The Passionate Pilgrim

Video Review from 2007

This quirky 23 minute, almost silent comedy is the final appearance of Eric on film. The spoof is loosely based on The Passionate Pilgrim XV by William Shakespeare and follows the exploits of a Knight in his attempts to woo a damsel.

The whole production is set to various classical and film scores and is narrated throughout by John Le Mesurier, in a very Bod-like style. Describing the action and deeds of the characters, John throws in plenty of innuendo and one-liners, but this often falls into the ‘corny’ variety, and reflects much early comedies like the Carry On films.

Lord Eric, played by Eric, is busy wooing the lovely Lady Madeline (played by Madeline Smith) when a hapless knight arrives on the scene. Using hints from the ‘Good Knight Guide’, this handsome chap (played by Tom Baker) sets about wooing the damsel for himself.

Each of his attempts is repelled by Eric in a variety of ways including several standard gags such as the bucket of urine over the head and tying the boat to a tree to stop it crossing the moat. However, at some point the writers must have run out of ideas and invent an aerosol called ‘Knight-Rid’ that Eric can use to vanish his foe.

This attack/defence continues throughout the film to its conclusion, leaving you wondering why they bothered at all.

Originally it was planned to be a three part affair, with the same actors portraying the storey through different time periods. Due to funding problems the project collapsed leaving just the first. They had to clip together what they had to create this 23 minutes. Eric and Tom have very little dialogue, mainly single words or phrases, mixed in with the music and the narration.

Overall, it a short, quirky comedy that would appeal mainly to fans of Eric or Tom. It’s not bad as such, just corny, but fills 23 minutes if you’re having a slow day.


© morecambeandwise.com 2007


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