REVIEW: Accessible Cinema screening of ‘Dad’s Army’ is splendid

ADeC has taken onboard the Mayor of Ely Councillor Richard Hobbs’ wish for Ely to become a dementia-friendly city and has offered a chance for sufferers and their carers to see a film: ‘Dad’s Army’.

The event, titled ‘Accessible Cinema’, was to lose the unnecessary stigma associated with dementia and to the ADeC team’s delight, mums with children took advantage too.

The reviews of ‘Dad’s Army’ the film, I believe, were quite unfair. Even though I had watched many of the episodes on TV and I knew that it would be extremely difficult for other actors to take the place of those we had come to know so well, as far as I am concerned, the film worked.

The characters came through well, which was to be expected with such a famous line up. Among the cast were Catherine Zeta-Jones (playing Rose Winters, a femme fatal who enchanted the whole troop), Bill Nighy as the debonair Sergeant Wilson, Toby Jones as a dominant Captain Mainwaring, Michael Gambon as the elderly Private Godfrey, Tom Courtney as Lance Corporal Jones, the enthusiastic butcher, Blake Harrison as Mummy’s boy, Private Pike, Daniel Mays as the privateer Private Walker, Ian Lavendar as the Brigadier, Bill Patterson as the very Scottish Private Frazer, Sarah Lancashire as the forthright Mrs Pike, Alison Steadman as the sensual Mrs Fox, and Annette Crosby as a Mrs Marple of Walmington-on-sea, Cissy Godfrey.

There was a decent plot and a splendid opportunity to witness life in the 1940s.

The event was supported by the British Film Industries’ Film Audience Network. The lights were left on low, there were no adverts or trailers and people were allowed to move about, although I noticed few did.

This was a splendid beginning of a planned series of films presented this way. There will be another opportunity to visit ‘Accessible Cinema’ in the autumn.

For more information, contact ADeC at the Babylon Gallery on 01353 616991.