The plot is essentially a string of semi-independent set pieces strung together, some more successful than others, but for the 60s connoisseur the great thing is how they all set out to capture the mood and action of the time. Therefore, we have in the front line a hip photographer, a Northern girl manufactured into an overnight pop star, a wild party in the Post Office Tower revolving restaurant (that dates it, doesn't it? Before the bombs...), a far-out boutique named "Too Much" owned by a titled but trendy deb-type, and an "in" restaurant.

What the makers also capture, perhaps unwittingly, is the fact that hip London was just a tiny island in the middle of a sea of a country still emerging only slowly from the morass of post-war penury. So we also see the desperately grimy and dismal streets of London, the inside of a typical Camden cafe (and we are definitely talking caff here, not caf-fey) and a dismal example of ghastly exploitative TV (no great change there then).

The main thing is the sheer creative exuberance of the time and the joie-de-vivre of the young hipsters. The sixties were radically out of fashion by the Thatcherite eighties, and if you want to know why this film gives a few pointers. The self-confidence and self-importance of the time looked distinctly like adolescent innocence by the time London had run through the terrorism, recession, explosion of sex and violence in film and TV and near collapse of the country in the seventies. Fortunately for those of us with a soft spot for this kind of thing, the last ten years has seen a reevaluation which finally recognises just what a fantastically creative and imaginative period this was.

Not a film to watch for character development or depth, but unparalleled as an inside glimpse of a special corner of the sixties.


An Undiscovered MODern Classic   December 29, 2002
smctopia
9 out of 10 found this review helpful

If you love slapstick films or anything from the 1960s, this DVD is for you. This obscure film deserves to be seen and enjoyed by all lovers of the Swinging Sixties.

Rita Tushingham and Lynn Redgrave (Mollie Sugden from "Are You Being Served?" probably got the idea for her character's wigs after seeing Redgrave here) are two girls who decide to make their mark in Swinging London. This film was shot entirely on location and is filled with wonderful shots of Carnaby Street and 1960's London.

Tushingham, who appeared so vulnerable in "The Knack...and How to Get It", really shines in this comedic roll, especially in a scene where she sneaks into the apartment of the man who is trying to seduce a drunk Redgrave. The resulting sabotage is a pleasure to watch.

Anchor Bay released this in widesceen but there are no additional extras on it. After viewers see this, they'll not only wish that there had been some extras, they'll also wish that additional movies about these characters had been made.


Smashing Indeed   August 26, 2002
David Hart (Bathgate, Scotland, UK)
4 out of 4 found this review helpful

This has to be one of the forgotten gems of the 60's. Hilariously funny, a riot from start to finish and it captures swinging London in an "Austin Powers" sort of way. Being from the UK myself its hard to believe that it's not available over here. If you want an easy to watch and very funny slice of 1960's Britain then this is the film for you.