Go to Blazes

Go to Blazes

Year: 1962

Runtime: 80 mins

Language: English

Director: Michael Truman

Comedy

A crew of would‑be bank robbers teams up with a pair of arsonists, buying a fire truck to stage a spectacular diversion for their heist. Masquerading as firefighters, they hope the blaze will cover their crime, but the ruse quickly spirals out of control, leading to a disastrous showdown.

Warning: spoilers below!

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Timeline & Setting – Go to Blazes (1962)

Explore the full timeline and setting of Go to Blazes (1962). Follow every major event in chronological order and see how the environment shapes the story, characters, and dramatic tension.

Time period

1960s

Set in the 1960s London, the caper unfolds amid fashion, street chases, and the city’s public institutions. The era’s vehicles, dress shops, and urban bustle shape how the criminals execute their scheme and interact with authority. The period framing adds a sense of brisk pace and social color to the comedy of errors.

Location

London, Wormwood Scrubs, Berkeley Square, Smithfield, remote fire station

The story unfolds across central London, with key scenes around a jeweller's on Berkeley Square, a scrap yard, and a remote fire station. The action weaves between upscale streets and working-class districts, as the trio’s plans collide with the city’s emergency services. The settings reflect a mid-20th-century London where glamour and grit coexist amid constant pursuit.

🏙️ London 🚨 Crime caper 💎 Jewelry heist

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 18:40

Main Characters – Go to Blazes (1962)

Meet the key characters of Go to Blazes (1962), with detailed profiles, motivations, and roles in the plot. Understand their emotional journeys and what they reveal about the film’s deeper themes.

Harry (Daniel Massey)

Harry is a quick-witted, ambitious member of the heist trio who leans on charm and improvisation. He schemes to impress Chantal, posing as the son of Lady Hamilton to win a dinner date, and uses deception to advance their plans. He remains focused on getting away clean, even as the plans spin out of control.

🕵️ Clever 🧭 Planner 🎭 Deceptive

Bernard (Dave King)

Bernard is the steady partner whose actions drive the logistical side of the plan. He helps source a fire engine, coordinates with Eddie, and orchestrates the bank job. His pragmatism often clashes with the group’s bungling, fueling the film’s chaotic turns.

🤝 Loyal 🧰 Planner 🧪 Pragmatic

Alfie (Norman Rossington)

Alfie is the jokey, somewhat naive member who bungles the team’s schemes. He contributes to the plan but frequently misreads risks, culminating in the infamous wrong-hose incident. His presence keeps the caper light, even as things go awry.

😂 Comic 🧭 Impulsive 🧩 Scatterbrained

Arson Eddie (Robert Morley)

Arson Eddie is a flamboyant, fire-obsessed figure who claims to know how to start fires but not how to put them out. He is reluctant to help at first, seeking a share in return for assistance. His fixation on flames shapes the gang’s plans and adds a volatile edge to the caper.

🔥 Arson 🧭 Mentor 🧨 Eccentric

Chantal (Maggie Smith)

Chantal is the French-speaking owner of a salon adjacent to a bank, who pretends polish and wealth while hiding financial trouble. She fascinates Harry and becomes entwined in the criminals’ schemes, even as she asserts a sharp, opportunistic edge. Her presence laces the plot with glamour and risk.

💎 Fashion 🗝️ Deception 🗣️ Charisma

Madame Colette (Coral Browne)

Colette runs the dress shop and reveals the fashion collection is insured, signaling a willingness to leverage risk for profit. She collaborates with the gang to stage the bank job, balancing prudence with a keen appetite for profit. Her scheming underscores the collaboration between fashion and crime.

💼 Boss 🧩 Planner 🧠 Calculated

Withers (Dennis Price)

Withers is a disgraced former fire chief recruited to train the trio, drawn by the idea of a share in the winnings. He brings expertise to their arson-based plan while exposing the moral ambiguities of their scheme. His involvement anchors the group’s attempts to become 'professional' criminals.

