Mr M.Winner is a living contradiction of the old adage that there is no such thing as bad publicity.As a result of what appears to be rampant and patronising snobbery,his image - boosted by his preposterous and bad - mannered antics as a so - called "restaurant critic" - is that of an arrogant,none -too - intelligent boor.His tabloid newspaper column was childish and spiteful,his current TV ads for a motor car insurance company are unspeakable.And yet it all could have been so different...... This former infant terrible of the British cinema is a Cambridge man.A measly 3rd - generally awarded to any entrant who gets his Candidate Number right-and an editorship of Varsity were his share of the glittering prizes.During his days running what was at the time the sole newspaper at the University,he discovered that there was no need for him to purchase - like the vast majority of his fellow undergraduates - a bicycle as the law,as defined in the Larceny Act which was in force at the time,clearly stated that in order to be convicted of stealing,a defendant had to have intended to keep the property which was the subject of the charge. Armed with the moral certainty of the larcenous at heart he proceeded to "borrow" bicycles as it pleased him . This was an important lesson for the young Winner,and one he remembered by the time he got round to making "The Jokers",as the whole plot of the movie revolves around that arcane point of English Law. The really sad thing about Mr Winner's decline into self - parody is that "The Jokers" is a very good film. Mr O.Reed and Mr M.Crawford are both outstanding as the brothers intent on "borrowing" the Crown Jewels.The whole production fizzes with fun and energy and plays its part in perpetuating the mainly mythical "Swinging Sixties" image of life in Upper Middle Class West London. The late Mr Reed was devilishly handsome and suave and determinedly ploughed the lonely furrow of the devoted follower of Bacchus until his untimely but hardly unexpected death during the making of "Gladiator". Mr Crawford,rather more cute and cuddly,is fondly remembered by many as the well - meaning simpleton Frank Spencer,source of a million bad impressions.Ultimately,of course,Mr Crawford found his true niche as a purveyor of Lord Lloyd - Webber's musical wallpaper.But all this was unimaginably far in the future.Watch their wide - eyed and innocent pleasure in the sheer joy of performing. They are ably assisted by a comforting list of sterling British Character Actors who have graced more movies than you could shake a stick at. A persuasive writer could put a case for the proposition that Mr Winner's career as a director peaked with "The Jokers".Certainly it is a work he might well wish to be remembered for rather than a lot of the stinkers he made to keep his wine - cellar stocked. Whatever one might say about him,there is no doubt that he had,and still has,chutzpah;any director that can actually direct Orson Welles - as he did in "I'll never forget whatshisname" - rather than just sit back and let him take over must at least have that. He may never have the need,financially,to make another film ,but I rather hope that,creatively,he can rustle up one last hurrah that will go some way towards restoring his reputation and diminishing the memories of the pot - boilers and duds that litter his CV.
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