Spanish Fly (1975 film)
| Spanish Fly | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Bob Kellett |
| Written by | Peter James José Luis Martínez Mollá Robert Ryerson |
| Produced by | Gerald Flint-Shipman Peter James |
| Starring | Terry-Thomas Leslie Phillips Graham Armitage Sue Lloyd |
| Music by | Ron Goodwin |
Production companies | Winkle Productions Quadrant Films Izaro Films |
| Distributed by | EMI Films |
Release date | February 1976 |
Running time | 86 minutes |
| Countries | United Kingdom Spain |
| Language | English |
| Budget | £250,000[1] |
Spanish Fly is a 1976 British-Spanish comedy film directed by Bob Kellett and starring Terry-Thomas, Leslie Phillips, Graham Armitage, Sue Lloyd and Nadiuska.[2] [3]
Plot
An impotent British fashion designer heads out to Spain for a photo shoot and encounters an old school rival who has inadvertently added an aphrodisiac to the local wine.
Cast
- Terry-Thomas as Sir Percy de Courcy
- Leslie Phillips as Mike Scott
- Graham Armitage as Perkins
- Nadiuska as Julie
- Frank Thornton as Doctor Johnson
- Ramiro Oliveros as Juan
- Sue Lloyd as Janet Scott
- Andrea Allan as Bruce
- Sally Farmiloe as Francesca
- Jaleh Haddah as Annette
- Nina Francis as Isabel
- Sergio Mendizábal as Pons Prades
- Emiliano Redondo as Clean Domingo
- Fernando Villena as Dirty Domingo
- Marisa Porcel as Maria
- José Lifante as Pedro
Production
Impact-Quadrant Films was a company run by Peter James and Kent Walwin which specialised in financing and distributing horror films. They wanted to move into the British domestic sex comedy market, having noticed that there were no challenges to the Carry On Films. They made a small investment in Can You Keep It Up for a Week? which was successful and they began to look at making a whole feature.[1]
A Canadian distributor had success with a Leslie Phillips film and asked if they could have another Phillips was about to go to Australia for a year so they had a script written quickly, about an escort agency. Nobody liked it so James and Walwin wrote a 110 page treatment over "a long weekend" which was turned into a script by a writer.[1]
EMI Films provided 40% of the £250,000 budget. A Spanish company provided 8% and the rest came from James, his associate and four English backers, one of them a lawyer.[1]
The film was part of a six-picture slate from EMI Films, which also included Evil Under the Sun, Ace's High and big screen adaptations of The Likely Lads and Sweeney.[4]
It was filmed in Menorca. Terry-Thomas was suffering from the effects of Parkinson's Disease at the time.[5]
The film featured designs from Peter Reger.[6]
Reception
The film was released with a heavy advertising campaign, including a novelisation of the script, a song "Fly Me" (because the BBC would not play a song called "Spanish Fly").[1]
Box Office
The film sold to 25 countries, something James attributed to the fact that unlike many British sex comedies it featured foreign locations.[1]
James wanted to make a sequel French Kiss but none eventuated.[1]
Critical
Barry Norman called it the least funny British funny film ever made.[1]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h Decline and fall of the funny film The Observer 8 Feb 1976: 32
- ^ "BFI Film & TV Database: SPANISH FLY (1975)". The British Film Institute. Retrieved 16 October 2013.
- ^ SPANISH FLY Monthly Film Bulletin; London Vol. 43, Iss. 504, (Jan 1, 1976): 34.
- ^ Boost for studios The Guardian 9 July 1975: 5.
- ^ "Features". Terry Thomas Fellowship.
- ^ 'We hold our board meetings in bed' The Guardian 26 Aug 1975: 11.
External links
- Spanish Fly at British Comedy Guide
- Spanish Fly at IMDb
- Spanish Fly at VFI
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