From a linguistic perspective, few places breed innovation in how language develops and is used than prisons – these institutions tend to provide fascinating insights into how people change meanings of words ascribe entirely new definitions to existing terms, or even just outright create new phrases, all of which is usually done to establish some secret form of communication. The concept of a “stretch” is not entirely difficult to understand, but it takes on a radical new meaning under the guidance of director Robert Day and an expansive coterie of screenwriters, who use this term, as well as many other terrific words used by prisoners, as the foundation for Two-Way Stretch, a bitingly funny and subversive dark comedy that tells the story of a trio of eccentric prisoners who are nearing the end of their sentences, but are eager to conduct one final heist, this time from the inside: they will break out of prison, commit a robbery of some valuable jewels, and then return without anyone noticing, as this will give them the perfect alibi. However, the sudden arrival of a new chief warden (who replaces the more easygoing, oblivious one that came before him), only complicates their plans, forcing our protagonists to improvise a new plan, which turns out to be far more difficult than they anticipated. A delightfully irreverent and borderline provocative comedy, the kind that we found growing increasingly more common in Great Britain in the years following the end of the Second World War, Two-Way Stretch is a charming and upbeat film that doesn’t take itself too seriously, nor does it offer anything we haven’t seen countless times before, but rather its method of gradually deconstructing certain ideas and delivering them in entirely bespoke ways earns it a lot of credibilities, allowing it to flourish into an unexpectedly charming romp through the prison system, carefully curated by some of the great comedic minds of their generation, gathered to tell this bizarre but hilarious story.

In its simplest form, Two-Way Street is a film that is essentially a delightful comedy-of-errors, focusing on the experiences of a trio of prisoners who believe that they can outsmart the system, as well as the pernickety officer who not only proves them right in the process but finds himself becoming a direct victim of their mischief, which leads to a film that is as delightfully perverse as it is outrageously funny. Complexity was never something that Day or the screenwriters gave too much credence, nor is the belief that it has to be entirely consistent in its vision. Once these stark realizations come into play, we start to see the film take advantage of this free-form approach. The humour is undeniably very predictable, and we can see most of the jokes coming from miles away, knowing exactly where they will lead and precisely how the aftermath will look. However, something that we find underpinning the entirety of this film is that in some comedies, it’s not so much the punchline that matters, but rather the journey to get there, as well as how it is delivered. Much of this film is quite obvious in how it delivers its humour, but it never feels tacky or cliched, since it very boldly offers unique insights into the subject matter without needing to become overwrought. Instead, it grows into quite a daring comedy in which everything that can go wrong absolutely will, and that everything that surrounds it is merely just a way to get to a particular point. Day was a fantastic filmmaker, and his vision is simple and distinct – journeyman director who worked for a few major British studios, usually in the genre of comedy, he crafted engaging and hilarious works that were quite more distinguished and layered in practice than they seemed to be in theory, and Two-Way Stretch is maybe his crowning achievement, at least in terms of being well-formed and intriguing, offering bespoke concepts that ultimately coalesce into a delightfully off-the-wall premise.

A few years before he became deservedly world-renowned for his physical and vocal elasticity that allowed him to play just about any kind of character, Peter Sellers was a well-liked journeyman actor and comedian working laboriously within his craft, usually occupying scene-stealing supporting parts, which is where he initially flourished. Two-Way Stretch was one of his first headlining roles, after many smaller roles that used him well but didn’t realize that he was perfectly adept at leading a film. However, those expecting Sellers to be playing one of his distinctive off-the-wall eccentrics may be slightly disappointed, since he is by far the most normal of the three protagonists, playing the level-headed, logical thinker who acts as the mastermind behind the operation and depends on his cohorts for the more offbeat ideas. Regardless, as normal as he seems, Sellers is still terrific in the part, and it’s refreshing to see him taking on such a decidedly different role since his ability to make us laugh while still playing the straight man is a great testament to his skill. The other two members of his team are played by comedy performers David Lodge and Bernard Cribbins, both of which are terrific, taking these one-dimensional archetypes and infusing them with such life and vivacity, and very importantly working closely with Sellers to develop this trio to give off the sense of authenticity, rather than just an instance of three comedy actors being thrown together and labelled as a team. However, perhaps the most impressive performance comes from someone in the supporting cast – Lionel Jeffries only makes his entry a third of the way into Two-Way Stretch, but the moment he appears on screen as this cruel, sadistic officer who derives nothing but pleasure from abusing inmates (which he merely views as governing with an iron fist), we know we are about to witness a comedic masterclass. He goes toe-to-toe with Sellers, challenging him in terms of both comedic delivery and physical humour, often even exceeding his skills and proving to be just as gifted a performer in comedy as he was in more dramatic parts, which will always pale in comparison to his more lighthearted output. The entire cast of Two-Way Stretch is quite strong, and brings so much wit and nuance to their roles, which makes an enormous difference in how the film is perceived.

