Rent School for Scoundrels (1959)

3.8 of 5 from 105 ratings
1h 31min
Rent School for Scoundrels Online DVD & Blu-ray Rental
  • General info
  • Available formats
Synopsis:
Enrol at the wacky College of Lifemanship where a senior host of great British comedians teach a completely uproarious course on how to come out tops in any social situation. Study with Alastair Sim and learn his valuable hints on the art of comic One-upmanship. Follow his expert advice to victimised Ian Carmichael about romance and you'll be a top class pupil fully equipped to cope with life's hilarious humiliations without really cheating.
Actors:
, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Directors:
, ,
Producers:
Hal E. Chester, Douglas Rankin
Writers:
Stephen Potter, Patricia Moyes, Hal E. Chester
Studio:
StudioCanal
Genres:
Classics, Comedy, Romance
Collections:
1949: That Ealing Feeling, A History of Sports Films (Summer Edition), Films to Watch If You Like..., People of the Pictures, Terry-Thomas: The Comedy Icon, A Brief History of Film..., Top 10 Tennis Films, Top Films, What to Watch Next If You Liked Scrooge
BBFC:
Release Date:
05/10/2015
Run Time:
91 minutes
Languages:
English Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono
Subtitles:
English Hard of Hearing
DVD Regions:
Region 2
Formats:
Pal
Aspect Ratio:
Widescreen 1.66:1
Colour:
B & W
Bonus:
  • Interview with Guardian Film Critic Peter Bradshaw
  • Interview with Chris Potter, Stephen Potter's Grandson
  • Interview with Graham McCann, Terry-Thomas Biographer
  • Stills Gallery
  • Trailer
BBFC:
Release Date:
05/10/2015
Run Time:
95 minutes
Languages:
English LPCM Mono
Subtitles:
English Hard of Hearing
Formats:
Pal
Aspect Ratio:
Widescreen 1.66:1
Colour:
B & W
BLU-RAY Regions:
B
Bonus:
  • Interview with Guardian Film Critic Peter Bradshaw
  • Interview with Chris Potter, Stephen Potter's Grandson
  • Interview with Graham McCann, Terry-Thomas Biographer
  • Stills Gallery
  • Trailer

More like School for Scoundrels

Found in these customers lists

Reviews (2) of School for Scoundrels

Funny film with a host of British character actors - School for Scoundrels review by PV

Spoiler Alert
21/12/2015

OK, so this film (from 1959) is very dated. Its attitudes to male/female relations will no doubt make many an angry feminut spit feathers.

However, this comedy also hosts a wonderful array of British character actors incl the wonderful Terry-Thomas, plus Ian Carmichael, Dennis Price, Peter Jones, Irene Handel and John Le Mesurier as a snooty waiter. Not forgetting the best actor ever to play Scrooge Alistair Sim.

It is, for me, way funnier than all the achingly pc and right-on 'comedies' we have to endure on BBC2 these days. Old-fashioned does not mean bad.

Ian Carmichael plays self-confessed loser who sign's up with the College of Lifemanship to help him get on in life.

A silly plot can be forgiven really, esp some nonsense involving a car - and there are two very funny stereotyped used car salesmen.

Many a modern Hollywood comedy has ploughed a similar furrow - although in common with most British comic novels and films, the main character is a 'loser' and anti-hero and a man.

The ending is silly. But again, with this quality cast, who cares?

4.5 stars. A must for anyone who loves Ealing comedies etc.

1 out of 2 members found this review helpful.

British Comedy. - School for Scoundrels review by Steve

Spoiler Alert
08/09/2023

Lightweight but fun comedy based on the satirical non-fiction of Stephen Potter, which entered the words 'gamesmanship' and 'one-upmanship' into the dictionary. Ian Carmichael is a passive washout who wants to romance the astonishingly cute/sweet Janette Scott but is always trumped by a pushy blowhard played by Terry-Thomas.

So the clueless schmuck goes to a school in lifemanship run by Alastair Sim and learns how to turn the tables and win the girl. It's a simple story which swerves the many possible complications of imagining a society of competing sociopaths and just goes for chuckles. And thanks to an ideal cast it delivers a blissful diversion.

This is an England of the wealthy. Even the supposed loser, runs an accountancy firm. Though he is bullied by the staff until he learns how to push back. The events take place in exclusive restaurants and country clubs, a long way from the class divisions which might have given the story some bite.

It was the last film directed by Robert Hamer, though it doesn't have the complexity of his best work. Or the sadness. Ill health meant it was finished by other hands, but there is no evidence of a troubled production. It's a typical British comedy of the 50s-60s, and if the familiar period sexism can be overlooked, this is among the best of its type.

0 out of 0 members found this review helpful.

Unlimited films sent to your door, starting at £15.99 a month.