On the Fiddle Review

• 23rd Apr 2013

Before he was launched into stardom as James Bond in Dr No (1962), the first of the long running franchise Connery starred in a bunch of decent and average British films. With the exception of a small part in the war film The Longest Day about the D-Day landings, Connery starred in this curio film, On the Fiddle. However, here he plays second fiddle (excuse the pun) to the films real star, Alfred Lynch who, it was intended would become a big name but fame never came Lynch’s way. Connery plays Lynch’s sidekick, a heavy gentle giant of a simple gypsy who has joined the army for noble and moral reasons. Lynch on the other hand plays Horace Pope, a conman and spiv who is caught by a policeman selling black market stuff to men waiting in an army recruitment line-up in the early days of the Second World War. When he is brought to court the (female) judge calls Horace’s bluff as he tries to convince her that he was lining up to sign up to the army. Avoiding jail he finds himself as an unwitting army recruit in the logistics corps. Popey, as his new friend Pedlar Pascoe (Connery) calls him soon finds himself with plenty of opportunities conning the gullible platoon sergeant, selling dodgy meat to a butcher (literally off the back of a lorry) and many others along the way. After a series of adventures and managing to avoid the war itself Horace Pope lands up in France following D-Day but never the less is able to sell stuff off the back of the lorry to the French locals. Little does Horace realize that army officers are on to him and could bust open his long standing operation. Without giving away too much information events take a turn and he is involved in some action leading to him and Pedlar becoming decorated heroes.

The image of the spiv and conman, the not-so-Harry-Lime-like black marketeer became one of the shadier characters on the home front in the Second World War. This type of character is perhaps more familiar to us in the shape of Private Walker in ‘Dad’s Army’ and there were surely plenty of real life characters like this taking advantage of the war and in 1961 an individual like this would still have been memorable to cinema going audiences. As is usual in this film he is treated as the harmless crafty cockney (here also shown as coming from a poor not so loving working-class background). Needless to say that despite popular cultural representations of the spiv there is a dark sinister side to this kind of character and in On the Fiddle, behind the comedy there is revealed a darker side as we get to know those he is conning and sympathize with them. We want to give Horace the benefit of the doubt at times but struggle. Meanwhile, the simple Pascoe innocently goes along with it.

The film is in many ways a typical British film and in others an atypical film. Led by a couple of then unknowns, Lynch and Connery the film is peopled by some otherwise very familiar names and faces including: Stanley Holloway (My Fair Lady), Lance Percival (Carry On Crusing) in his film debut, Harold Goodwin, Kathleen Harrison, Wilfred Hyde-White (My Fair Lady), Victor Maddern, Eric Barker, Cecil Parker (The Ladykillers), Graham Stark, Patsy Rowlands (the Carry On films), John le Mesurier (Dad’s Army) and a young Barbara Windsor in one of her earliest films as a kittenish bar maid. It is not a laugh out funny film but is an interesting film with Lynch pulling the role off well. It’s hard to see Connery, good looking though he is becoming one of the biggest sex symbols of the 60s. Originally the film only had the most limited of releases in the US but was re-released in 1965 following the phenomenal success of the James Bond films (but was released as Operation Snafu); the US trailer highlights this, while the UK truly shows the funnier aspects of the film in a trailer resembles more of the soft core British comedies of the 70s in its saucy presentation. This could really be further from the truth. It’s hardly a life changing film but is none the less enjoyable stuff. However, the first time I saw it I must admit to not liking it, but on this occasion I liked it more and thought it a rather pleasant experience to lie on the sofa and let it role over me for an hour and a half.

Chris Hick

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