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Clockwise
Signed and dedicated to the title page by the author. 'To Jackie and Turner with Best Wishes From Michael Frayn'. Includes several pages of stills from the film starring John Cleese
96 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1986
19 people want to read
About the author
Michael Frayn
118 books272 followersMichael Frayn is an English playwright and novelist. He is best known as the author of the farce Noises Off and the dramas Copenhagen and Democracy. His novels, such as Towards the End of the Morning, Headlong and Spies, have also been critical and commercial successes, making him one of the handful of writers in the English language to succeed in both drama and prose fiction. His works often raise philosophical questions in a humorous context. Frayn's wife is Claire Tomalin, the biographer and literary journalist.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
October 1, 2018
Clockwise from 1986, started out as the first film script ever written by Michael Frayn, who was then better known as a novelist and playwright. He was already familiar as the author of hugely successful and enjoyable plays such as “Benefactors” and “Noises Off”, and seemed to write this one on a whim:
“I had always wanted to write something about a man who is late because I have considerably problems in relation to that myself, and only get places early by enormous expenditure of psychic energy.”
Michael Frayn had no idea who he wanted to star. He showed his script to the producer of his stage plays, Michael Codron, who also had never worked in film before, but liked the idea. And when John Cleese received the script, he called it: “The funniest thing that has ever landed on my doormat”, and immediately rang his agent to insist on taking the part. To imagine anyone else in the role now, would be extremely difficult.
The script is about the headmaster of a large comprehensive School, Brian Stimpson, who has been elected to chair the annual Headmasters’ Conference. He is aware of the great honour, as the first headmaster of a comprehensive school to ever be selected, since the candidate would usually be the head of a more privileged private school. We see the way Stimpson runs his own school, which is like clockwork. He is obsessively organised and punctual, to the point of obsession although .
Stimpson repeatedly rehearses his speech and goes over the routine preparations for the journey to the conference, but of course we know that it must inevitably go badly wrong. Sure enough, his carefully ordered world falls apart, as he is plagued by a series of misadventures. Each one is increasingly ridiculous, and yet through the skill of Michael Frayn’s writing, it seems logical - and even likely.
For instance, the first thing to go wrong is
From then on, the situations become more ludicrous, involving a sixth form girl, a monastery, three very eccentric old ladies in a care home, a wealthy car salesman, a childhood friend, and all the distinguished headmasters at the conference. The plot is fast, furious, and farcical. The police are involved, as it concerns kidnap, theft, driving off roads, assault, affairs, and the apparent abduction of a minor. Nevertheless it is all very innocent; a real feel-good script with heart, and ultimately pathos too.
John Cleese has said of Clockwise: “Stimpson is a victim of circumstance. As the pressures increase, his behaviour becomes more and more erratic. Comedy is about things always going wrong, and that’s just what happens to him. When you first see him, he’s in charge. But as events take over and he can’t cope - that’s when he falls apart.”
Other memorable performances in the film come from the three dotty old ladies, including Joan Hickson, and stalwart actors Penelope Wilton, Alison Steadman and Stephen Moore in key roles. But the casting throughout and the timing, is superb. Oddly the film was not very received in the USA, perhaps because of its innocent silliness, and quirky English details. Some of the in-jokes, such as the unreliability of our public phone boxes, are so typically English, that another culture may not have such a delightedly rueful reaction.
I would award the film 5 stars hands down, but the script has to have the rating shaved a little. It is such a visual comedy, that the only benefit from reading it, is that it reminds the reader of the film. My mother, who insisted she did not like John Cleese, found herself falling about laughing by the end. So in this very rare instance, I would say simply, go and watch the film!
“I had always wanted to write something about a man who is late because I have considerably problems in relation to that myself, and only get places early by enormous expenditure of psychic energy.”
Michael Frayn had no idea who he wanted to star. He showed his script to the producer of his stage plays, Michael Codron, who also had never worked in film before, but liked the idea. And when John Cleese received the script, he called it: “The funniest thing that has ever landed on my doormat”, and immediately rang his agent to insist on taking the part. To imagine anyone else in the role now, would be extremely difficult.
The script is about the headmaster of a large comprehensive School, Brian Stimpson, who has been elected to chair the annual Headmasters’ Conference. He is aware of the great honour, as the first headmaster of a comprehensive school to ever be selected, since the candidate would usually be the head of a more privileged private school. We see the way Stimpson runs his own school, which is like clockwork. He is obsessively organised and punctual, to the point of obsession although .
Stimpson repeatedly rehearses his speech and goes over the routine preparations for the journey to the conference, but of course we know that it must inevitably go badly wrong. Sure enough, his carefully ordered world falls apart, as he is plagued by a series of misadventures. Each one is increasingly ridiculous, and yet through the skill of Michael Frayn’s writing, it seems logical - and even likely.
For instance, the first thing to go wrong is
From then on, the situations become more ludicrous, involving a sixth form girl, a monastery, three very eccentric old ladies in a care home, a wealthy car salesman, a childhood friend, and all the distinguished headmasters at the conference. The plot is fast, furious, and farcical. The police are involved, as it concerns kidnap, theft, driving off roads, assault, affairs, and the apparent abduction of a minor. Nevertheless it is all very innocent; a real feel-good script with heart, and ultimately pathos too.
John Cleese has said of Clockwise: “Stimpson is a victim of circumstance. As the pressures increase, his behaviour becomes more and more erratic. Comedy is about things always going wrong, and that’s just what happens to him. When you first see him, he’s in charge. But as events take over and he can’t cope - that’s when he falls apart.”
