Film / Dad's Army (1971)

The war took six of the best years of the lives of millions. Now you know why.

Warden Hodges: Who do you think you are?

Captain Mainwaring: We're the Local Defense Volunteers, and I'm their appointed commander, Captain Mainwaring, and I must ask you to keep your hands off my Privates.

— Captain George Mainwaring clashing with Warden William Hodges.

Dad's Army is a 1971 film and the first film spin-off of Dad's Army. It stars Arthur Lowe, John Le Mesurier, Clive Dunn, John Laurie, James Beck, Arnold Ridley, Ian Lavender, and Liz Fraser.

The film shows the formation of the Walmington-on-Sea Home Guard as led by Captain George Mainwaring (Lowe) and his second and third-in-command Sergeant Arthur Wilson (Le Mesurier), and Lance Corporal Jack Jones (Dunn). The Privates include James Frazer (Laurie), Joe Walker (Beck), Charles Godfrey (Ridley), and Frank Pike (Lavender), whose mother, Mavis (Fraser), is having an affair with Sergeant Wilson. Opposing Captain Mainwaring's leadership are Major-General Fullard (Bernard Archard), who distrusts him after an incident where he refused to cash one of his checks, and ARP Warden William Hodges (Bill Pertwee), who sees him and his men as a nuisance.

The Local Defense Volunteers then go through a disastrous training weekend where Captain Mainwaring and Lance Corporal Jones destroy loads of kits and tents with a steamroller, and Major-General Fullard and his horse are sent floating down the river when a pontoon bridge is tampered with during a maneuver, but in the end, Hilarity Ensues as they manage to prove themselves as heroes after a Nazi plane is shot down over Walmington and the Germans inside take hostages (including Reverend Timothy Farthing (Frank Williams), The Vicar; and Maurice Yeatman (Edward Sinclair), the Verger) inside the church hall.

A sequel entitled Dad's Army and the Secret U-Boat Base was hoped to follow, but nothing ever came of it. In 2016, a second film was released with an all-new All-Star Cast, and the only surviving cast members Ian Lavender (in a Remake Cameo as Brigadier Pritchard) and Frank Williams (once more playing the Vicar).

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Dad's Tropes:

