Rising Damp

1980
6.2| 1h38m| NA| en| More Info
Released: 03 May 1980 Released
Producted By: Black Lion Films
Country:
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
Official Website:
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Stingy landlord Rigsby manages to scam his lodgers John, an art student, and Philip, an African medical student, making both pay for a room they must share. However Rigsby's favorite lodger, Miss Jones, flirts with Philip rather than him, despite his pitiful attempts at seduction.

Genre

Comedy

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Director

Joseph McGrath

Production Companies

Black Lion Films

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Rising Damp Audience Reviews

Solemplex To me, this movie is perfection.
Chirphymium It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional
Adeel Hail Unshakable, witty and deeply felt, the film will be paying emotional dividends for a long, long time.
Juana what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.
Leofwine_draca RISING DAMP is another big screen adaptation of a popular British TV series from the 1970s. Inevitably this makes it feel like an extended version of a random episode from the show, or perhaps like watching three back-to-back. There are two main problems with this film: the first is that the best jokes have been copied from the TV series, and the second is that Richard Beckinsale had died, and Christopher Strauli is a poor imitator by comparison.That RISING DAMP is still funny lies in the talent of Leonard Rossiter to make his Rigsby such an engaging character, even though you'd hate him if any other actor played him. Rossiter's quick wits keep him a lively and entertaining presence, and his repartee with a spirited Don Warrington, although a little politically incorrect these days, is still highly amusing. Frances De La Tour carries on her tradition of being amusingly scatty, and Denholm Elliott appears in a sub-plot to draw in audiences. The end result is middling, but watchable for fans of British comedy.
matthew-58 According to dai-tyler from Staffordshire, I am not qualified to comment on this film because I didn't see it the first time round. Well, I'm going to ignore that because I think dai is ignoring the fundamental criticism people are making of this film. We are not saying the television series wasn't brilliant, it was absolutely brilliant. We are not saying the performances of the actors are inadequate, they are certainly anything but. The fact is that this film is an almost complete rehash of the same jokes and scenes that were used in the TV series. I would rather watch the TV series any day. I can only assume from his comments that dai never saw the TV series that spawned the film, because the original vintage was so much better.Watching the film, I feel rather sorry for the great Leonard Rossiter and Frances de la Tour, as they really deserved more from this script than the same scenes they had played in the TV series. The best thing about the film is Denholm Elliott playing the part Henry McGee played in the TV series, only Elliott gives a more credible performance than McGee. Not for the first time in his acting career, nor the last, Elliott arrives in a supporting role and becomes the best reason to watch.
Chris Mooney (dhsb58) This film derives from a Long Running ITV sitcom by the same name.The Sitcom lasted for half a decade roughly and brought to our screens Rigsby,Phillip,Alan,Mrs Jones & Vienna.Then in 1980 The film version hit the Cinemas.Now when it did,sadly Richard Beckinsale had passed away & was replaced by Only when i laugh actor Chris Strauli.I myself felt this gave the film a different feel.I would have preferred if it wasn't shot as Richard was a key character.Thats like having the porridge film without Godber or Mackay!The Film did have some classics moments definitely but it felt a bit De-Ja-Vu! Many parts were seen before in the TV Series. Now if you saw the movie first rather than the Series you would get a different feeling about it then the series fan!Saying that Leonard is definitely on top form and makes the movie,just like in the TV series.The Film has recently had a new lease of life on DVD and is usually on Terrestrial over a quiet weekend.It is a cracking good film,but for Rigsby fans you may feel that youv'e seen it similarly before.Saying that though its worth a buying/watching7.8/10
bob the moo Rigsby rents rooms in his house to Miss Jones and African chief Philip. When a room becomes available in his house he gets art student Alan to share Philip's room. This causes tension in the house as Rigsby continues to compete for Miss Jones' affections. When they see Philip on the rugby field a fitness craze goes through the house leading to a boxing match between Rigsby and Philip. With Philip and Alan sharing the upper room Rigsby rents the middle room out to English gentleman Seymour who may or may not be who he claims, leading to more tension as Miss Jones begins to fall under Seymour's spell.This is essentially three episodes worth of stories rolled into a film - the first episode is the new tenant moving into the house, the second episode is the all the fitness thing leading to the boxing match, the third episode is the Seymour incident. In fact each lasts about 30 minutes, although they are nicely rolled into each other so it's not as clear cut as three separate strands. The stories are about as good as the TV show was - so if you like that then you'll probably like this. The best bit is really the final 30 minutes due to Denholm Elliott's presence but there is 1970's style fun to be had with the other sections.From the horribly disco theme song, you know where you are - happily the racist jokes aren't as bad as other 70's sitcoms but it's still there. It's not too offensive because Philip is allowed to rise above the stereotypes and only Rigsby is the one who makes the jokes (and he's made to look stupid and backward). It's not really funny but it's quite amusing. The saving grace is Rossiter as Rigsby - he really is so good in the role to the extent that he rises above the material and makes it better than it is. De la Tour is also good in her well rehearsed role and Don Warrington brings a lot of dignity to the black character who could easily just have been a punching bag for racist jokes. "Only When I Laugh's" Christopher Strauli makes a good addition to the house and Elliot brings a great deal of class to what is essentially a sitcom.Overall this isn't fantastic but it's amusing and entertaining. It does feel like three episodes rolled together but if you're a fan of the series then I guess that's not necessarily a bad thing.