There aren't too many whimsical comedies with a Trotskyite sub text, so for that alone let us give thanks, but there's a whole lot more to enjoy here. Vanessa Redgrave for one, looking wonderful as the posh girl who dumps her eccentric husband in favour of stability, shows a real gift for light comedy, Karel Reisz's direction is always inventive and makes good use of inserts from King Kong and Tarzan, and then there's the world's most wonderful couple: Arthur Mullard and Irene Handl.

Warner's performance as Morgan depends how you feel about children who refuse to grow up, though he does become more sympathetic eventually. The Trotsky element comes from writer David Mercer, a renowned playwright and communist of the day and though class figures prominently in the film, it is never didactic. The screenplay is based on a TV play he'd wrote and in a unusual reversal of roles was watered down somewhat for the cinema. The ending turns into the full-blown surrealism that always threatened and there's a great, almost-last line from the Morgan himself: "I've gone all furry".

David Warner is, to my mind, one of the most gifted actors working in films today. He is able to take just about any role in just about any film and invest it with life and interest. In fact, he is the sole reason to ever want to see a great number of films. That said, "Morgan" is a treat because it's one of the few films where Warner gets to play the lead. He doesn't get the girl and he's stark raving mad throughout, but he's still the lead.

This film is very much of its time, but it's still quite enjoyable. Morgan's anarchist antics are always unpredictable and sweet in a psychotic kind of way. And considering the main character's obsession with gorillas, it's interesting to see the film now in light of Warner's appearance in Tim Burton's remake of "Planet of the Apes." Must have felt like deja vu to him.

Recommended for David Warner fans and people who like their comedies a little off-kilter.