• Adapted Out: Private Bracewell is absent from the parts of the film adapted from "The Man and the Hour". Justified Trope seeing as the character was Dropped After the Pilot in the series.
• Affectionate Nickname: Lance Corporal Jones calls Pike "Pikey".
• Alliterative Name: The Vicar holds a meeting in the church hall to discuss the upcoming War Weapons Week.
• All There in the Script: The script reveals that Sergeant Major Dawkins' full title is "Regimental Sergeant Major".
• Anachronism Stew:
  • At the meeting in the church hall, Godfrey gives Mr. Mainwaring a message from his wife to bring home a pound of Brussels sprouts. However, the meeting started at 6 pm, the time shops would've closed in The '40s.
  • Four modern (by '70s standards) cars can be spotted at the roadblock.
• Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking: At the end of the training weekend, General Fullard chews out Captain Mainwaring for turning up late, several counts of damage to army property, nearly causing him and his horse to drown... and for not cashing his check six months ago.
• Artistic License – Geography: The opening scene acts as if Britain can be seen through a pair of binoculars from France, despite the fact the two countries are 21 miles apart and the binoculars of the time wouldn't have been able to see a distance of that length.
• Artistic License – History:
  • Adolf Hitler never planned to invade Britain after France, and in reality, would've been preparing for Operation Barbarossa.
  • Wilson's newspaper dated the 3rd of May 1940 has the headline of the newspaper printed on the 31st of May in real life.
  • Mr. Mainwaring, Wilson, and Pike hear Anthony Eden's announcement of the forming of the Local Defense Volunteers in the middle of the day, despite the fact that his broadcast actually happened in the evening.
• Ash Face: When the barn the Local Defense Volunteers are in is hit by Lance Corporal Jones' anti-bomber rocket, none of the men are hurt, but all of them are covered in ash and soot.
• Ass Shove: As the Home Guard make their way into the Nazi-occupied church hall disguised as choir singers and singing "All Things Bright and Beautiful", Lance Corporal Jones sings about how he'll stick his bayonet up one of the Nazi's bums.
• Backported Development: As the TV series progressed, Warden Hodges became the Chief ARP Warden, Private Frazer went from running a philatelists shop to being an undertaker, and The Vicar and the Verger were gradually established as characters. In the film, all of these elements are present from the start.
• Badass Boast: When he and the Nazi photographer both have guns trained on each other, Captain Mainwaring warns him that if he is shot, there are seven men to take his place.
• Bad Habits:
  • According to Mr. Mainwaring, German spies have begun to disguise themselves as nuns:
    Mr. Mainwaring: For all I know, you might be a German spy.
    General Fullard: Oh, rubbish.
    Mr. Mainwaring: It is not rubbish, sir. They're being dropped all over the continent, by parachute. Some of them are even disguised as nuns.
    General Fullard: Are you mad? Do I look like a nun?
  • The Home Guard disguise themselves as choir singers long enough to catch the Nazis off guard, reveal their weapons, and save all their hostages.
• Bathroom Breakout: When the three Nazis hold everyone at the meeting in the church hall hostage, Warden Hodges escapes through the bathroom window, much to the bemusement of the Verger.
• Big Damn Heroes: When the three Nazis have the church hall held hostage and are threatening to shoot The Vicar, Captain Mainwaring and his platoon bravely disguise themselves as choir singers to sneak in and disarm the Nazis:
  Captain Mainwaring: If you shoot me, there are seven men to take my place.
• Big Damn Movie: The film has higher stakes than the series had at that point, with Nazis invading Walmington in the climax.
• Borrowed Catchphrase: When General Fullard gives the order to enter the church hall to see what has happened to the Nazis inside, the Staff Captain asks him "Do you think that's wise, sir?" in the same way Sergeant Wilson frequently asks Captain Mainwaring.
• Brick Joke: When General Fullard chews out Captain Mainwaring at the end of the training weekend, one of the things he gives him grief for is not cashing his check... at the beginning of the film, six months ago.
• Canon Foreigner: The film has a character called General Wilkinson not seen in the original series who exists only to fill in for Private Godfrey in scenes adapted from "The Man and the Hour" due to some Early-Installment Weirdness in the Pilot regarding Private Godfrey not being the Actual Pacifist he became in later episodes.
• Composite Character: When Captain Mainwaring first inspects his platoon in "The Man and the Hour", one of them is Private Bracewell, a man in a tuxedo carrying a golf club and talking about dinner reservations. In the film's adaptation of this scene, he has been replaced with Private Godfrey, whose original role (having the only gun in the platoon and refusing to give it up) was given to General Wilkinson, as Private Godfrey's characterisation had marched on by this point in the franchise to an Actual Pacifist who wouldn't want to keep a gun of his own.
