Secret Policeman's Other Ball [VHS]

There are still some good sketches ("Cha-cha-cha")and music (Sting, Phil Collins, Jeff Beck, Clapton), but overall it was a very disappointing experience. If you want to support Amnesty International, send them a check. If you want to see The Secret Policeman's Other Ball, find a rental or buy a used copy of the original.


Comedy and music all in a good cause.   February 18, 2002
darragh o'donoghue (dublin, ireland)
6 out of 15 found this review helpful

The first, unaccountably legendary 'Secret Policeman's Ball' was in effect a showcase for the comic Old Guard - Monty Python, Peter Cook, Billy Connolly etc. - with only Rowan Atkinson's participation hinting at the new directions British comedy would take. This sequel is much more representative of the early 1980s, adding to the cast the likes of Victoria Wood, Jasper Carrott, Dame Edna Everage and the 'Not the Nine O'Clock News' team. The refusal of these performers to taint the dignity of a charity fundraiser (for Amnesty International) with humour or imagination results in another hour and a half of stale and tedious routines (Atkinson actually reprises the classical music mime from the first film). What's worse, the 'comedy' is far more frequently interrupted by an aging gaggle of musical hypocrites, most notably Phil Collins, a famous fundraiser for the ruling Tory Party, who, at the time of this concert, supported apartheid in South Africa, suppressed allegations of domestic police brutality and racism, and prevented enquiries into notorious miscarriages of justice (the Guildford Four, the Birmingham Six). The one truly funny moment, however, comes from a musical sequence, when Donovan appears and a heckler shrieks 'I thought you were dead!' Once again, the film is impenetrably lit, but I don't think we're missing anything.


2 DIFFERENT VIDEOS   August 11, 2001
M. R. ZOGLIO
24 out of 24 found this review helpful

O.K., here's the deal. The video for sale here is in fact the Secret Policeman's Other Ball (SPOB) by Rhino (1998, 88 minutes). The one everyone seems to be looking for is the SPOB by MGM/UA (1982, 100 minutes). The MGM/UA version contains all of the Rhino SPOB but is preceded by 12 minutes of The Secret Policeman's Ball (SPB). The entire SPB is also available from Rhino (1998, 90 minutes) here on Amazon. And yes, it (SPB) does contain the Cheese Shop and Schoolmaster skits.


Anyone know which of the 3 balls had the Rowen Atkinson....   November 20, 2000
Mr. Bean (CA United States)
0 out of 7 found this review helpful

Anyone know which of the 3 balls had the Rowen Atkinson "School Master" sketch ?