Norbert Smith – a life

Comedian Harry Enfield has aged half a century to take on the role of grand old thespian Norbert Smith, in a light-hearted spoof tribute to the British film and theatre industry, the illustrious career of Smith – one of its great bastions – is tracked from his first film appearance alongside popular comedian Will Silly in “Oh, Mr. Bankrobber” in 1936, to his last – a passionate study of the British peace movement, “Carry On Banging”, co-starring some of the original “Carry on” regulars. This major documentary, presented by Melvin Bragg, is illustrated with numerous examples of Norbert Smith’s stage and film achievements – his ups and downs, disasters and catastrophes. Among his credits “Rebel without a tia” the 1930s teen rebellion movie which made his name, the late 1940s “Hamlet”, adapted in collaboration with Noal Coward, the grittily realistic “It’s Grim Up North” (1959) and the all-action World War II adventure “Dogs of Death”, in which he and other contemporary stars drank through the entire production budget in just two weeks.Harry Enfield not only plays Smith and Smith’s impersonation of a host of roles but also co-wote the film with producer Geoffrey Perkins, late of “Spitting Image”.In this irreverent recreation of the entire history of the British film industry, they are aided by the contributions of the design team, lighting cameraman John Rosenberg and director Geoff Posner.