Was Michael Rimmer a Foreshadowing of Tony Blair?

[Anonymous]

It's bugged me for years. Did a film made in 1970, written by Peter Cook and the director, Kevin Billington, as well as by John Cleese and Graham Chapman, foretell the coming of Tony Blair and his style of Government?

If you've seen the film, as afternoon, or late-night, filler, you'll know what I mean.

As often 'funny peculiar' as 'funny ha ha!' the more I think about it, the better and more scarily accurate it gets in my memory.

As the veneer of Democracy continues to fade I commend you to read the synoptic review below.

Originally from: The Spinning Image .com

The Rise And Rise Of Michael Rimmer (1970)

Some things definitely improve with age. The Rise And Rise Of Michael Rimmer, panned by contemporary reviewers as a latecomer to the swinging sixties’ satirical ball, now appears, decades later, to be one of the most incisive, witty, and unnerving political/social satires ever captured on film. It’s the finest celluloid outing of the great Peter Cook, managing to portray a character even more cutting and ruthless than his wily tempter Spiggott in 1967’s Bedazzled. As the titular Rimmer, Cook marches unannounced into the offices of the Fairburn advertising agency one morning, clad in a smart suit and carrying an officious-looking clipboard under his arm – so loud, brash, and confident that no-one dare question his right to be there – and proceeds to use the company as the first rung on his ladder to hasty success. By the end of the movie, this all too plausible creation has declared himself the first President of Great Britain, and his manipulative, whirlwind rise to power has left all enemies discredited, deceased, or simply reeling at the force of his overwhelming charisma.

Despite appearing as a series of comic sketches (featuring the usual array of top-notch Brit talent) and having been part-scripted by ‘Monty Python’ duo Cleese & Chapman and partly by Cook and director Kevin Billington, the movie dovetails superbly, every routine achieving the requisite laughs while keeping the sinister Machiavellian plot forging ahead. One early Rimmer success is an ad campaign re-inventing a staid brand of inedible humbugs, packaging them into a rather suggestive length of silver tubing, re-naming the product ‘Scorpio’, and filming an extremely risqué TV commercial which will have fans of those old ‘King Cone’ advertisements salivating! After this, there’s no stopping the devious fraudster - his machinations result in flustered pollster Ronnie Corbett uncovering the Rimmer-contrived ‘fact’ that 42% of Nuneaton’s populace are practising Buddhists; political ambitions lead him to court and then abandon both the socialist Prime Minister and the ailing Tory leader, but not before spin-doctoring a Conservative election victory and securing himself a safe seat (becoming Member of Parliament for the constituency of ‘Budleigh Moor’, in-joke fans!), while nabbing a trophy wife (the fabulously sexy Vanessa Howard) in the process. The U.K.’s ailing gold reserves are replenished by the simple act of declaring war on Switzerland and attacking their treasury fortress using cans of ‘Union Jacilli’, i.e. the common cold in handy aerosol spray form, prior to dishing out a press release announcing that gold has been discovered in the North Sea; this in turn brings about a convenient photo opportunity during which Rimmer is able to push the new PM to his watery death from atop an unstable rig platform.

Once installed as leader of the country, Rimmer goes into overdrive, pulling off his greatest coup so far. Pray that no prospective ministerial candidate ever sees this movie, as the plan proposed is so fiendish that it might just work for real. It sounds, at face value, to be the ultimate in democracy - allowing everyone in the country the opportunity to vote in a referendum on every single issue. The genius of this ploy is revealed when the great British public, saturated with form-filling and ballot-marking, give up all interest in politics - leaving a clear path for Rimmer to announce his job upgrade to presidential status. Surviving two assassination attempts (one perpetrator being disgruntled ex-Fairburn boss Arthur Lowe, his performance as usual quite the best aspect of a fine picture) during the Kennedy-in-Dallas style closing scenes, Cook’s concluding, chilling freeze-frame stare into camera leaves no doubt as to his future dictatorial intentions.

If you’re considering voting at a future election - whether for New Labour, Tory, Lib Dem or Monster Raving Loony – see this film first. And think.
Reviewer: Darrell Buxton

 

[Yithian]

Get out there & twat it

Tony Blair? In terms of cretinous, hypocritical sycophants i'd say Arnold Rimmer was his role-model.

 

[ArthurASCII]

Sounds more like Maggie Thatcher with a gender change.

Older posters will recall that Maggie herself had a fine spin doctor in the form of Bernard Ingham, her Press Secretary who, although an appointed civil servant, was so enamoured by the "Iron Lady" that he became her chief apologist and hatchet man.

 

[Yithian]

Older posters will recall that Maggie herself had a fine spin doctor in the form of Bernard Ingham, her Press Secretary who, although an appointed civil servant, was so enamoured by the "Iron Lady" that he became her chief apologist and hatchet man.

The same Sir Ingham who delivered a sound kicking to his neighbour's mercedes after a disagreement 4years ago. Funny chap, i always thought he needed floppier ears to complete that doggy look:

 

[ArthurASCII]

The very same man Yithian, and a funny chap indeed.

Before becoming Maggies lapdog he was a journalist for the Yorkshire Post, and wrote a rabidly left wing Socialist column under a pseudonym for many years. He also ran as a Labour candidate for his local Yorkshire constituency (wasn't elected though).

I wonder what turned him to the "dark side"?

Perhaps it was his unrequited love for Maggers?

 

[stu neville]

It's a great film. The very concept of giving people utter democracy, until they're so sick of it that they demand to be put under totalitarian control, is one that I'm sure Alistair Campbell is running a focus group upon as we speak .

 

[Anonymous]

Sounds more like Maggie Thatcher with a gender change.

'Maggie,' may she suffer eternal torment, was a fairly presentable, time-served, 'Tory Housewife' place-woman, shoe horned into office, in by a golfing and G&T Cabal because of hatred and loathing for 'Ted' Heath. Her real makeover, into the 'Iron Lady' blonde bombshell came later.

Blair, may his name be cursed, was fairly young, charismatic and had a meteoric rise through the ranks, replacing a Labour Party leader, that die-hard conspiracy theorist's might consider died under mysterious circumstances, 'Was John Smith sitting too close to Mandelson at the dinner that day, as the dessert course arrived?' sort of thing.

Tony's band of followers use of 'focus groups,' marketing methods, spin and even the occasional referendum, were much more manipulative and populist, in the Rimmer mold.

Ingham certainly paved the way for the excesses of Campbell. After Ingham and Thatcher's emasculation of the top rungs of the Civil Service ladder, much more US style political 'advisor' placement and unchecked, political manipulation became possible.

Did Ingham kiss the whip, naked, kneeling and kissing the toes of Her patent leather stilettos, on the cold hard floors of Number 10, for his, 'Venus in Furs,' Thatcher? Perhaps we'll never know.

Yes, Arnold Rimmer as well as Michael Rimmer.

Would that make Mandelson, Cat? Campbell, Kryten? Prescott, Lister? Claire Short, Kochanski? Or, some other similiar combination?