👔 Former Official 🧭 Trainer 🧨 Arson

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 18:40

Major Themes – Go to Blazes (1962)

Explore the central themes of Go to Blazes (1962), from psychological, social, and emotional dimensions to philosophical messages. Understand what the film is really saying beneath the surface.

🕵️ Crime & Deception

A skilled but morally flexible trio relies on disguises, misdirection, and fake identities to pull off a high-stakes heist. Deception drives the plot, from counterfeit personas to staged emergencies used as cover. The film explores how cunning plans can hinge on careful manipulations of appearances.

😅 Comedy of Errors

The caper unfolds through a string of bungles and near-misses that keep escalating the stakes. Incompetence and miscommunication lead to chaotic, slapstick moments—like mistaken fire-fighting and wrong equipment usage. Laughter comes from the trio’s relentless misjudgments as they chase a perfect getaway.

🎭 Disguise & Performance

Disguises and performative roles blur borders between crime, work, and entertainment. The group passes as firemen, and fashion-world personas mask their true intentions, reflecting a culture fascinated with image. The line between authentic skill and theatrical display becomes central to the plot.

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 18:40

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Discover curated groups of movies connected by mood, themes, and story style. Browse collections built around emotion, atmosphere, and narrative focus to easily find films that match what you feel like watching right now.

Comedies of Incompetence and Chaos like Go to Blazes

Plans made by fools spiral into hilarious, out-of-control disasters.If you enjoyed the bumbling heist antics in Go to Blazes, you'll love these movies where foolish plans spiral into hilarious disasters. This thread features similar fast-paced comedies of errors, filled with silly characters and farcical situations that escalate beyond anyone's control.

farcicalsillychaoticmischievouscomicallightheartedescalating

Narrative Summary

Stories in this thread follow a straightforward arc: a simple, often criminal, plan is hatched by a group of characters whose confidence far outweighs their competence. The plot is driven by a rapid sequence of missteps, bad luck, and unintended consequences, building momentum until the initial scheme is entirely lost in a whirlwind of self-created chaos.

Why These Movies?

These movies are grouped together because they share a core comedic principle: humor derived from failure. The tone is consistently light and farcical, the pacing is fast to keep up with the escalating mishaps, and the emotional weight is minimal, ensuring the chaos is fun rather than stressful.

Heist Comedies Gone Wrong like Go to Blazes

The perfect plan meets imperfect people, with laughable results.Looking for more movies like Go to Blazes? This thread collects comedies where a heist plan is brilliant on paper but doomed in practice. You'll find similar stories of disguises, diversions, and disastrous showdowns, all played for laughs rather than tension.

heistmischievouscomicaldisguisefarcicalbotched plans

Narrative Summary

The narrative pattern involves assembling a team or a plan for a theft, often involving a complex diversion or disguise. However, the core conflict isn't with security systems but with the characters' own ineptitude. The heist itself becomes a series of comedic set pieces, and the typical ending involves capture or failure, but in a way that feels like a fitting punchline rather than a tragedy.

Why These Movies?

These films are united by their use of the heist genre as a framework for comedy. They share a light tone, fast pacing to match the action, and a focus on the humorous flaws of the criminals rather than the sophistication of the crime.

Unlock the Full Story of Go to Blazes

Don't stop at just watching — explore Go to Blazes in full detail. From the complete plot summary and scene-by-scene timeline to character breakdowns, thematic analysis, and a deep dive into the ending — every page helps you truly understand what Go to Blazes is all about. Plus, discover what's next after the movie.

Go to Blazes Summary

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Go to Blazes Summary

Go to Blazes Timeline

Track the full timeline of Go to Blazes with every major event arranged chronologically. Perfect for decoding non-linear storytelling, flashbacks, or parallel narratives with a clear scene-by-scene breakdown.

Go to Blazes Timeline

Go to Blazes Spoiler-Free Summary

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Go to Blazes Spoiler-Free Summary

More About Go to Blazes

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