Comedy doesn’t need to have any deeper meaning, and it’s perfectly appropriate to have a film that is simply designed not to be taken seriously, and instead depends on the strength of its humour more than anything else. Yet, it can also be worthwhile to take any work of humour and attempt to understand what informed it – I’ve often said that comedy is by far the best way to understand dominant mentalities and beliefs of a particular group or era, simply because it is very telling to know precisely what it is that makes a population laugh. Two-Way Stretch was made at a very specific time in British history – the dust had only recently settled after the end of the Second World War, and the country was in the process of rebuilding. The decade that followed was integral in this regard, and while it may not be as radical as comedies like Hue and Cry or the works of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger (which were instances of films that used humour to directly address the issues of the post-war period), there was still a sense of subversion lingering beneath the surface of these films, almost as if these filmmakers were deliberately attempting to dismantle conceptions of authority and patriotism. It may be a stretch to say that this film was dedicated to exploring its deeper meaning – after all, it isn’t one that necessarily lends itself to the most conventional image of what life in the aftermath of war should look like, but there is still a sense of strong satire guiding the story. Most of it has to do with incredulity towards institutions – the prison at the heart of this film is shown to have grown lax and reckless, treating its prisoners like hotel residents and essentially giving them the lay of the land. Incredibly unrealistic but deeply hilarious, and oddly quite profound in how it offers some scathing indictments on the nature of society and how it tends to uphold these systems that are so cherished, but in reality often arbitrary and based on nothing more than outdated decorum, at least in terms of the traditions that remain stagnant, which is precisely what is being so mercilessly mocked throughout this film.

Humour is not only subjective, but it can be profoundly dated, and it is difficult to discern whether or not a particular piece of comedy will age well, or if it will just be viewed as a product of its time. Fortunately, we find that a well-crafted comedy can have an impact regardless of when it was produced, which can result in some truly terrific viewing, even if we are far removed from the context in which the film was created. Two-Way Stretch is not a difficult film to appreciate – its perspective is quaint enough to be charming, but it has a few timeless ideas that transcend the period in which it was made since it derives most of its humour from concepts that are still extremely relevant today. The prison system remains as flawed and controversial today as it did in the early 1960s and the portions where Day and his cohorts are interrogating the system and trying to reveal some of its most severe flaws are still resonant and continue to factor into many contemporary conversations around incarceration and the treatment of prisoners. Naturally, everything in this film is filtered through the lens of being subversive and comedic, so nothing can truly be taken seriously as far as the overarching commentary is concerned – but it’s the small details and allusions that speak volumes and prove to make this film far more nuanced than it seems to be at a cursory glance. Filled with tremendous performances from dedicated actors who commit wholeheartedly to the entire premise, which includes placing themselves in some truly bizarre scenarios, and driven by a genuine sense of lovable chaos, Two-Way Stretch is an absolute delight, a charming and offbeat dark comedy with a lot of heart and soul, and enough satirical edge to be provocative even by modern standards, which is extremely high praise for any satire, especially one as simple and intimate as this one, which only proves its incredible mastery of a tricky subject and an even more challenging genre.