• Covered in Gunge: Private Frazer's anti-vehicle device intended to pour oil on the road to slip up invading German vehicles ends up covering Lance Corporal Jones in oil.
• Curse Cut Short: When the platoon, disguised as choir singers, sing a version of "All Things Bright and Beautiful" that outlines their plans to stop the three Nazis:
  Captain Mainwaring: Frazer stand behind him-
  Sergeant Wilson: And I will get his gun-
  Lance Corporal Jones: And I will take my bayonet, and stick it up his-
  Nazi Photographer: Halt!
• Delayed Reaction: When Mr. Mainwaring and Wilson are discussing the German invasion of Holland:
  Mr. Mainwaring: I could've sworn they would never break through the Maginot Line.
  Wilson: Quite right, sir. They didn't.
  Mr. Mainwaring: Aha. I thought not. I'm a pretty good judge of these matters, you know, Wilson.
  Wilson: They went round the side.
  Mr. Mainwaring: I see. (Beat) They what?
• Determinator: Captain Mainwaring may be a pompous blowhard, but he truly wants nothing more than to keep England free from German control, even if it means his own life will be endangered:
  Captain Mainwaring: It's a beautiful land, Wilson. They're not going to get it, you know. They're not going to get their hands on it. We shall fight till the last. We shall keep firing until we've only got one round each. We shall save that for ourselves.
• Didn't Think This Through: When Lance Corporal Jones shows the platoon his improvised anti-bomber rocket, Captain Mainwaring gladly fires it to test it out. It's only once the rocket begins hurtling back to earth that they all realise what a mistake they've made, and the rocket ends up setting a barn on fire.
• Disguised in Drag: Mr. Mainwaring claims that German spies disguise themselves as nuns once they parachute into England.
• Distressed Dude: The three Nazis who parachute into Walmington-on-Sea hold everyone at the church hall meeting hostage, including the Mayor, The Vicar, and the Verger.
• The Dreaded: Captain Mainwaring is seen as one by General Fullard, who knows him only as "that damned bank clerk" and seems to always catch him after he's done something incredibly stupid on accident, such as covering a road with oil or destroying a line of Home Guard kits with a steamroller.
• Dressing as the Enemy: The newspaper that Wilson shows Mr. Mainwaring reveals that German troops are being parachuted into Britain disguised as British troops.
• Drill Sergeant Nasty: General Fullard has no time for Captain Mainwaring or his troops and finds any excuse to bark at them.
• Driven to Suicide: Captain Mainwaring tells Sergeant Wilson that when the Germans invade England, they will stand strong and shall keep firing at them until they only have one round left each. They will save that for themselves.
• Fauxreigner: German spies have been disguising themselves as British nuns and soldiers in order to avoid detection.
• Harmless Lady Disguise: Mr. Mainwaring tells General Fullard that German spies are disguising themselves as nuns to avoid suspicion.
• Immediate Self-Contradiction: Just as Mr. Jones tells Mr. Mainwaring that there's nothing wrong with his eyes, he walks into a bike parked in front of him.
• Insistent Terminology: Frazer insists he isn't an undertaker, but rather a funeral director.
• It Works Better with Bullets: In the climax, Captain Mainwaring and the Nazi photographer have a standdown with revolvers, ending with the rest of the platoon revealing their guns and the Nazis surrendering. Captain Mainwaring later discusses this act of bravery with Sergeant Wilson:
  Sergeant Wilson: Did you know that German's gun was empty after all?
  Captain Mainwaring: Comes to that, Wilson, so was mine.
• It's Raining Men: Three Nazis are forced to bail out of their aircraft via parachute after it is shot down, resulting in the trio landing in Walmington-on-Sea and taking over the church hall.
• Know When to Fold 'Em: When Captain Mainwaring and his men all aim guns in at the Nazis who have taken over the church hall, they know they won't make it out alive if they start shooting and surrender to the Home Guard.
• Lampshade Hanging: When Captain Mainwaring tells his men that they are now to be known as the Home Guard, he remarks that Jerry will never catch them with their trousers down. This line pokes fun at the fact that Arthur Lowe had a clause in his contract that he was never to appear on camera without his trousers on, and why he was absent from the longjohns march scene directly before his comment.
• The Movie: This was the first film spin-off of Dad's Army.
• Musicalis Interruptus: To rescue the hostages in the church hall, the platoon disguises themselves as choir singers and sings a parody of "All Things Bright and Beautiful". Lance Corporal Jones gets cut off by one of the Nazis before he can sing just where he'll stick his bayonet.
• The Name Is Bond, James Bond: How Godfrey introduces himself:
  Mr. Mainwaring: What's your name?
  Godfrey: Er, "Godfrey". Charles Godfrey.
• Nature Tinkling: The topic is brought up when Private Godfrey brings up an issue with patrolling the woods:
  Private Godfrey: I-it's a little awkward if I patrol the woods, Mr. Jones. You see, there-there are no conveniences there.
