Personal Services

Very funny movie, one of my favorites. The entire cast was great but Julia Walters was excellent, as always. "Popazokaloo" should have become a household word, apparently not enough people saw the movie. The scene in the loo will make you laugh till you cry. I find it interesting that the men I know that have seen the movie don't find it as amusing as the women who have viewed it do. (Watch it and draw your own conclusions about my observation.)

I remember me and my friends renting this out back when we were teenagers because the video cover made it look like it was going to be a sexy romp. Imagine our surprise when we sat down to watch it and discovered it had all the sexiness of a John McCririck workout video. In fairness to me and my teenage mates, we actually really liked this one, despite the false advertising. It begins with a disclaimer, pointing out that this is absolutely not the story of the famous British madame, Cynthia Payne. And clearly it isn't seeing as the madame in this one is called Christine Painter - a name not similar in any way whatsoever. So, yeah, despite the disclaimer, this basically IS the story of Cynthia Payne; of how she became a prostitute and set up a happy house which attracted a bunch of elderly men in need of servicing. It was directed by Monty Python's Terry Jones and was even banned in Ireland for two months! Revisiting it all these years later, I would say it isn't massively funny but its still a decent movie, with Julie Walters putting in a good performance as Payne.... I mean Painter.

This film is a forgotten British Masterpiece, if only for its portrayal of something we still find difficult to come to terms with now in 2016. Everyone has a little inside them of what is shown here, awakening that, sometimes is beyond our own choices, but for us to begin to understand what makes people tick, this film really needs to be watched. There is a little nudity, but more important, there is good all round acting and a solid belief when you reach the end that your time has not been wasted. If you can indeed find a copy i fully recommend you open a bottle of wine, get out the popcorn, close the curtains, lock the door, put out the granny, and enjoy.

Personal Services is an exceptional film that has been underrated, ignored and obscured by the avalanche of goon comedies which crowd the late 80's and 90's. Its portrait of a kindly brothel keeper do-gooder (which might be described as the kinky, middle aged s&m version of Austen's Emma) is so packed with outrageous imagery, one could forget to admire its level headed attitude toward sex. The glee it takes at exposing the absolute silliness of adults on the subject, as well as its constant stabs at the hypocrisy of the British middle class makes it stand out. Neither of those subjects are particularly unknown to British comedy, of course, but Personal Services never lets up, and skewers so many shoddy English values at the rate of swatting flies.

The film is a strong departure of style for Terry Jones, its director, whose former The Meaning of Life would lead us to imagine another style altogether. Certainly he is drawn to the material for its surrealistic and madcap flavor, but he surprisingly brings qualities of realism, detail and nitty-grit to the episodes that help keep the film grounded in a believable social milieu.

The script, by David Leland (Mona Lisa) is a fictional account that follows the rise of Cynthia Payne, the English madame who became the darling of the English press after several arrests in the middle 80's. Leland also wrote and directed a film released the same year (Wish You Were Here) which captures Payne in her teen-age years, but Personal Services is much tighter, rapid-fire and more ambitious.

The film veers between outrageous comic episodes and very real emotional moments that reflect the social realist scenes of earlier English films like A Taste of Honey and Room at the Top. The struggle of a woman deciding whether to take the plunge and become a prostitute; the scene where the heroine confronts her distant dad at her sister's wedding; the scenes that reflect the loneliness and isolation the heroine feels may not seem appropriate in a pull-out-all-the-stops laugh fest, but they help to deepen the themes of the film, and give it both depth and breath. One of the more melancholy themes that stays dominant in the film is the deep emotional price one must pay for being a non-conformist.

The vivid imagery Jones brought to the Monty Python films serves an equally symbolic purpose here. The image of a prostitute with angel's wings flapping pitifully about a moonlit garden as she tries to escape the policeman who tackles her is an image which welds perfectly the film's sacred and profane themes and is unforgettable. And there are so many daring, in your face scenes ––the discipline scenes in the brothel; the exposure of Dotty in the john; the marvelous gift the madame gives both her father and son–– and they keep the film more surprising and fresh than most sex comedies of the 90's.

Julie Waters gives one of her wittiest, shaded, and full performances but she is only one–– the many character actors in the film are perfect in tone and work together in extraordinary ways. The film serves as a reality check about one's own up-tight attitudes about sex. (Your own squirming should be a revelation! ) American viewers need to be very much on their toes, however, because some of the funniest dialogue is rapid (with authentic accents) and often thrown away. Also helpful is to realize the slang expression `willie' does NOT refer to a dolphin, but to a guy's you know what.

I am always running into people who discovered this film on their own, and hold it high on their list of the greatest comedies. I urge you to discover it for yourself!

Julie Walters is great in this story of a woman who starts off life working in a café but ends up being arrested for living off the immoral earnings made running a brothel for the great and the good. It's loosely based on the rise and fall of the renowned madam Cynthia Payne (who consulted on the drama) and reaches inside the murky sex industry, laying bare peccadilloes galore as we discover a wide variety of kinks that keep all ranges of society entertained and/or employed. "Christine" is a shrewd business woman whom aided by her stalwart "Dolly" (Danny Schiller); "Shirley" (Shirley Stelfox) and the RAF veteran Wing Commander - in panties and a bra - "Morten" (Alec McCowen) is making quite a go of her elicit enterprise. The police pop up now and again, but for the most part Terry Jones left me with thinking that this is actually quite an empowering drama. Certainly some of the women taking part do so out of necessity - and perhaps that is rather underplayed here - but we are also presented with the inescapable fact that human beings are all different and that the Victorian-era proscription of sex, and of sexual practices between consenting adults is long outdated and certainly no business of the state or their agencies. David Leland has written a script that is peppered with realism, sarcasm and proves ideal for the on-form Walters and her well targeted delivery. It does meander around familial discord a bit, which I didn't need - but the last few scenes speak (or should that be spank) volumes about the hypocrisy and double-standards that prevail in a society that should enjoy sex and keep it's nose where it belongs... It's good fun and thought-provoking in equal measure, and well worth a watch.