flowing from the absurdity of hardened villains
attempting to pass themselves off as monks. Little Walter, the gang's tubby
mastermind, insists his cohorts lead an ascetic lifestyle, wearing the monk's
habit, working the monastery farm and sleeping in cells on hard wooden boards.
The gang complain that they would be better off in jail. Soon, however, with the
help of local fisherman and one-time smuggler Phineas, the felons are up to
their old tricks: counterfeiting banknotes, 'reconditioning' stolen furs, and
melting down gold.
With neither the depth nor the darkness of The Ladykillers (d. Alexander
Mackendrick, 1955), which presumably inspired its fish-out-of-water scenario,
Crooks... relies heavily on the strength of its cast. Ronald Fraser and Bernard
Cribbins deliver solid comic performances, as the firm but fatherly Little
Walter and the greyhound-obsessed Squirts, respectively; Barbara Windsor amuses
as Bikini, the tough-minded, culinarily-challenged tart-with-a-heart, while
Wilfred Bramble, as the old fisherman Phineas, whose fondness for the bottle
matches his love of a scam, contributes memorable moments in support. There are
also surprise appearances from Corin Redgrave and a young Francesca Annis.
The film mixes sentimentality with broad, coarse humour - when Walt
successfully milks a cow, he is congratulated on having "pulled it off again" -
but an acceptable balance is generally maintained between the two tendencies.
There are enjoyable gags in the details, as well: Squirts hides stolen copies of
The Sporting Life inside the Catholic Herald, Walt inappropriately offers a
genuine monk a cigar, then bewilders him with cockney slang, and even certain
names provoke mirth - who knows what Dangerous Herbert of the Jelly mob is
capable of?
Perhaps the film's greatest distinction, however, is its admittedly indirect
role in propelling Barbara Windsor to international stardom in the Carry On
series. In her autobiography, All of Me, Windsor recounts how she was invited to
lunch at Pinewood Studios by Ronald Fraser, with whom she had enjoyed working on
Crooks... As she tottered over to Fraser's table, she was spotted by producer
Peter Rogers and director Gerald Thomas, leading to a call a month later
inviting her to appear in Carry On Spying (d. Gerald Thomas,
1964).
David Morrison
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