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I Was Monty's Double (21-Oct-1958)

Director: John Guillermin

Writer: Bryan Forbes

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

Keywords: Drama, WWII, Biography

NameOccupationBirthDeathKnown 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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