MovieChat Forums > Carry on Columbus (1992) Discussion > Good film, better than Emmanuelle and En...

Good film, better than Emmanuelle and England!

posted 21 years ago by noledge
17 replies | jump to latest

I know its not up to the standard of alot of the older films, but its miles ahead of Emmanuelle and England im my opinion. It also has some VERY funny lines, the best ever in any Carry On film in fact:

"Now Columbus. Father Torquemada has read your document"

"But its in Hebrew"

"Yes, well he had a Jewish grandmother didn't he?"

"At the seminary I attended it was compulsory"

"What you mean they all had Jewish grandmothers?"

Absolutely the best line in any Carry On film! Along with other good ones like:

"In gods name... Make it go!"

"Fine foods. Exotic women. Gay companions"

Yeah its not as good as the others and doesn't feel part of the series with so little of the original stars involved, but its good enough in parts and I hear tell that they are now making another film 'Carry On London' - bring it on!

[–] JK21 20 years ago

I love Rik Mayall's bit at the beginning of the film - simply GORGEOUS!!!

[–] cleo_X4 17 years ago

yup! Rik rocks!!!

[–] Bifrostedflake 19 years ago

I agree, Emmanuelle and England were both fairly poor. I maybe giggled once or twice, but not much laughing out loud. At least columbus made an effort.

[–] wendy-joy 19 years ago

Julian Clary stole the show. "I could do with something hot in me.... I'm as full as an egg!", "we've had a leak in the hold" and "you can come up my end". He was so sweet, he's always a pleasure to watch.

[–] chuffnobbler 18 years ago

Rik Mayall, as ever, knows no subtlety, and ruins his scenes. Julian Clary is glorious, and should have been retained in any later Carry Ons!

Much, much better than England and Emmannuelle. Some great jokes. Even Jack Douglas is good, which makes a pleasant change.

[–] [email protected] 18 years ago

I agree it was better than Emanuelle but not England. I don't understand why people slate England, it wasn't that different from the traditional carry on. Certainly an authentic carry on which Emmanuelle and Columbus are not.

But I do like Columbus - it's too vulgar and as a carry on it's dreadful, but as a film in its own right its very watchable, and I like it.

Julian Clary was wonderful and fit right in to a carry on, he was a perfect fit. None of the other newcomers were right, they all looked extremely out of place.

If Columbus hadn't been so vulgar it would be much better.

I don't understand why they didn't let Talbott Rothwell write the script. Then it would have been a real carry on.

They had plans in the 80s to make a carry on dallas or carry on neighbours (the dallas script was altered to be about Ramsay Street!) If only they had been produced!!!!!!!!!!!!

Also nice would have been a carry on set in a retirement home - then all of the original carry on team still alive could have taken part.

[–] stevendonoghue_49 18 years ago

I agree. England is not a carry on classic, but it's okay. It's very much of it's time, when there were the sex/farce comedy films like the confession series. Colombus was a good idea, to get the comic strip people involved (Richardson, Mayall, Planer, Allen, Sayle & Peacock), along with comics who were at their peak at this time (for example Clary, before he made his ill advidsed joke about Norman Lamont). Emmanuelle is the worst ever made, and it's a sad that this one has Williams in it.

[–] clive-ihd 17 years ago

Talbott Rothwell died years before Carry On Columbus

[–] clangfield 18 years ago

If you think those are the best lines, I doubt you have seen the whole series. Surely nothing matches Cleo - not just the "infamy!" line, but the "Friends, Romans" "Countrymen" "I know!" is so well delivered. I'd also nominate from Carry On Girls:
"Our rainfall is only an average one"
"If you think nine inches is an average one, you've been spoiled".

and the exchange from Up the Khyber which ends with "And, up yours".

Taken in the context of the time, superb stuff.

My major criticism of Columbus is the rehashing of old jokes - among them, the messenger who arrives hotfoot (used in Cleo) and "my brother - the count", delivered far better by Joan Sims in Don't Lose Your Head, than Maureen Lipman this time round.
I agree that Emanuelle and England are bad, and one feels almost embarrassed for the stalwarts who were involved. England in particular was an obvious attempt to move to the next generation which failed, because that kind of humour was no longer necessary.
I'd also add that Carry On Dick, apart from the opportunity to see Bernard Bresslaw doing some of his best work, was pretty poor.

[–] clive-ihd 17 years ago

Carry on Columbus is certainly better than Carry On England and Carry on Emmanuelle which have more in common with unfunny American comedies.

It's better than many of the Carry Ons of the seventies, for example it's much better than the dreadful Carry On Dick. (The Carry On series went on too long.)

It was a brave attempt to emmulate the middle period Carry Ons like Carry On Cleo, and with two straight film versions of Columbus there had to be a parody. But a Carry On without Kenneth Williams wasn't it.

[–] madpip 17 years ago

dont forget the great sid james.

[–] cleo_X4 16 years ago

it was great, but i also like England! it was funny especially when Kenneth Connor took a shower, and they switched his soap, so he had a blue face! i didnt like Emanuelle that much

[–] moorje 15 years ago

I don't get why there is so much hatred for this film. There are some genuinely funny moments and some genuine 'Carry On' moments too. There are even gags directly stolen from previous Carry On films.
I'd say this was much better than Regardless, Jack, Follow That Camel, England and Emmannuelle.

[–] ILASK 14 years ago

My goodness you don't think they'd eat me (w)hole?
-No, I'm told they spit that out...

[–] chuffnobbler 14 years ago

The "eat me whole" scene is brilliantly done. For once, Jack Douglas doesn't go OTT, and they manage to sneak in the filthiest joke of any Carry On while making it just seem "cheeky".

[–] richard.fuller1 12 years ago

I sat and watched this last night and it watched differently for some reason, but there was an honest, sincere chuckle in there somewhere, can't recall where now.

I liked the theme.

I havent seen Emmanuelle or England, but they must be awful if this is bad.

Camping, Teacher, Constable, some of my faves.

[–] louiseculmer 8 years ago

i agree. it has some funny bits, and it is certsinly better than England or Emmanuelle, both of which were dire. And it was nice to see Leslie Phillips and June Whitfield together again.