The Rebel (1961) | Rotten Tomatoes (2024)

Audience Reviews

Audience Member Amusing, if I remember correctly, bohemian-esque! Rated 3.5/5 Stars • Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/10/23 Full Review Audience Member Essentially an episode of Hancock spread over 1 hr 45 instead of 30 minutes, but fun enough nonetheless. There's some good comedy to be had at the expense of pretentious 60s artists, though it's no Blood Donor. Rated 2.5/5 Stars • Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 02/23/23 Full Review Audience Member They all give it a go at some time or another - TV comedians moving into films that is, or at least trying to move into films. It usually doesn’t work out too well, The greats (when great meant great) like Morcambe and Wise and even Peter Cook and Dudley Moore just couldn’t seem to transfer the impact of their TV personas onto the silver screen - the success rate still is low. Even Tony Hancock had a bash twice, firstly with The Rebel which sees the lad himself as a disgruntled office worker who packs it all in to throw his weight behind his painting and sculpture and become recognised as the artist that he believes himself to be. Naturally things don't go according to plan.The film starts off well, very well infact with some excellent set pieces and cameos by Hancocks Half Hour regulars John LeMesurier, Mario Fabrizi and Mrs. Crevatte (Irene Handl in this case) but it’s once the writers leave the familiar shores of England (literally in this case) that the film begins to lose something. The pace slows, the set pieces seem deliberately set up, the characters appear one dimensional - his room mate Paul is utterly wooden - staring fecklessly off camera in every scene and the whole film becomes over long. Through out this Tony Hancock continues to come up with a sterling performance but it seem lost and out of place - he is still playing Anthony Aloysius St John Hancock of 23 Railway Cuttings, East Cheam; which is all well and good - he was Britain’s most loved TV character but that is just what he was - a TV character, and in the 1 hour and 40 minutes of The Rebel he just too big to fit in. That is not to say that there are not some very funny moments and one liners - because there are, lots of them (a lot more than the far superior Punch and Judy Man) but they are rendered less so by plodding pace and occasionally awful technical gaffs and bad edits that sometimes do jump out at the viewer (my copy must include a thoughtlessly excised shot that renders the illusion of the actors crossing the line of action).Perhaps I’m biased in my criticism. I love Tony Hancock and I came to this film with high expectations from Ray Galton and Alan Simpson’s (Hancock’s Half Hour and Steptoe and Son) writing but I was left feeling disappointed by the under exploited potential that there was for this film. Two years later Tony Hancock would star in Punch and Judy Man and that would prove to be a whole different story. Rated 2/5 Stars • Rated 2 out of 5 stars 02/01/23 Full Review Audience Member Stone me - more people need to see this film! Rated 4/5 Stars • Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/14/23 Full Review Audience Member i was thinking of this when i saw 'Revolver'.. Rated 5/5 Stars • Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/16/23 Full Review Audience Member I absolutely love this. Tony Hancock as a startlingly untalented artist who quits his office job in London to go to Paris and make his fortune. Mistaken for a genius when his friend's pictures are thought to be his, much hilarity ensues. I wish they'd bring out a print of "The Foot". I'd buy it!! Rated 4.5/5 Stars • Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 02/24/23 Full Review Read all reviews

The Rebel

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