Other memorable performances in the film come from the three dotty old ladies, including Joan Hickson, and stalwart actors Penelope Wilton, Alison Steadman and Stephen Moore in key roles. But the casting throughout and the timing, is superb. Oddly the film was not very received in the USA, perhaps because of its innocent silliness, and quirky English details. Some of the in-jokes, such as the unreliability of our public phone boxes, are so typically English, that another culture may not have such a delightedly rueful reaction.
I would award the film 5 stars hands down, but the script has to have the rating shaved a little. It is such a visual comedy, that the only benefit from reading it, is that it reminds the reader of the film. My mother, who insisted she did not like John Cleese, found herself falling about laughing by the end. So in this very rare instance, I would say simply, go and watch the film!
March 18, 2026
Clockwise by Michael Frayn is a wonderful comedy with John Cleese in the leading role, he is one of the best comedians ever, just as Michael Frayn is a talented writer – you find thousands of notes on films from The New York Times’ Best 1,000 Movies Ever Made and other sites, and reviews of magnum opera from The Greatest Books of All time and other lists on my blog https://realinibarzoi.blogspot.com/20...
8 out of 10
John Cleese was a member of the best comedy group of all time https://realinibarzoi.blogspot.com/20... Monty Python -one important publication, I think it was Time Out, has listed Monty Python’s Life of Brian as number one among the crème de la crème
In Clockwise he has the role of Brian Stimpson, an obsessive-compulsive headmaster, who is towering over his school – John Cleese is very tall I gather – and he has this system, watching everything and using amplifiers to give orders, he does not tolerate any flimsy mistake, he takes the microphone and acts like a dictator
On the other hand, Lord of The Flies https://realinibarzoi.blogspot.com/20... is one of the best novels of all time by William Golding, and when asked, the author said that the main point he wanted to make was to show what happens when ‘you have no rules, you have nothing’
The headmaster has to participate in a conference, indeed, he is one of the main speakers as far as I can remember, I have last seen this motion picture quite a few years back, but it was mentioned recently, and it did stay with me, unlike so many comedies that are just forgettable, like Good Luck, Don’t Die, Have Fun which was released recently
However, there are a lot of problems along the way, the preposterous teacher gets entangled with a pupil from the high school, she is a teenager – in those days, I guess, it was not taboo as a subject, besides, there is nothing intimate happening – and has to come along, due to unforeseen, amusing circumstances, the tension is palpable
The car ends up on a field, he has to get help from a man with a tractor, ends in some monk’s monastery – at least if I am not making this up, mixing memories between films maybe – and then they have to get a ride with this obnoxious – maybe he was a sort of pervert, if this is not another invention – man who has a supercar
Clockwise is not on the same level with Fawlty Towers https://realinibarzoi.blogspot.com/20... perhaps the best comedy series – or mini-series – of all time, wherein John Cleese is this furious, hilarious, compulsive, arrogant, hotel owner who argues with his wife, clients, but especially with poor Manuel, the waiter who comes from Barcelona
Michael Frayn https://realinibarzoi.blogspot.com/20... is the fabulous writer of the script, I have enjoyed three of his novels, and I have in plan to read again Towards The End of The Morning, a very mirthful book, one of The 1,000 Novels Everyone Must Read
8 out of 10
John Cleese was a member of the best comedy group of all time https://realinibarzoi.blogspot.com/20... Monty Python -one important publication, I think it was Time Out, has listed Monty Python’s Life of Brian as number one among the crème de la crème
In Clockwise he has the role of Brian Stimpson, an obsessive-compulsive headmaster, who is towering over his school – John Cleese is very tall I gather – and he has this system, watching everything and using amplifiers to give orders, he does not tolerate any flimsy mistake, he takes the microphone and acts like a dictator
On the other hand, Lord of The Flies https://realinibarzoi.blogspot.com/20... is one of the best novels of all time by William Golding, and when asked, the author said that the main point he wanted to make was to show what happens when ‘you have no rules, you have nothing’
The headmaster has to participate in a conference, indeed, he is one of the main speakers as far as I can remember, I have last seen this motion picture quite a few years back, but it was mentioned recently, and it did stay with me, unlike so many comedies that are just forgettable, like Good Luck, Don’t Die, Have Fun which was released recently
However, there are a lot of problems along the way, the preposterous teacher gets entangled with a pupil from the high school, she is a teenager – in those days, I guess, it was not taboo as a subject, besides, there is nothing intimate happening – and has to come along, due to unforeseen, amusing circumstances, the tension is palpable
The car ends up on a field, he has to get help from a man with a tractor, ends in some monk’s monastery – at least if I am not making this up, mixing memories between films maybe – and then they have to get a ride with this obnoxious – maybe he was a sort of pervert, if this is not another invention – man who has a supercar
Clockwise is not on the same level with Fawlty Towers https://realinibarzoi.blogspot.com/20... perhaps the best comedy series – or mini-series – of all time, wherein John Cleese is this furious, hilarious, compulsive, arrogant, hotel owner who argues with his wife, clients, but especially with poor Manuel, the waiter who comes from Barcelona
Michael Frayn https://realinibarzoi.blogspot.com/20... is the fabulous writer of the script, I have enjoyed three of his novels, and I have in plan to read again Towards The End of The Morning, a very mirthful book, one of The 1,000 Novels Everyone Must Read
Read
December 25, 2018A script that grows on you with repeated viewings.
March 7, 2026
Brilliantly wacky although the film seems to have ended when the producer ran out of film and/or money.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews