''Rotten to the Core'' is a 1965 black and white British comedy film directed by John Boulting, and co-written and produced by his brother Roy Boulting. It stars Anton Rodgers,

Charlotte Rampling Tessa Charlotte Rampling (born 5 February 1946) is an English actress, known for her work in European arthouse films in English, French, and Italian. An icon of the Swinging Sixties, she began her career as a model. She was cast in the role ...

, Eric Sykes and Ian Bannen. The film received a BAFTA nomination for Alex Vetchinsky's production design. It was Charlotte Rampling's first credited role and she plays the main female lead. The principal comedy sections are supplied by Eric Sykes in various guises as an undercover policeman.

Plot

Upon finishing a prison sentence, a trio of crooks go in search of their one-time leader, known as "The Duke", who was supposed to safeguard their share of the money which was never recovered. However, the Duke's girlfriend Sara tells them the Duke is dead and the money is long gone. Later, the gang discover that she's lying, and that the Duke has set up a spa, the Hope Springs Nature Clinic, as a front. The Duke is planning a major heist with some criminal cronies. The complex plot involves the police, the

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, officers of the German army and a complicated deception by means of rail, with real German army officers being tricked into getting off the train one stop early, to be replaced by criminals in their guise. Leading the army group is Lt Vine who is successfully deceived by the whole affair (aided by Sara feeding him false information) and he has to bear the brunt of the blame.

Cast

* Anton Rodgers as the Duke *

as Sara Capell * Eric Sykes as William Hunt * Ian Bannen as Lt. Percy Vine * Thorley Walters as Chief Constable Preston *

Peter Vaughan Peter Vaughan (born Peter Ewart Ohm; 4 April 1923 – 6 December 2016) was an English character actor known for many supporting roles in British film and television productions. He also acted extensively on the stage. He is perhaps best known ...

as Sir Henry Capell *

Dudley Sutton Dudley Sutton (6 April 1933 – 15 September 2018) was an English actor. Active in radio, stage, film and television, he was arguably best known for his role of Tinker Dill in the BBC Television drama series '' Lovejoy''. Early life Sutton w ...

as Jelly * Kenneth Griffith as Lenny the Dip *James Beckett as Scapa Flood * Victor Maddern as Anxious O'Toole * Avis Bunnage as Countess de Wett * Frank Jarvis as Moby * Raymond Huntley as Prison Governor * Dandy Nichols as Woman in Cemetery

Production

The film was based on an original idea by Roy Boulting which he gained, he told ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'', when recuperating from a broken neck in 1964. "Call it a cynical comment on organised thievery today," he said. Filming began in February 1965 at

Shepperton Studios Shepperton Studios is a film studio located in Shepperton, Surrey, England, with a history dating back to 1931. It is now part of the Pinewood Studios Group. During its early existence, the studio was branded as Sound City (not to be confused ...

Critical reception

*''

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'' wrote the film had "some mildly funny moments, but most of the jokes are laboriously set up and loudly telegraphed." *'' Variety'' wrote Anton Rodgers "shows versatility in four or five characterizations...(But) the Boulting Brothers' knives are less sharp than customary." The film features Charlotte Rampling's first credited performance.

References

External links

British comedy films British heist films 1965 films Films directed by John Boulting 1965 comedy films 1960s English-language films 1960s British films {{1960s-UK-comedy-film-stub