Editing Carry On Up the Khyber

{{short description|1968 British comedy film by Gerald Thomas}}
{{EngvarB|date=September 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2024}}
{{Infobox film | name = Carry On Up the Khyber
  | image = Carry_On_up_the_Khyber.jpg
  | caption = Original UK quad poster by [[Renato Fratini]]
  | director = [[Gerald Thomas]]
  | producer = [[Peter Rogers]]
  | writer = [[Talbot Rothwell]]
  | starring = [[Sid James]]<br />[[Kenneth Williams]]<br />[[Charles Hawtrey (actor, born 1914)|Charles Hawtrey]]<br />[[Roy Castle]]<br />[[Joan Sims]]<br />[[Angela Douglas]]<br />[[Terry Scott]]<br />[[Bernard Bresslaw]]<br />[[Peter Butterworth]]
  | music = [[Eric Rogers (composer)|Eric Rogers]]
  | cinematography = [[Ernest Steward]]
  | editing = [[Alfred Roome]]
  | distributor = [[The Rank Organisation]]
  | released = {{film date|1968|11|28|df=y}}
  | runtime = 88 minutes<ref>{{harvnb|Ross|1998|p=77}}</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Rigelsford|1996|p=163}}</ref>
  | language = English
  | country = United Kingdom
  | budget = £235,637<ref>Chapman, J. (2022). The Money Behind the Screen: A History of British Film Finance, 1945-1985. Edinburgh University Press p 205.</ref>
  }}

'''''Carry On Up the Khyber''''' is a 1968 [[British comedy]] film, the 16th in the [[Carry On (film series)|series of 31 ''Carry On'' films]] (1958–1992).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://explore.bfi.org.uk/4ce2b6a737435|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120712004916/http://explore.bfi.org.uk/4ce2b6a737435|url-status=dead|archive-date=2012-07-12|title=Carry On... Up the Khyber (1968)|publisher=British Film Institute}}</ref> It stars ''Carry On'' regulars [[Sid James]], [[Kenneth Williams]], [[Charles Hawtrey (actor, born 1914)|Charles Hawtrey]], [[Joan Sims]], [[Bernard Bresslaw]] and [[Peter Butterworth]]. It is the second of two Carry On film appearances by [[Wanda Ventham]]; and [[Roy Castle]] makes his only ''Carry On'' appearance, in the romantic male lead part usually played by [[Jim Dale]].<ref name="screen">{{cite web|url=http://www.screenonline.org.uk/film/id/466528/|website=BFI Screenonline |title=Carry On... Up the Khyber (1968)|first=Sergio |last=Angelini}}</ref>

[[Angela Douglas]] makes her fourth and final appearance in the series. [[Terry Scott]] returned to the series after his minor role in the first film of the series, ''[[Carry On Sergeant]]'' a decade earlier. The film is, in part, a spoof of [[Rudyard Kipling|Kiplingesque]] movies and television series about life in the [[British Raj]], both contemporary and from earlier, Hollywood, periods. The title is a play on words in the risqué Carry On tradition, with "Khyber" (short for "[[Khyber Pass]]") being [[rhyming slang]] for "arse".<ref>{{cite web |title=The meaning and origin of the expression: Khyber pass |url=https://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/218100.html |website=The Phrase Finder |access-date=11 April 2021}}</ref> The film was followed by ''[[Carry On Camping]]'' (1969).

==Plot==

Sir Sidney Ruff-Diamond is [[Queen Victoria]]'s [[Governor General of India|Governor]] in the [[British India|Indian]] province of Kalabar near the [[Khyber Pass]]. The province is defended by the feared [[#The regiment|3rd Foot and Mouth Regiment]], who are said to [[True Scotsman|not wear anything]] under their [[kilt]]s. When a soldier, the inept Private Widdle, is found wearing [[Underwear|underpants]] after an encounter with the warlord Bungdit Din, chief of the warlike Burpa tribe, the [[Qadi#IndoPak Region|Khasi]] of Kalabar plans to use this information to incite a [[rebellion]] in Kalabar. He aims to dispel the "tough" image of the Devils in Skirts by revealing that, contrary to popular belief, they actually wear underpants underneath their kilts.

