The Wrong Box

1966 1h 45m EN

😐

6.4

MID

★6.4TMDB · 70

Comedy

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

In Victorian England, a fortune now depends on which of two brothers outlives the other—or can be made to have seemed to do so.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

John Mills
Masterman Finsbury
Ralph Richardson
Joseph Finsbury
Michael Caine
Michael Hubert Gregory Finsbury
Peter Cook
Morris Finsbury
Dudley Moore
John Finsbury
Nanette Newman
Julia Finsbury
Tony Hancock
Detective
Peter Sellers
Doctor Pratt

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Bryan Forbes
Writers: Burt Shevelove, Larry Gelbart
Languages: English, Swahili
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 / 8

ERA

Did you know

60 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Swahili.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Bryan Forbes, shot by Gerry Turpin. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by John Barry. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

John Mills and Ralph Richardson and Michael Caine carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0061204 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

Only 70 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Bryan Forbes directs. Gerry Turpin behind the camera. John Barry scores. Alan Osbiston cuts. Produced in United Kingdom. Dialogue in English, Swahili.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

160 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Swahili.
3Directed by Bryan Forbes, shot by Gerry Turpin. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by John Barry. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Alan Osbiston shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6John Mills and Ralph Richardson and Michael Caine carry the top of the cast.
7IMDB entry: tt0061204 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Only 70 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: Gerry Turpin
Original score: John Barry
Editing: Alan Osbiston
Costume design: Julie Harris
Makeup / hair: Basil Newall
Runtime: 105 min · 1h 45m
Status: Released
Original language: EN
IMDB: The Wrong Box (1966)

Also by

Bryan Forbes

Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2023-09-14
★ 6/10
Bryan Forbes is to be commended for assembling a glittering cast in this rather plodding adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson's novel. It centres around the fate of a £20,000 fortune - the result of a tontine between 20 families who each invested £1,000 in a lottery than would provide the entire fund for whichever of their young children survived! Over the course of time, nature takes it's course until, sixty years later, we are left with two brothers. "Masterman" (John Mills) and "Joseph" (Sir Ralph Richardson). The former is a conspiring old fellow who really cares about the cash - a feeling shared by his plotting grandson "Michael" (Michael Caine). The latter - who doesn't really care about the cash - a rather charming old buffoon with a tale to tell of just about everything, being kept going for as long as possible by his scheming nephews Peter Cook ("Morris"), Dudley Moore ("John") and charming neice Nanette Newman ("Julia"). The scene is now set for a series of lightly amusing escapades with a few cameos from (policeman) Tony Hancock, (doctor) Peter Sellers and a wonderfully paced (quite literally) effort from Wilfred Lawson as the butler "Peacock" leading to a rather farcical conclusion in a graveyard. It is certainly a great looking film, John Barry provides one of his less distinctive scores and the film really moves along quickly. It just wasn't funny. The impending jokes could be seen from space, and aside from Lawson, and Sir Ralph's nigh on perfect portrayal of the doting old "Joseph", the characters provide more for a star-studded gathering for the sake it it, rather for the cohesiveness of the (admittedly quite fun) plot. Not one of RLS's finest stories, this - it tries to ridicule the "virtues" of 19th century Britain, but this production lacks subtlety, wit to achieve that goal. It really overcooks the perceived eccentricities of the characters - especially with Messrs. Cook and Moore. There was a certain style of comedy and comedian prevailing in the UK in the 1960s - fans of which may get much more from this. As it is, though, I struggled with it.

Production companies