Two-Way Stretch (Blu-ray Review)
- Review Date: Mar 14, 2025
- Format: Blu-ray Disc
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Director
Robert DayRelease Date(s)
1960 (March 11, 2025)Studio(s)
British Lion Films (Kino Lorber Studio Classics)- Film/Program Grade: A
- Video Grade: B+
- Audio Grade: A
- Extras Grade: B
Review
Heist caper films intrigue audiences with their methodical planning, amassing information, long hours observing the target, and split-second timing. In Two-Way Stretch, the caper film is taken to comic heights.
Three Cockney pals are serving a three-year prison term for robbery. The criminal mastermind is Dodger Lane (Peter Sellers, The Ladykillers) and his accomplices are Jelly Knight (David Lodge, I’m All Right Jack) and Lenny Price (Bernard Cribbins, The Mouse on the Moon). Because of the progressive policies of the warden (Maurice Denham, Sink the Bismarck!) and Chief Police Officer Jenkins (George Woodbridge, Jack the Ripper), there’s a relaxation of disciplinary policies. In fact, the three convicts have been made trustees and enjoy unusual privileges, including fresh milk delivery, an unlocked cell door, and a pet cat.
With just days before their release, the friends receive a visit from co-conspirator Soapy Stevens (Wilfred Hyde White, My Fair Lady), pretending to be their minister. Left alone with them for a “private counseling session” to prepare them for life on the strait and narrow, the ostensible minister has something rather different in mind. He suggests that the trio sneak out of jail the night before their imminent parole to rob a collection of valuable diamonds to be transported by the army through London, then sneak back into prison the same night for a perfect alibi the following morning.
Dodger devises a plan and the trio’s preparations all go smoothly until an unexpected wrinkle occurs. The congenial Jenkins retires. The new Chief Police Officer, Crout (Lionel Jeffries, Camelot), is an officious bureaucrat and rigid disciplinarian. He’s also familiar with the trio’s past criminal record and the cushy life they’ve had in this prison, and is intent on cracking down on them. Because of Crout’s eagle eye, the heist plan is threatened.
The ensemble of Sellers, Lodge, and Cribbins is comic magic. They’re completely comfortable with each other, their performances are natural, and they never overdo the gags, allowing them to land consistently. The dialogue is funny and the comedy relies on characters and situations rather than on a series of one-liners. The British style of comedy at the time was more subtle than that of American comedies, so the pacing and timing may take a bit of time to get used to. The three “convicts” are laid back, calm, and methodical, yet manage to convey silliness as well.
Wilfrid Hyde White provides considerable laughs as he assumes a number of roles to facilitate the robbery plan. Elegant in appearance, with an upper class demeanor, he easily fools the prison officials into granting him private counseling time with his “parishioners”—actually vital planning sessions.
The film’s undisputed scene-stealer is Jeffries as the harsh Crout. A classic comic villain, Crout is the butt of slapstick and assorted sight gags that considerably diminish his stature, and Jeffries is expert at trying, unsuccessfully, to maintain his dignity.
Later in the film, Army Colonel Parkwright (Thorley Walters, Murder She Said), in charge of transporting the jewels with a convoy of vehicles and many soldiers, becomes the target of additional slapstick gags when his duty-bound determination to deliver the gems goes awry.
The combination of these veteran performers results in a clever comedy that has the viewer rooting for the robbers to succeed. Director Robert Day has cast wonderful British character actors in small roles to amp up the humor.
There are little moments, too, that add to the fun. The warden’s cigarette box is a magnet for the light fingers of the inmates. A beautiful woman raises her dress to adjust her stockings, distracting the guards while visitors to the prison fork over contraband to their incarcerated loved ones. Pompous Col. Parkwright gets a lesson in public relations when his barking orders backfire. Good-natured Jenkins happily runs errands for Dodger and his two cellmates. The warden nervously escorts a group of visiting ladies to the rehabilitation unit, trying to put the prison’s best efforts on display.
Peter Sellers, of course, would go on to great success as Inspector Clouseau in The Pink Panther and other American films, but in Two-Way Stretch he was at the beginning of his career, already showing signs of the international star he would become.
Two-Way Stretch was shot by director of photography Geoffrey Faithfull on 35 mm black & white film with spherical lenses, finished photochemically, and presented in the aspect ratio of 1.66:1. The film lacks the pristine, silvery look of other Kino Lorber releases of older films, but contrast and clarity are good. The picture is clean, with no dirt specks, scratches, emulsion clouding, and speckling. Night scenes of the robbery open up the picture from the confines of the prison, where most of the action takes place. Special effects include an explosion that’s the basis of a sight gag.
The soundtrack is English 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio. English SDH subtitles are an available option. Dialogue is clear and distinct, as many of the actors had stage experience. Sound effects include truck engines, an explosion, a crane lifting a truck, a manhole cover being moved, and soapy water being splashed onto an army officer.
Bonus materials on the Region A Blu-ray release from Kino Lorber Studio Classics include the following:
- Audio Commentary by Authors and Comedy Historians Gemma Ross and Robert Ross
- Trailer (2:54)
- The Ladykillers Trailer (1:26)
- The Party Trailer (2:02)
- The Lavender Hill Mob Trailer (2:30)
- After the Fox Trailer (2:50)
- The Italian Job Trailer (3:12)
Audio Commentary – On the first day of filming, director Robert Day shot the first scene in the script to establish the dynamic of the three prisoner pals. Peter Sellers, in “the first flush of stardom,” was able to get many of his actor friends into the film. Shortly after filming began, Sellers was sulky and upset because he wished he had played the role of Soapy Stevens. The commentators provide affectionate and knowledgeable background on the many character actors in the picture, even those with small roles. They point out similarities of Two-Way Stretch to The Lavender Hill Mob. The original tile of Two-Way Stretch was Nothing Barred, a title later given to another British Lion film. Many of the gags were recycled from other prison break movies. The film was shot in six weeks in late 1959 and released in 1960. Sellers had pneumonia during the final week of shooting. The commentators observe that the film reflects “the three having a great time.” Though he’s the lead, Sellers is part of a team. Chaplin’s influence on him is apparent in his body language and expressions. A “throw-away film,” Two-Way Stretch is “God’s gift to film lovers.”
Two-Way Stretch grabs you from its first scene, when the three inmates receive their daily delivery of milk and breakfast staples. Not as frenetic as typical farces, the film takes its time building its humor on a foolproof plan to make a huge score with an airtight alibi. At a mere 87 minutes, the film is refreshingly brisk and avoids unnecessary exposition. Its richness lies in the outstanding British cast, with all members contributing their own quirky contributions.
- Dennis Seuling