I think this is the first time I've seen this all the way through.

Of course it is as fresh today as when first released, a brilliantly
executed, truly 'classic' British comedy.

What I noticed this time round, though - apart from the utterly
compelling performance of Alec Guinness - was the gently subversive
tone throughout. There's a sad darkness to Henry Holland, a man who
has spent a life of grudging conformity, only alleviated by a dream
of ultimate escape through crime. The fact that the ending provides
the sort of suitably moral ending for the times, can't hide the fact
that it is a half-hearted signing-off, with a nagging sense that
Holland has actually won. Holland's smile as he tells his story is
that of a man who has achieved some kind of success, and is now
happy to face whatever consequences are waiting for him. It's a
picture of society where the vast majority are locked into a dull
treadmill of work, and where money buys popularity.

Sequences I love: the dizzy descent down the Eiffel Tower; and the
farcical police chase with its hilarious surreal touches.

Wonderful stuff.