This short won the Academy Award for Live Action Short, Two-Reeler, over two shorts from Disney, which was no small feat back then. There will be spoilers ahead:The title of this short refers to the practice of custom-tailoring clothing to fit an individual, with such apparel referred to as "bespoke" and thus not to be sold to anyone else. The short begins with a funeral and a tailor dropping a coat in a grave. The story is related by the ghost of the dead man visiting the tailor that night.The tailor, named Morrie, is friends with Fender, a clerk for Ranting and Co., a clothing manufacturer. When Fender asks the current owner of Ranting if he can buy a sheepskin coat on time, he is callously refused, even though he's worked for the firm for more than 40 years and knew the current Ranting when he was a child.Fender pleads with Morrie to mend his current coat, but it's too old and can no longer be repaired, it's too far gone to be mended. They strike a bargain on a custom coat at cost. Morrie begins making the coat and gets a down payment.Fender gets sacked by Ranting and tearfully tells Morrie he cannot pay for the coat. Fender gets sick and dies of pneumonia. He is the ghost who visits Morrie and asks for his help in settling a debt of honor with Ranting. They go to the warehouse, where the ghost of Fender gets them in the warehouse and Fender helps himself to a sheepskin coat. Fender then asks Morrie to say a prayer for him and the short ends back at Morrie's with Morrie praying for Fender.The three principal roles are all well done by the actors, but Alfie Bass stands out as Fender. It's a wonderful short and richly deserved its Oscar.This is available on a region 2 DVD release of The Innocents and I saw it online. Most highly recommended.

Celebrated British fantasy short from an equally famous source, a story by the great Russian novelist Nikolai Gogol which has been filmed several times (I own two other adaptations myself: the 1952 Italian version and a 1954 TV program also made in Britain: interestingly, both of these had served as dramatic showcases for comic stars i.e. Renato Rascel and Buster Keaton[!] respectively). For the record, yet another acclaimed cinematic rendition of the tale is the Russian one from 1959.In the case of the film under review, however, the essentially low-key handling benefits tremendously from the presence of character actors in the central roles (and also by emphasizing their Jewishness): Alfie Bass – some of his mannerisms here would be reprised in Roman Polanski’s horror spoof THE FEARLESS VAMPIRE KILLERS (1967)! – is the poor and meek clerk, who wishes to own an overcoat that would shield him from the cold environment at his workplace (ironically, a textile business), and David Kossoff the modest but “Number One” tailor he entrusts with the task.Actually, the film begins with Bass’ funeral – and Kossoff buries the coat with him, the former having died (of a broken heart from being sacked) before it was completed. Subsequently, the tailor is visited by the ghost of the clerk – recounting the animosity with his employer, how the ownership of the overcoat became a question of dignity and pride, how he lost his job and ensuing lonesome death. Bass, however – who feels spited, having been shown no gratitude for the service he diligently rendered for so long – asks Kossoff to accompany him to the shop intending to ‘abscond’ with a piece of expensive fabric (finally settling on a sheepskin coat).Director Clayton boldly chose to treat ghost stories with the same level of realism accorded to a gritty drama (see also THE INNOCENTS [1961], on whose R2 SE DVD this short was thankfully made available) and for which he employed cinematographer Wolfgang Suschitsky (especially effective are the transitions from the present to Bass’ recollections and back again) and composer Georges Auric (who supplies a lovely score). The end result – which emerged both an Oscar and Venice Film Festival winner – is fascinating and virtually flawless, ensuring its solid reputation (for a short subject) among cineastes.

Those who have written eloquently of their love for this picture may by now have found it.If they have not, they should know that it is available as a splendid extra on the BFI DVD of Jack Clayton's The Innocents. Worth going multi-region if not in Region-2!Both films look very good and The Bespoke Overcoat seems to have gained a few minutes since its original release: it does not begin with the deathbed scene described by a previous poster but with a pre-title sequence in a graveyard.I hope this is helpful.

First, Wolf Mankowitz could write. Just about the worst thing he ever wrote was "a kid for two farthings" and that was pretty good. This was the best thing he ever wrote.Second, both Alfie Bass and David Kossoff acted brilliantly and must have been cast by a genius.Third, the Director also knew what he was about. He shot the film straight down the middle and didn't waste a frame. I suppose I must have seen it for the one and only time getting on for fifty years ago. I still remember some of the lines - "Flying jackets? In these jackets you can fly?" - and the ghost of Fender refusing to walk through the wall because he "felt silly". Didn't somebody get nominated for an Oscar?