Spikeopath The 24th film in the Carry On series finds the cast partaking in a package holiday to Els Bels. Once arriving they find their hotel still under construction and nobody much likes the company they are in!This is actually one film that boasted the most regular Carry On cast members, which carries the pic up above and through some choppy waters. Leaning heavily towards the more bawdy side of the franchise, it obviously couldn't appeal to everyone. The 1970s in Britain was becoming a place of decadent sexuality and the makers are earnest in their attempts to capture the zeitgeist of the time, whilst of course being aware of the more openly sexual nature of some other comedy films of the era.This is great fun, an absolute ramshackle holiday experience, the very definition of a cheap deal that WAS too good to be true. The makers indulge us purposely with stereotypes, the Brits abroad crassness, the bad food and excessive drinking, the undersexed and the oversexed clientèle, bad weather, nudity, a raucous set-to at a red light establishment, sexual stimulants and on it goes.Cast are great, reliable sorts with such cheeky material to work from, with Peter Buterworth taking the leading honours as the hotel manager trying to convince everyone this hotel from hell is a paradise! The double entendre's flow, the chaotic scenes stack up, the corn is well and truly laid on a plate, suffice to say this is not about pathos or intelligent meanings.The finale is two-fold and great for fans, the drunken party on the last night at the hotel literally is crash bang and wallop, while the collective character closure at Sid and Joan's English bar has a warmness to it that fans can relate to. Charles Hawtrey, the skeleton on legs, left the series here, playing an alcoholic rogue, the makers accepting his real life issues and incorporating it into his farewell performance. 7/10

petersj-2 I generally loved the Carry on movies but this one is actually pretty awful. There are very few laughs because the whole thing is so forced.There is plenty of talent on the screen and some come off better than others. June Whitfield, Kenneth Williams, Hatti Jaques and Peter Butterworth are fine but Barbara Windsor looks tired and Sid James is just tacky. Joan Sims comes off well but in the case of the usually wonderful Charles Hawtrey its just plain sad. When you think of the sad end to his career the movie is almost too depressing to watch. The homophobia of the movie is nasty and its a very unpleasant experience. The set looks cheap and unlike other movies in the series the movie is very clearly set in England. The sea side looks cold and there is little attempt to create any illusions here. It looks like a cheap production. You will be surprised at how miserable you become watching this especially if you loved the series.

crossbow0106 This is a fun farce from the Carry On crowd. In this film, the group go on holiday to a place called Elsbels. The resort they stay in, The Palace Hotel, is not quite finished, which is part of the fun. There are shared baths (literally) and strange things happen when you turn on the faucet etc. So, the film relies on sight gags, double entendres and one liners and guess what? It succeeds. The young ladies in this film look great, like Sally Geeson, Gail Grainger and the bubbly, buxom Barbara Windsor. The men, who are lechers, repressed, undersexed (and so on) are fun to watch also. The movie is politically incorrect, which given the time makes sense, but its refreshing to watch today because of it. If you've seen other Carry On films, you know what you're getting. With the ladies here, you're seeing a bit more than usual. This is a consistently fun film, so enjoy.

ianlouisiana There are many,many gags in "Carry on Abroad".Some of them,even 35 years later,are very funny,others perhaps ugly,even hurtful to an audience to whom the Music Hall tradition is lost in the mists of time. Mr Jimmy Logan - a brilliant Scottish Comic on the stage - seems almost barbaric,a genuine unregenerate throwback to the worst kind of leering,bottom - pinching,wandering - hands,bottom of the bill low comedian from the seediest of "Lost Empires".Compared to Mr Logan,Sid James comes on like Hugh Grant.You don't have to be a feminist to feel uncomfortable about Mr Logan's performance,but he might complain - like Gloria Swanson - that it's the movies that have got smaller. Contrast that with the defiant and rather poignant portrayal by Miss Joan Sims as Sid James' long - suffering wife.As in "Carry on Doctor",Miss Sims confounds our expectations with a performance of subtlety and depth that would not seem out of place in a 40s Ealing comedy. Charles Hawtrey - in his last "Carry on" - is like a man on Speed; once away from the baleful influence of his mother his behaviour is almost demented.It is a most uncharacteristic turn. As is usual in "Carry ons",the overt sexism is expiated by the eventual triumph of the Female,as nearly all the men are in thrall to women in one way or the other. I must make a special mention of the wonderful Miss June Whitfield. Nearly sixty years of brilliant comedy on wireless,TV and movies,and she shows no sign of slowing down.Although hardly a sex symbol,here she is very winsome as the unfortunate repressed wife of a rampant Kenneth Connor who rediscovers herself in the arms of a not - very - Spanish Ray Brooks. Peter Butterworth,a favourite of mine since his days on children's' television in the early 1950s,is pleasingly manic as the hotel proprietor,although Miss Hattie Jacques' eccentric talents are wasted as his very peculiar wife. The incomparable Miss Barbara Windsor does so well what she does best,and if,as alleged,Sid James was infatuated with her,one could hardly blame him. The "Carry ons" blew hot and cold over the years,but along with "Carry on Dick","Abroad" is one of the last of the good ones.