The Girl Swappers

Loved seeing these old British movies on Talking Pictures TV, and this is up there with the best. Never a smash at the time apparently, but reminiscing never hurt anyone. Exciting motorcycle action scenes at the beginning, and comedic plot turns, keep the viewer hooked. Stellar performance from Janette Scott holds the whole thing together. Recommended.

Flush with with having just won an Oscar, cameramen Freddie Francis got his first chance to direct. Soon typecast as a maker of horror films he however started with this 'saucy' little youth comedy shot on location in which a blossoming young Janette Scott wore leather and yank leading man George Chakiris claimed to be Canadian.

Eccentric locals are played by Athene Seyler as a dotty old aunt who quotes John Gay and reads 'Lady Chatterly' and Malcolm Keen as a drunken old thespian who recites Shakespeare.

American airman George Chaikiris strikes down his commanding officer. Thinking he has killed him, he goes on the run, and soon is in the company of Janette Scott. Soon again, they hook up with Alfred Lynch and Jocelyn Lane as they try to avoid American military police.

Freddie Francis's first movie as director is a tentative affair, as the young people try to maintain a General Admissions rating in what could have been a rather dirty movie. The leads offer performances as basically good-hearted although standardly rebellious young people. The result is a pleasant if not particularly deep movie, with a nice role for Malcolm Keen as a down-at-the-heels Shakespearean ham.

Jocelyn Lane and Janette Scott didn't need Chakiris and the other actor. A movie just about the two girls would have been fine. No actress today can match Lane in her prime for sexiness, seductive powers and beauty.

George Chakiris's character grated throughout, or maybe it was just George Chakiris.

His military behaviour at the outset was just too implausible to be tolerated as was the scene which set him on the run.

What followed is a series of unconvincing situations which become tiresome.

Only Alfred Lynch of the four main characters comes out with any real credit. Janette Scott although attractive is just too tom-boyish and too-good-to-be-true. Her final scene at the military base is just ridiculous.

Athene Seyler as Aunt Phoebe stole the show!

There are some noteworthy appearances; a very young Jeremy Lloyd (as an upper class twit), Jack Shepherd (Wycliffe) makes an uncredited appearance as a hotel clerk, Robert Raglan makes makes an uncredited appearance (he had a long stint in Dixon of Dock Green), Bernard Braden (60's TV icon),