A diplomatic operation ensues on the part of the British, who fail to publicly prove that the incident was an aberration. The Governor's wife, in the hope of luring the Khasi into bed with her, takes a photograph of an inspection in which many of the soldiers present are found wearing underpants, and takes it to him. With this hard evidence in hand, the Khasi would be able to muster a ferocious [[Afghanistan|Afghan]] invasion force, storm the Khyber Pass and capture India from the British; but Lady Ruff-Diamond insists that he sleep with her before she parts with the photograph. He delays on account of her unattractiveness, eventually taking her away with him to Bungdit Din's palace. Meanwhile, the Khasi's daughter, Princess Jelhi, reveals to the British Captain Keene, with whom she has fallen in love, that the Governor's wife has eloped, and a team is dispatched to ensure the return of both her and the photograph.

Disguised as Afghan generals, the interlopers are brought into the palace and, at the Khasi's suggestion, are introduced to Bungdit Din's sultry [[concubine]]s. Whilst enjoying the women in the harem, they are unmasked amid a farcical [[orgy]], imprisoned, and scheduled to be [[Execution|executed]] at sunset alongside the Governor's wife. Princess Jelhi aids their escape by disguising them as dancing girls, but during the entertaining of the Afghan generals, the Khasi, contemptuous of an annoying fakir's performance, demands that he see the dancing girls instead. After their disguises are seen through, the British and the Princess flee, but Lady Ruff-Diamond drops the photograph on leaving the palace through the gardens. The group returns to the Khyber Pass to find its guards massacred and their weapons comically mutilated, in a rare (albeit tainted) moment of poignancy.

All attempts to hold off the advancing Afghan invaders fail miserably, and a hasty retreat is beaten to the Residency. The Governor, meanwhile, has been entertaining, in numerical order, the Khasi's fifty-one wives, each one of them wishing to "right the wrong" that his own wife and the Khasi himself have supposedly committed against him. After a browbeating from his wife, Sir Sidney calls a crisis meeting regarding the invasion, in which he resolves to "do nothing"—until it is too late, as his aide notes. A [[black tie]] dinner is arranged for that evening. Dinner takes place during a prolonged penultimate scene, with contrapuntal snippets of the Khasi's army demolishing the Residency's exterior, and the officers and ladies ignoring the devastation as they dine amongst themselves. Shells shaking the building and plaster falling into the soup do not interrupt dinner, even when the fakir's severed – but still talking – head is served, courtesy of the Khasi.

Only Brother Belcher fails to display a [[stiff upper lip]], and breaks his calm by panicking. Finally, at Captain Keene's suggestion, the gentlemen walk outside to be greeted by a bloody battle being waged in the courtyard. Still dressed in black tie, Sir Sidney orders the Regiment to form a line and lift their kilts, this time exposing their (implied) lack of underwear. The invading Afghan army is terrified, and retreats at once.  The gentlemen walk back inside to resume dinner, whilst Brother Belcher notices the [[Union Jack|Union flag]] flown by the governor bearing the slogan [[I'm Backing Britain]] and calls them "raving mad".

==Cast==
{{div col}}
*[[Sid James]] as Sir Sidney Ruff-Diamond
*[[Kenneth Williams]] as The Khasi of Kalabar
*[[Charles Hawtrey (actor, born 1914)|Charles Hawtrey]] as Private James Widdle
*[[Roy Castle]] as Captain Keene
*[[Joan Sims]] as Lady Joan Ruff-Diamond
*[[Bernard Bresslaw]] as Bungdit Din
*[[Peter Butterworth]] as Brother Belcher
*[[Terry Scott]] as Sergeant Major MacNutt
*[[Angela Douglas]] as Princess Jelhi
*[[Cardew Robinson]] as The Fakir
*[[Peter Gilmore]] as Private Ginger Hale
*[[Julian Holloway]] as Major Shorthouse
*[[Leon Thau]] as Stinghi
*[[Michael Mellinger]] as Chindi
*[[Wanda Ventham]] as The Khasi's First Wife
*[[Alexandra Dane]] as Busti
{{div col end}}

==Production==
===Writing===
The screenplay was written by [[Talbot Rothwell]]. Peter Rogers had liked Rothwell's writing so much after he had submitted the script for ''[[Carry On Jack]]'' that he asked him to become the ''Carry On'' staff writer; Rothwell wrote a further nineteen ''Carry On'' films.<ref name="Stevens">{{cite book	|last= Stevens	|first= Christopher|title= Born Brilliant: The Life of Kenneth Williams|publisher= John Murray|year= 2010|isbn = 978-1-84854-195-5|page=389}}</ref>

