The one British film that can definitely be described as something of
an acquired taste, Summer Holiday
is an enjoyable treat if you can stomach Cliff Richard and his
unique brand of music, a miserable torment worse than
a fortnight in Hell whilst suffering from a bad attack of hemorrhoids if you can't.
To its credit, the film is a cheerful affair that genuinely does evoke
something of the fun and innocence of the
early 1960s. The snappy dance routines are extremely well choreographed and some
of the numbers are instantly evocative of a much happier age.
On the minus side, the plot is risible beyond belief and the lack of acting
talent shown by the film's star is painfully evident. Cliff Richard
may have been a natural born singer (or so his fans would have us believe),
but his acting skills are less than
minimal, and even with the comforting palliative supplied by Lauri Peters and
Una Stubbs Richard's attempts at acting are painful to sit through.
In this, his directorial debut, Peter Yates does a competent job of helming
an anodyne crowdpleasing musical but he would go on to do far better in his subsequent career,
his future credits including the cult Steve McQueen thriller Bullitt
(1968), classic war film Murphy's War (1971) and
distinctive sci-fi fantasy Krull (1983).
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Film Synopsis
One summer, four young mechanics, Don, Cyril, Steve and Edwin, decide
to take a double decker bus to the South of France. If they
get there successfully, the bus company they work for will allow them
to start up a new business, ferrying passengers to the Côte
d'Azur. On their way, the four lithesome lads encounter three
lovely lasses who make up a singing trio. The girls' car has broken
down, so Don and his mates offer to drive them to the
venue of their next concert, in Athens. They also pick up another
passenger, who turns out to be a runaway singing starlet. When
the latter's mother hears of this, she sees
an immediate opportunity for a publicity coup...
Cast: Cliff Richard (Don),
Lauri Peters (Barbara Winters),
Melvyn Hayes (Cyril),
Una Stubbs (Sandy),
Teddy Green (Steve),
Pamela Hart (Angie),
Jeremy Bulloch (Edwin),
Jacqueline Daryl (Mimsie),
Madge Ryan (Stella Winters),
Lionel Murton (Jerry),
Christine Lawson (Annie the Maid),
Ron Moody (Orlando),
David Kossoff (French Magistrate),
Wendy Barrie (Shepherdess),
Nicholas Phipps (Wrightmore),
The Shadows (The Shadows),
Hank B. Marvin (Hank),
Brian Locking (Brian Locking),
Brian Bennett (Brian Bennett),
Bruce Welch (Bruce Welch)
Country: UK
Language: English
Support: Black and White
Runtime: 107 min
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