Heavens Above! DVD

Oh brother! Peter Sellers as John Smallwood, an idealistic Reverend appointed to the parish of an upper-class village by mistake. With a bad habit of telling the truth at all times, Smallwood makes several clerical decisions that shock his wealthy, landed-gentry parishioners.

When he convinces the selfish owner of a laxative firm (Isabel Jeans) to "see the light" and sell off all her holdings on behalf of the poor and downtrodden, by doing so the woman wrecks her business - which is the principal source of income for the community where Smallwood works. Retreating from town with an angry mob on his heels, Smallwood relocates to a tiny island in the Pacific. Since the island is the site of a missile base, and since the local astronauts have shown signs of agnosticism, where else is there Sellers to go....but up?

Inspired by an idea by British satirist Malcolm Muggeridge, the Boulting brothers' HEAVENS ABOVE! was considered a bit too sacrilegious for general consumption on its 1963 release. Way ahead of its time, the film, featuring Sellers at his most iconoclastic, has since accrued a loyal and vocal following. A superb supporting cast includes Eric Sykes, Irene Handle, William Hartnel and Joan Hickson.

Reviews