The film's fictional [[Scottish Highlands|Highland]] [[Scottish regiment|infantry regiment]] of the [[British Army]] was known as the 3rd [[Foot and Mouth]] Regiment. It is a regiment of [[Gaels|Highlanders]], known locally as "the Devils in Skirts" for their tradition of not wearing anything beneath their [[kilt]]s. The regimental tartans and bonnet badges designed for the unnamed Highland regiment in the 1960 film ''[[Tunes of Glory]]'' were rented for the production to kit out ''Carry On Up the Khyber's'' 3rd Foot and Mouth Regiment.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://userhome.brooklyn.cuny.edu/anthro/jbeatty/Scotia/issue50/issue50a.html|title=Tartans Made for the Movies|accessdate=25 January 2022}}</ref> The [[pith helmet]]s and [[webbing]] were borrowed from the 1964 classic war film, ''[[Zulu (1964 film)|Zulu]]''.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/snowdon-became-khyber-pass-carry-10953985|title=When Snowdon became Khyber Pass for Carry On film|newspaper=[[Daily Post (North Wales)|Daily Post]]|date=13 March 2016}}</ref>

===Filming===
The movie was shot between 8 April and 31 May 1968. Interiors were filmed at [[Pinewood Studios]], Buckinghamshire. [[Heatherden Hall]], the administrative offices of Pinewood Studios, was used as the governor's residence.
[[Image:CarryOnKhyberLlanberis.JPG|thumb|right|200px|A plaque in [[Llanberis]], [[Wales]], commemorates the filming of ''Carry On Up the Khyber'' ]]
The scenes on the [[North-West Frontier Province (1901–1955)|North West Frontier]] were filmed beneath the summit of [[Snowdon]] in [[North Wales]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.visitwales.com/holidays-breaks/days-out/tv-film-locations-uk/wales-on-film |title=Wales hosts Hollywood blockbusters |website=Visit Wales |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140219232444/http://www.visitwales.com/holidays-breaks/days-out/tv-film-locations-uk/wales-on-film |archive-date=19 February 2014}}</ref> The lower part of the [[Watkin Path]] was used as the Khyber Pass with garrison and border gate.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ukonscreen.com/djidhbb-Carry-On-Up-The-Khyber-(1968).html|title=Where was 'Carry On Up The Khyber' filmed?|work=British Film Locations}}</ref> In September 2005, a plaque was unveiled in Snowdonia to commemorate the film and the location.<ref name="BBC News">{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/north_west/4296396.stm |title=Carry On Khyber plaque unveiled  |access-date=13 November 2010|publisher=BBC News |date=30 September 2005}}</ref>

==Release==
The film was the second most popular movie at the UK box office in 1969.<ref>{{cite news |title=The World's Top Twenty Films |work=Sunday Times |date=27 September 1970 |page=27}}</ref>

==Reception==
''Carry On... Up the Khyber'' is frequently cited as the best entry in the series.<ref name="screen"/><ref>{{cite book |last1=Burton |first1=Alan |last2=Chibnall |first2=Steve |date=2013 |title=Historical Dictionary of British Cinema |publisher=Scarecrow Press |page=108 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Q8SRjwJqwukC&pg=PA108 |isbn=9780810880269}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Luxford |first=Albert |date=2002 |title=Albert J. Luxford, the Gimmick Man: Memoir of a Special Effects Maestro |publisher=McFarland |isbn=9781476635446 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=O69mDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA87 |page=87}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Campbell |first=Mike |date=2016 |title=Carry On Films: An Introduction to the British Comedy Phenomenon |publisher=Oldcastle Books |isbn=9781904048428}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Hume |first1=Alan |last2=Owen |first2=Gareth |date=2004 |title=A Life Through the Lens: Memoirs of a Film Cameraman |publisher=McFarland |isbn=9780786418039 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Uh6hBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA53 |page=53}}</ref> [[Colin MacCabe]], Professor of English at the [[University of Exeter]], labelled this film (together with ''[[Carry On Cleo]]'') as one of the best films of all time.<ref>{{cite news|last1=MacCabe|first1=Colin|title=Why ''Carry On Cleo'' and ''Carry On Up the Khyber'' are two of the best films ever|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/1999/jan/29/features|work=The Guardian|date=29 January 1999}}</ref>

In 1999, it was placed 99th on the [[BFI Top 100 British films|BFI's list]] of greatest British films ever made.

