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After starting a relationship with Walter Bingley (Wilfred
Pickles) the man who buried her husband, Ada Cresswell (Irene
Handl) finds herself living through the first anniversary
of her new marriage, a day full of misunderstandings and comic
happenstance...
For
the love of Ada was originally an ITV television series
which ran for 27, 30 minute, episodes between 1970 and 1971.
A successful, gentle, comedy, much like Last of the Summer
Wine, it ran for four seasons, detailing Ada's meeting
with Walter, through their marriage and on to the birth of
their first grandchild. The series spawned this film as well
as an American series which ran for twenty-two episodes but
was never shown in the UK.
Ada
is one of those strange beasts that reared their head in the
'70s, a less than good film from a successful television program;
others included On the Buses, though I'm less than
convinced that the original was any good.
Irene
Handl is always a joy to watch even if the script is very
mawkish in places; she effortlessly switches between comedy
and tragedy. She bumbles around the screen like everybody's
favourite aunty. Wilfred Pickles, who had returned to sit-com
after a 12 year absence, makes a perfect book-end to Handl's
Ada, warm and obviously very much in love with Ada. The two
other principle characters of Ada's daughter and son-in-law
are played by Barbara Mitchell and Jack Smethurst, who provide
some lighthearted seaside postcard humor. Two actors to look
out for are David Collings, who would go on to play in both
Doctor Who and Sapphire and Steel (as Silver)
and Gareth Hunt, better known for his role as Mike Gambit
in The New Avengers.
The disc has nothing in the way of extras except for the trailer,
but then this is a film which is more than 30 years old. The
print is a little soft but eminently watchable and the sound
is mono - which does not detract from the feature.
The film is a piece of nostalgic whimsy, and has the feeling
more of a post war tale than one set in the '70s. The only
really strange thing is that the film should be released,
but not the more superior television series. If you like your
comedy gentle then this is for you.
Charles
Packer
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