Le donne del mondo di notte

Here's an obscure British drama now available on DVD.

It is about two 'nightclub hostesses' aka prostitutes working in London. One has to deal with her dad (Hartnell, just before Dr Who) and the other a married businessman who's been having an affair with her.

The front cover of the DVD has Ritchie in bra, panties and stockings and suspenders but there's not a great deal of titillation here. It was an X back then and a 12 now. Her character is a little irritating; Sims gives the better performance here - there's meaning beneath those eyes.

This rather downbeat drama, with flashes of style, is lifted by extensive location shooting. For those who want to see 1963 London it's a treat. Particularly good is the scene where Hartnell walks through Soho amid the flashing neon lights advertising the sexy delights on show. He also walks past a film poster for West End Jungle.

The director did better than this (Village of the Damned) and worse. Now it's difficult to judge how ersatz it is.

Gritty is an overused word, but in the case of this black and white gem set in sixties London, it fulfils. The two young women making their way in the seedy metropolis come into contact with equally damaged male characters - the millionaire's son trying to escape the dominion of his father, and Bella's strait-laced school teacher father... This film certainly grips the atmosphere of the period and the casting is well honed... The thoughtful Bella and her slightly crazy flat mate, the downtrodden poor little rich kid, and the confused father all reveal their frailties and failings. I found it powerful and moving. This movie could have been made yesterday - the characters and their blighted city lives no less real almost six decades ago than today. A must see for students of dramatic theatre...

Billa and Ginnie are 'nightclub hostesses' in London as well as roommates. Apparently being a hostess was code for prostitutes...though the film seems to avoid saying that.

Ginnie (June Ritchie) is incredibly annoying, shallow and without direction in life. Billa is moody...perhaps because she's just found out she's pregnant. As far as their relationship goes, you wonder why they are friends as they are so different...and Ginnie is, as I mentioned above, incredibly annoying as well as selfish. Eventually their friendship is on the line when they both fall for the same married man.

About the most interesting things about this film is seeing William Hartnell (the first Dr. Who) playing Billa's father as well as seeing a brief glimpse of a very young Donald Sutherland in the hostess club. Otherwise, it's hard to care about the story because you don't care about these two women...and there's very little reason to. This is a serious flaw with the movie.