Two-Way Stretch

1960 1h 24m EN

👍

6.7

SOLID

★6.7TMDB · 57

ComedyCrime

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Three criminals plan to break out of prison the day before their release in order to carry out a daring jewel robbery, intending to establish the perfect alibi by returning to jail afterwards. First however they must get out, a task made more difficult by a new, stricter prison officer.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Peter Sellers
Dodger Lane
Wilfrid Hyde-White
Soapy Stevens
Maurice Denham
Governor Horatio Bennett
Irene Handl
Mrs. Price
David Lodge
Jelly Knight
Lionel Jeffries
Chief Prison Officer Sidney Crout
Liz Fraser
Ethel
Bernard Cribbins
Lennie Price

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Robert Day
Writers: Vivian Cox, John Warren, Len Heath
Languages: English
Countries: United Kingdom

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 7

RUNTIME

Did you know

84 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

ERA

Did you know

66 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Robert Day, shot by Geoffrey Faithfull. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Bert Rule shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

CAST

Did you know

Peter Sellers and Wilfrid Hyde-White and Maurice Denham carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0054417 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

Only 57 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Robert Day directs. Geoffrey Faithfull behind the camera. Bert Rule cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United Kingdom. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

184 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
266 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Directed by Robert Day, shot by Geoffrey Faithfull. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Editor Bert Rule shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Peter Sellers and Wilfrid Hyde-White and Maurice Denham carry the top of the cast.
6IMDB entry: tt0054417 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
7Only 57 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: Geoffrey Faithfull
Editing: Bert Rule
Makeup / hair: Jimmy Evans
Runtime: 84 min · 1h 24m
Status: Released
Original language: EN
IMDB: Two-Way Stretch (1960)

Also by

Robert Day

Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2023-11-02
★ 6/10
I was never an huge fan of Peter Sellers's films, but this one works quite well. Incarcerated, he is living the life of Riley with his two cellmates during Her Majesty's pleasure when their erstwhile colleague (a bit more of a substantial part for the engaging Wilfred Hyde-White) dressed as a parson arrives to pay them a spiritual visit. It's at this rendezvous that he informs "Dodger" (PS) of his plan for them to escape from prison just long enough to steal a fortune in diamonds then escape back in - for the perfect alibi! He and his pals "Jelly" (David Lodge) and "Lennie" (Bernard Cribbins) think it is all a pipe dream, especially when the rather hapless, gardening, prison governor (Maurice Denham) finds he has a new chief warden in the form of disciplinarian "Crout" (Lionel Jeffries) - a man determined to tighten things up a bit around this rather casually run jail. What now ensues is a series of fun escapades that I could easily see proving inspirational to the forthcoming BBC "Porridge" series. Jeffries and Denham provide strong support as the story, daft as it is, allows some fun characters to develop and for the writing to provide some dialogue and scenarios that raise the odd smile. Personally, I was just a little disappointed by the denouement - but as crime capers go, this is actually quite fun and is still worth a watch.

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