My second Carry On review and thankfully not the worst of the two. Whilst still being pretty lame, there is a general semblance of a plot at least, even if it is rather see through.

It seems that the deputy headmaster wishes to achieve his goal as headmaster and is applying to another school where this wish can be fulfilled. At the same time there’s an inspection going on during which all manner of pranks and hijinks have been occurring, throwing the inspection report into the red. The teachers are perplexed and frustrated (I know how they feel) and then, naturally, there are the inevitable love stories arising between the inspectors and two teachers in which more zaniness and mistaken identity ensue.

As expected, the plot sluggishly moves through the deputy headmaster’s last week until the final, gripping conclusion.

The film comes across as watchable, but the humour and acting within really test the old benefit of the doubt here. I would never have believed it unless I saw it with my own eyes, but there is a genuine ‘seat of the pants ripping’ scene that is so alluded to and led up to it’s a relief when it finally occurs and spares us the madness. And then starts the inevitable references to it afterward. Ugh. Why is this labelled ‘funny?’

There are only two bumbling clowns from Carry On Spying that I recognised and these are the really weedy guy (Charles Hawtrey) and the poncy one (Kenneth Williams). I guess this was like their only gig or whatever, the Carry On films. And the weedy guy’s name in this farce is Mr Bean. Coincidence? I think not. If only he were as funny.

Being another corking black and whiter and presented in 1.66:1 (without enhancement) this film looks like it’s been made on the cheap, but not quite as cheap as Carry On Spying. Using genuine sets sometimes and even outdoors occasionally, the film at least looks like it’s trying. It’s a bit of an artefact dumping ground at times, particularly in the outdoor shots, but I guess this is to be expected. There are, again, particular instances of aliasing, but it doesn’t happen too frequently. Blacks look pretty dark and shadows are well refined without hiding detail and there is none of the flickering common to older black and whites.

Music has been utilised in a comedic manner as is common to the Carry Ons, and at times forms part of the plot. Mr Bean is the music teacher after all, and the movie culminates in a stage rendition of Romeo and Juliet (though Claire Danes wasn’t anywhere to be seen, unfortunately). The music during the play is truly horrific, as it is throughout any of Bean’s classes and comes through to DVD too well. Which is interesting, considering the sound is Dolby Digital mono. Oh well. Sound effects are limited, but incorporate plenty of stock sounds, whereas the rest of the audio has been treated quite simply, utilising silence over backing music sometimes.

As with others in the set, there are no extras included so we get to claw our way through this disc all the faster.

Compared to the other Carry On movie I’ve reviewed, this one is about two hundred and fifty percent better. It still falls way short of the ‘good film’ mark, of course. Some exasperating ‘love’ scenes, frustrating humour, annoying teenagers and a simple plot add up to one fairly weak film in this case. Collectors and completists may enjoy it and they are welcome to it, but all over this is a pretty lame affair with not much to recommend it.