In a 2018 retrospective on the series, the [[British Film Institute]] named ''Carry On Up the Khyber'' as one of the series' five best films, alongside ''[[Carry On Cleo]]'' (1964), ''[[Carry On Screaming]]'' (1966), ''[[Carry On Camping]]'' (1969), and ''[[Carry On Matron]]'' (1972).<ref name="BFI">{{cite web|first=Neil |last=Mitchell |title=The 5 best Carry Ons… and the 5 worst |url=https://www.bfi.org.uk/lists/five-best-carry-ons-five-worst |publisher=[[British Film Institute]] |date=23 November 2018 |access-date=12 April 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230415132835/https://www.bfi.org.uk/lists/five-best-carry-ons-five-worst |archive-date= 15 April 2023 |url-status=live}}</ref>

==References==
;Citations
{{reflist}}

;Bibliography
*{{Cite book |last=Davidson |first=Andy |title=Carry On Confidential |publisher=Miwk |location=London |year=2012 |isbn=978-1908630018 }}
*{{Cite book |last=Sheridan |first=Simon |title=Keeping the British End Up – Four Decades of Saucy Cinema |publisher=Titan Books |location=London |year=2011 |isbn=978-0857682796 }}
*{{Cite book |last=Webber |first=Richard |title=50 Years of Carry On |publisher=Arrow |location=London |year=2009 |isbn=978-0099490074 }}
*{{Cite book |last=Hudis |first=Norman |title=No Laughing Matter |publisher=Apex |location=London |year=2008 |isbn=978-1906358150 }}
*{{Cite book |last=Ross |first=Robert |title=The Carry On Companion |publisher=Batsford |location=London |year=1998 |orig-year=1996 |isbn=0-7134-8439-X }}
*{{Cite book |last1=Bright|first1=Morris | last2=Ross |first2=Robert |title=Mr Carry On – The Life & Work of Peter Rogers |publisher=BBC Books |location=London |year=2000 |isbn=978-0563551836 }}
*{{Cite book |last=Rigelsford |first=Adrian |author-link = Adrian Rigelsford|title=Carry On Laughing – a celebration |publisher=Virgin |location=London |year=1996 |isbn=1-85227-554-5 }}
*{{Cite book |last=Hibbin |first=Sally & Nina |title=What a Carry On |publisher=Hamlyn |location=London |year=1988 |isbn=978-0600558194 }}
*{{Cite book |last=Eastaugh |first=Kenneth |title=The Carry On Book |publisher=David & Charles |location=London |year=1978 |isbn=978-0715374030 }}

== External links ==
* {{IMDb title|0062782}}
* {{Rotten-tomatoes|carry_onup_the_khyber}}
* [http://www.screenonline.org.uk/film/id/466528/ ''Carry on Up the Khyber'' at BFI Screenonline]
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lGshDSgVF-4 Filming ''Carry On Up The Khyber'', Snowdonia, 1968] – TV feature, including on-location interviews with Gerald Thomas and Kenneth Williams
* {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210215021711/http://www.thewhippitinn.com/carry_on_films/carry_on_up_the_khyber/|title=''Carry On Up the Khyber'' at The Whippit Inn|date=15 February 2021}}
* [http://3rdfootandmouth.yolasite.com/ 3rd Foot & Mouth Recreation Group]

{{Carry On Films}}
{{Gerald Thomas}}

[[Category:1968 films]]
[[Category:1960s historical comedy films]]
[[Category:1960s parody films]]
[[Category:British Empire war films]]
[[Category:British historical comedy films]]
[[Category:British parody films]]
[[Category:Carry On films|Up the Khyber]]
[[Category:1960s English-language films]]
[[Category:Films directed by Gerald Thomas]]
[[Category:Films set in 1895]]
[[Category:Films set in the British Raj]]
[[Category:Films shot at Pinewood Studios]]
[[Category:Films shot in Wales]]
[[Category:Films set in India]]
[[Category:Films set in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa]]
[[Category:Films produced by Peter Rogers]]
[[Category:Films with screenplays by Talbot Rothwell]]
[[Category:1968 comedy films]]
[[Category:1960s British films]]
[[Category:Films scored by Eric Rogers (composer)]]
[[Category:Khyber Pass]]
[[Category:English-language historical comedy films]]