Movie: Sir Henry at Rawlinson End

Vivian Stanshall, if you don't know him, was the leader of the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band.  He was a brilliant, troubled, alcoholic, terribly-British singer and bon-vivant, who penned some of the most memorable songs of my ill-spent youth as well as hosting BBC1 when John Peel was away on alcoholiday. It was on one of those DJ occasions that his fevered brain conceived Sir Henry Rawlinson, crackpot scion of Rawlinson End, and a series of adventures that eventually became a radio serial, a record album, and, ultimately, this film.

Absolute lunacy.

I have wanted a copy of this film (which used to be an ultra-rare VHS only) since it was finally DVDed in 2006, but it is region 2 PAL only and rather pricey (import only).  Last week I finally bit the bullet and bought the byte.  It arrived today.

About two minutes in I stopped to turn on subtitles.  It didn't help.

About halfway-through I switched over to the director's commentary, which actually DID help.  The original wordplay -- obscure British schoolboy references, literature references, film references, Cockney rhyming slang -- went almost completely over my head and it was only with the gentle guiding hand of director Steve Roberts that I was able to understand any of it.  

Dense, nonsensical, Dadaist, nonlinear, totally bonkers glimpse into the mind of a man who was not of his time -- or any other.