Britannia of Billingsgate (1933) review - Greasy, loud, and weirdly charming

Should you watch Britannia of Billingsgate tonight? Honestly, only if you have a soft spot for dusty, 1930s British working-class comedies with random singing. People who love quirky old music hall humor will find it charming, but if you can't stand screechy audio and fast cockney slang, you will probably turn it off after ten minutes. 🐟

The setup is pretty simple. Bessie Bolton (played by Violet Loraine) runs a busy fish-and-chips shop in London with her family. She spends her days frying fish and, apparently, singing her heart out when she thinks nobody is really paying attention.

Her husband Bert, played by Gordon Harker, is the highlight here. He has this amazing, grumpy face that looks like a melted boot, and he spends most of his time trying to avoid doing any actual work.

Anyway, some movie people happen to hear Bessie singing while they are filming nearby. They decide she is a star, and suddenly this normal family gets thrown into the bizarre world of early British cinema.

It gets pretty weird once they get a taste of money. The son, played by a very young John Mills, suddenly wants to buy a racing motorbike and starts acting like a jerk.

There is this one scene in the studio where the filmmakers are wearing these ridiculous jodhpurs. Why did 1930s directors always look like they were about to go horse riding? It makes no sense.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of Britannia of Billingsgate (1933) through its definitive frames.

Also, the sound quality is pretty rough. Sometimes the characters are talking and it sounds like they are shouting into a tin can at the bottom of a well. But somehow, that adds to the charm of it.

It's definitely a different vibe from silent stuff like The Girl Who Doesn't Know. This one relies entirely on the noise and chatter of the London streets.

I loved the fish shop scenes the most. You can almost smell the grease and the vinegar on the paper.

Once the family moves into a fancy house, the movie actually gets a bit boring. Rich people problems in old movies are just not as fun as poor people throwing fish at each other.

Some things I jotted down while watching:

• Gordon Harker's lower lip deserves its own billing in the credits.
• The way they say "fish and chips" sounds like one single, long word.
• The motorbike racing scene feels like it was filmed in fast forward to make it look dangerous. It didn't work. 🏍️
• The sudden musical numbers feel completely tacked on, but Violet Loraine really can sing.

The ending wraps up way too quickly, like they realized they were running out of film. But it leaves you with a nice, warm feeling.

Its not a masterpiece, but it’s a fun little time machine if you want to see what made people laugh ninety years ago.