Moviecut—The Big Noise

source: The Big Noise

The Big Noise

I can only echo the other reviews below. I'm another who relied on the received wisdom that this was a terrible film. I regret that I didn't watch this years ago. Obviously it doesn't compare to the Roach films and some writing isn't true to them but it was perfectly enjoyable. Stan and Ollie are the focus of the film and they weren't written as fools unlike some of these later films (as I recall). I did however notice there's a weariness in Stan's eyes which may possibly have been his unhappiness behind the scenes with 20th Century Fox but who knows. There's a funny scene with their "dinner" and a lovely final scene. Well worth watching in my view. As any Laurel and Hardy fan knows the world will never see their like again....

For those who enjoy light hearted slapstick. I have just watched this for the 1st time ever, cant recall it ever been shown previously and whilst such things should not be taken seriously this is simply the duo in brilliant form around the idea of a "cricket ball" sized bomb that will blow entire towns away if it explodes...lots of fun, especially watch for the bedtime on the train sequence...lots of family enjoyment here

This is one of Laurel & Hardy's later Twentieth Century-Fox films and it is not one of their best. However, it is an upbeat and fast-paced effort that shows signs that they put some effort into it. THE BIG NOISE has some good bits: the dinner with the inventor, the bunk bed scene in the train, and the constant threat of the bomb going off with Stan transporting it carelessly. The only part of this movie that seems weak is the Nazi segment and the scenes with a very annoying little kid. Other than that, this is recommended for all L&H fans, especially younger fans. 7 out of 10.

I bought this in the mid 1990's on VHS because it wasn't on DVD at the store. I was just hungry for more of the boys films and had not read the critic's yet. It turned out that I was very surprised at the level of comedy as I was not expecting much since the 40s and on I had mostly been disappointed. I recommend this film though. Much better than Utopia, Jitterbugs, and a couple of the other later ones. This film and Nothing But Trouble were probably their last good comedies, IMO. Not as good as their vintage days, but still good and funny. You can't always go by reviews(which includes mine!) This film has more character-driven comedy than some other Fox films. Maybe the studio let them do their own thing a little more, which was what made them so great such as was Keaton's greatness too but was stifled by over-control. If you have seen their old films but ignored this one and Nothing But Trouble give these a try. I think you will be surprised. Steve

Big Noise, The (1944) ** 1/2 (out of 4) I was a bit shocked that Leonard Maltin's Movie Guide gave this film a BOMB because I thought it was the best of the later day L&H films. Laurel and Hardy play detectives hired to protect a new bomb made for the war but of course nothing goes as planned. While this is a far cry from their Hal Roach days, I thought there were plenty of nice laughs throughout the film to the point where I'd certainly watch this again. A lot of the gags here were "remakes" of stuff done earlier in their career but they still made me laugh.

As recently suggested by others, THE BIG NOISE has suffered in reputation for years, usually sight unseen. As a lifelong L & H fan, I finally saw it for the first time via the new Fox set (a very well done package), and it is more than acceptable a part of L&H's legacy. Of course it can't match their heyday, but among the Fox films it is much more Stan & Ollie's show than the initial Fox entries. The whimsical fadeout is by far one of the most delightful moments of their entire career, which is something. Give this film some slack, and you'll have a good enough time with it. I'm glad Fox has made this one available.