There is a version of the film on Youtube with the title "Girly". I'm sure this is missing some scenes as the continuity goes awry at several points, (although I'm not complaining as this is the only version we seem to have and grateful that someone has gone to the trouble of putting the film out there).
Does anyone know if there are different cuts of the film?
Any info gratefully received.
Francis
The film was released as simply "Girly" in the US; this was a big practice at the time, as different distributors (and even theater owners) would rename movies to appeal to their regional audiences. My own copy is titled "Girly." I'll have to have a look at the youtube version and see how it compares. I'd never noticed anything off; but if my version is the same as the youtube one, and you say that there are differences, I'm definitely going to have to track down a UK copy!
shareThanks for this.
I don't know whether you have any info on the following. Elsewhere on the Internet, in one of the plot summaries, it mentions the Michael Bryant character being a "male prostitute"(!). This is not at all apparent from the Youtube version and would a well respected character actor such as Michael Bryant be cast in such a role anyway? Also, there is hardly any gore/bloody scenes and only a flash of female nudity which would hardly merit the 'X' certificate it received in the UK. I'm sure such scenes have been excised.
Also, I've got a nagging feeling that the film was called "Girly" in the UK too although the full title is much better.
Francis
Hmmm, the youtube version is definitely edited then-- I've heard that it was occasionally shown on cable in Canada, which might be where this came from. Apparently it was called "Girly" there, too. There's a line in conversation between "Girlfriend" and "New Friend" that he's her "hired stud" and that she's paying him to party with her. He's not a prostitute as you would think of it-- a street-walking, pay me once, have sex in the back of my car type. Think more along the lines of "Moulin Rouge"-- a high dollar hooker hired by a wealthy individual to accompany them to social events and have sex with them afterwards.
The British version was definitely "Mumsy, Nanny, Sonny, and Girly." I own some original tie-in stuff from it.
I'm not sure of your age, but, back in the day-- pre 1980s--, the ratings system was very limited. You had G, PG, R, and X. Most "R" films from this era would either be PG or PG-13 films today. Psycho, for example, was rated "R" and considered by the censors to be pushing the limits of what could be shown onscreen. Most "X" films from this era-- other than pornography-- would be considered "R" or even "PG-13" films today. The kung fu film "Street Fighter" from 1974 received an "X" solely on the basis of "extreme" martial arts violence. Even as recently as the 1980s, Brian de Palma was threatened with an "X" for "Scarface" on the basis of profanity, the depiction of cocaine use, and violence (two nude women appear in the entire film and there are no depictions of sex whatsoever).
Thanks for this.
Re: "New Friend". My point was that if the character is supposed to be a gigolo then casting Michael Bryant, a middle aged character actor with ordinary looks, is rather odd. And why would a voluptuous actress like Imogen Hassell have to pay for an escort?
Yes, you're right about the title. I've got a (very bad) review of the film with this title in the January 1970 edition of "Films & Filming", this was a montly film publication at the time.
The 'X' rating. In the UK we only had 'X' (for over 18s), 'AA' (14 and over), 'A' (accompanied by an adult) and 'U' (general). The concept of "R" didn't exist. So a lot of films that were 'R' in the US were 'X' in the UK.
Regards,
Francis
Huh. Didn't know about the UK rating system of that era. You were even more restricted than us!
You also bring up a good point about casting... You would expect a gigolo to be some twenty-something muscle-stud, eh? Though Bryant was a rather handsome man, even in his middle age. There is a definite disparity in Imogen Hassell requiring his "services," though, especially as she seems no more offputting than any other swinging rich woman. The implication, based on her appearance, would be that there's something about her personally that so repulses men that she has to pay for sex.
Here's some of the dialogue I was speaking about:
New Friend: I know I'm not everyone's favorite lay about, but I thought I was yours.
Girlfriend: You and that redheaded piece...! Well, she can't afford you.
New Friend: And you can?
Girlfriend: I can. And I do. (She hands him the car keys)
Incidentally, being a UK resident yourself, do you know anything about the supposed play that this was based on? I've scoured the internet but can't find any printed source material beyond the novelization that Brian Comport wrote; and even that credits Maisie Mosco for a play that it's supposedly based upon.
Hi,
Yes the source play "Happy Family" or "The Happy Family" is a bit of mystery. There is a date of 1967 but I can't find any record of there being a production in a British theatre. It's confusing as there is an earlier play called "The Happy Family" as well. I did find a reference to the 1967 play which mentioned it contained actors dressed as children.
Plus the author's name "Maisie Mosco". Now, there was a Maisie Mosco who wrote sentimental sagas in the 80s. I remember seeing these thick paperbacks with the name "Maisie Mosco". One was called "Almonds and Raisins". Could it be the same author?
Incidentally, does the novelisation paperback accurately reflect the film?
Regards,
Francis
Sorry about the delay on the reply.
It would seem that the novel writer Maisie Mosco is the same woman who wrote the play Happy Family. The covers of some of her trade paperback words are rather lurid and point to similar content to that found in "Girly." That a woman who was as semi-famous as she was, though, could author a play that subsequently vanished from the face of the earth, especially when what she was known for was the written word, seems rather strange. At least one person-- Brian Comport-- saw the script, perhaps even the play. I wonder if he can be contacted through any conventional means? Or if he'd even remember anything?
As for the novelization, as I recall, it's a pretty accurate adaptation of the script. Brian Comport actually wrote it himself, and I have to wonder if it went hand-in-hand with the script. It's virtually unheard of in America for screenwriters to adapt their own screenplays into novels; it happened a handful of times in the 1970s but that was primarily done by individuals who were already writers. (Erich Segal and Herman Raucher adapting their scripts for Love Story and Summer of '42 come to mind). One thing that sticks out in my mind is that the novel specifies that the portrait Mumsy and Nanny hang to spy through is of a young Mumsy.
[deleted]
Actually, Psycho was rated R many years after its release, as the MPAA rating system didn't exist in 1960, which kind of ruins your argument that old films would merit a PG rating today. Not only that, there are many horror films which were rated PG back in the 70s that would be rated R today. The rating system is completely arbitrary, and, despite the facade of standardization, is entirely left to the whims of the people on the board at any given time. The ratings almost never hold up to close scrutiny. The MPAA is worthless.
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http://thrill-me.net
If you look at the trailers provided as extras on the DVD for the US and Spanish theatrical releases, you'll see that Girly (the character) has been put massively at the centre of the story. The voiceover and the clips chosen give the impression that she is the dominant character, whereas she gets about equal screentime as the others, and I'd say all four leads drive the story forward equally.
The DVD I bought on eBay years ago, when the controls were somewhat slacker, was called Girly and had a real "come hither" label on it with a drawing of a voluptuous female wielding an axe - you couldn't actually see her face but it was nothing like the Girly we know (who is sexy in her own way, ie a Sixties overgrown schoolgirl way, rather than the 21st Century model on the label). Also, the poster and DVD cover for "Girly" feature her alone with a (small) axe, next to Friend buried up to his neck in sand.
Awight we're The Daamned we're a punk baand and this is called Carn't Be Appy T'day!
A torrent was posted Nov 2007. There is another labelled VHS Rip. They tend to show up on youtube.
shareI first saw "Girly" on Netflix a few years ago. I just watched the one loaded on Youtube, and I noticed the ending was slightly different. In the version that used to be on Netflix, the "new friend" was pouring acid into the tea in preparation to serve Mumsy at the end. The version on Youtube has him just placing the vial of acid under the pillow.
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