  Private Walker: No, but there's plenty of trees, though, ain't there?
• Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: Just as General Fullard explains that army equipment is in extremely short supply, Captain Mainwaring and Lance Corporal Jones turn up in a steamroller and accidentally flatten everything.
• No Full Name Given:
  • We don't get to find out Major-General Fullard, Sergeant Major Dawkins, General Wilkinson, Franz, Lieutenant Short, Captain Crisp, Inspector Hardcastle, Mrs. Hall, Private Lesley, Private Hastings, Private Hancock, or Councillor Mrs. Haines' first names.
  • The same can be said for Elliot, Raymond, and Fred's surnames.
• Non-Fatal Explosions: All the Local Defense Volunteers hide inside a barn to shelter from Lance Corporal Jones' anti-bomber rocket. The rocket ends up hurtling into the barn, yet the platoon is unharmed (although with tattered clothes and Ash Faces).
• Once Done, Never Forgotten: Even months after it happens, Major-General Fullard won't forget how Captain Mainwaring refused to cash his cheque and so calls him "that damned bank clerk".
• Plot Hole:
  • The film opens on the 14th of May, yet Wilson buys a newspaper dated to the 3rd.
  • Mr. Mainwaring is annoyed that the radio at Elliot's radio store doesn't turn on immediately and has to warm up first, despite this being normal for radios in The '40s.
  • Mr. Mainwaring somehow knows very few of the members of his platoon, despite Walmington-on-Sea being a fairly small town.
  • Mr. Jones' van has flaps for the Local Defense Volunteers' guns to poke through even before the platoon receives their rifles.
  • All three Nazis manage to parachute out of their plane when one of them shouldn't have made it out as in real life, it was standard Luftwaffe practice for navigator's parachute strings to be cut so they couldn't give away secrets if captured.
  • The Nazi pilot is somehow able to pronounce a "W" like an Englishman could, despite the fact a German accent should pronounce a "W" as a "V".
• Potty Emergency:
  • As all the men at the police station try to be the first to sign up for the LDV, Godfrey is more concerned about finding a convenience.
  • Later on, when Private Godfrey is patrolling the woods, it begins to pour down and he has to try and think of poems to take his mind off the urge to go.
• Relatively Flimsy Excuse: Private Walker lies to Private Pike that his girlfriend is actually his sick mother who he needs to take care of, so he can shag her on duty without anyone catching on.
• Running Gag: Whenever Major-General Fullard sees Captain Mainwaring in the middle of his latest mishap, he remarks, "It's that damned bank clerk".
• Senior Sleep-Cycle: General Wilkinson is fast asleep in a chair when the Local Defense Volunteers believe that the Germans have begun the invasion, allowing Sergeant Wilson to take his gun for Captain Mainwaring to use.
• Shout-Out: When the Home Guard enters the crypt, Private Pike remarks how it reminds him of the film Dracula (1931).
• Spit Take: When Private Pike mentions that Sergeant Wilson's bed hardly looked slept in last night, he spits the tea he was drinking back into his cup, worried that Private Pike may catch on to the fact that he is having an affair with his mother.
• Stock Footage: All the shots of Nazi planes were taken from Battle of Britain.
• Tagline: "At last! Their epic story invades the Big Screen!".
• Tempting Fate:
  • When Captain Mainwaring tells him that his anti-vehicle device is leaking oil, Private Frazer remarks that a wee drop won't hurt anybody. Right after this, Lance Corporal Jones moves over to the rest of the men to await General Fullard's staff car, only to slip on the oil and set off the machine, which sprays oil all over the road and nearly causes General Fullard to have a nasty accident.
  • General Fullard tells all the Home Guard platoons that equipment is in short supply, so he wants everyone to take great care of it. Whatever should happen next but for Captain Mainwaring and Lance Corporal Jones to flatten 100 sets laid out with a steamroller.
• That Came Out Wrong: When Warden Hodges grills Captain Mainwaring over the roadblock and starts pushing past his men, Captain Mainwaring tells him to keep his hands off his Privates.
• Trrrilling Rrrs: Frazer does so when telling Mr. Mainwaring of his time in the Rrroyal Navy.
• Undercrank: Some of the shots of the out-of-control steamroller are sped up to increase the urgency.
• Verbal Backspace: When Lance Corporal Jones sees the planes at the beginning of the air raid:
  Lance Corporal Jones: There go our brave boys. Well done, lads. Give 'em Hell! Ha-ha-hah, ohh.
  Mrs. Hall: They're not ours. They're Nazis.
  Lance Corporal Jones: Rotten swines!
• V-Sign: A woman gives one of celebration to Captain Mainwaring after his and his men's heroics stopped the Nazis who took over the church hall.
• What Happened to the Mouse?: Captain Mainwaring is conspicuously absent from the scene where the Local Defense Volunteers march in their longjohns. This was because Arthur Lowe had a clause in his contract that he was never to appear on camera without his trousers.

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