London in the Raw

Last updated

London in the Raw
London in the Raw film theatrical release poster (1964).png
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Arnold L. Miller
Norman Cohen
Written by Arnold L. Miller
Produced by Michael Klinger
Tony Tenser
Stanley Long
Narrated by David Gell
Cinematography Stanley Long
Edited byStephen Cross
Production
company
Searchlight-Troubadour Productions
Distributed byCompton Cameo
Release date
  • 1964 (1964)
Running time
76 mins
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
Budget£20,000 [1]

London in the Raw is a 1964 British documentary about London nightlife directed by Arnold L. Miller and Norman Cohen. [2] [3] It was inspired by the success of Mondo Cane (1962) [4] and was followed by a sequel Primitive London in 1965. [5]

Contents

Reception

Box office

According to Tony Tenser, the film recouped its cost within six months of release. [1]

Critical reception

Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: "London in the raw, not so much in the sense of nudism or even striptease (though the topic is included) as of unpleasantnesses unveiled. What we have here is something of a Mondo Cane of London town, with a distinct bias towards the unpleasant, murky or sordid. ... [The film] gets into its stride with a sequence in a betting-shop: off-course betting, no longer illegal, has developed into big business. Prostitution comes next: the filles de joie have been cleared from Soho streets, but there is no law against a girl leaning out of a window, recognising a "friend", and beckoning. ... Then, scenes of women suffering mechanised assaults on their persons in health clubs, and – the shock sequence – a clinical account of an operation to check baldness, indicate what the contemporary human is prepared to go through with in the name of appearance. ... Lighter relief follows: a Cypriot club, Jewish theatre, carnival night at a German students' club, cabaret entertainment ... showgirls in night clubs, variety entertainment in pubs. When the pubs close, the search goes on for "after hours" entertainment and roulette clubs, while the more distressed addicts drink methylated spirits or wait at Piccadilly until midnight strikes so that they can obtain their allotment of drugs at the all-night pharmacy ... Having reached this sordid point in the very early hours of the morning, the film is evidently nonplussed as to how to wind up, and resorts to the feeble device of presenting brief cuts from sequences which make up the film." [6]

Related Research Articles

<i>Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush</i> (film) 1967 British film directed by Clive Donner

Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush is a 1968 British comedy film produced and directed by Clive Donner and starring Barry Evans, Judy Geeson and Angela Scoular. The screenlay is by Hunter Davies based on his 1965 novel of the same name.

<i>The Good Die Young</i> 1954 British film by Lewis Gilbert

The Good Die Young is a 1954 British crime film directed by Lewis Gilbert and starring Laurence Harvey, Gloria Grahame, Joan Collins, Stanley Baker, Richard Basehart and John Ireland. It was made by Remus Films from a screenplay based on the 1953 novel of the same name by Richard Macaulay. It tells the story of four men in London with no criminal past whose marriages and finances are collapsing and, meeting in a pub, are tempted to redeem their situations by a robbery.

Samuel Anthony Tenser was an English-born film producer of Lithuanian-Jewish descent. He began as the producer of low budget exploitation films before moving into mainstream productions.

<i>The Early Bird</i> 1965 British film by UK Quad poster Directed by Robert Asher

The Early Bird is a 1965 British comedy film directed by Robert Asher and starring Norman Wisdom, Edward Chapman, Bryan Pringle, Richard Vernon, John Le Mesurier and Jerry Desmonde. It was the first Norman Wisdom film to be shot in colour. The title is taken from the expression "the early bird catches the worm".

<i>Saturday Night Out</i> 1964 British film by Robert Hartford-Davis

Saturday Night Out is a 1964 British comedy-drama film directed by Robert Hartford-Davis and starring Heather Sears, John Bonney, Bernard Lee, Erika Remberg, Francesca Annis, Margaret Nolan and David Lodge. It is known for its portrayal of early Swinging London.

<i>The Secret Place</i> (film) 1957 British film by Clive Donner

The Secret Place is a 1957 British crime film that was the directorial debut of Clive Donner. It stars Belinda Lee, Ronald Lewis, and David McCallum.

<i>The Painted Smile</i> 1962 British film by Lance Comfort

The Painted Smile is a 1962 British second feature thriller film directed by Lance Comfort and starring Liz Fraser, Kenneth Griffith, Peter Reynolds and Tony Wickert.

<i>The Heart of a Man</i> 1959 British film by Herbert Wilcox

The Heart of a Man is a 1959 British drama film directed by Herbert Wilcox and starring Frankie Vaughan, Anne Heywood and Tony Britton. A millionaire in disguise gives a young man money to help him pursue his singing career.

<i>The World Ten Times Over</i> 1963 British film by Wolf Rilla

The World Ten Times Over is a 1963 British drama film written and directed by Wolf Rilla and starring Sylvia Syms, June Ritchie, Edward Judd and William Hartnell. Donald Sutherland makes a brief appearance, in one of his earliest roles. The British Film Institute has described it as the first British film to deal with an implicitly lesbian relationship.

<i>Strictly for the Birds</i> 1964 British film by Vernon Sewell

Strictly for the Birds is a 1964 British second feature comedy film directed by Vernon Sewell and starring Tony Tanner, Joan Sims and Graham Stark. Terry Blessing seems to be having a lucky day, winning at gambling, until a woman with whom he'd had an assignation six years previously phones him and claims her child is his son.

<i>Murder at 3am</i> 1953 film by Francis Searle

Murder at 3 a.m. is a 1953 British crime film second feature directed by Francis Searle and starring Dennis Price, Peggy Evans and Rex Garner. A Scotland Yard detective investigates a series of attacks on women.

<i>Urge to Kill</i> (film) 1960 British film by Vernon Sewell

Urge to Kill is a 1960 British second feature serial killer film directed by Vernon Sewell and starring Patrick Barr, Ruth Dunning and Terence Knapp. It is based on the 1942 novel Hughie Roddis and 1944 play Hand in Glove, both by Gerald Savory.

Michael Klinger was a British film producer and distributor. After Tony Tenser, then a publicist became his business partner, the two men created the Compton cinema chain and distribution company and financed Repulsion (1965) and Cul-de-sac (1966) both directed by Roman Polanski. After their association ended, Klinger produced Get Carter (1971), starring Michael Caine, and Gold (1974), with Roger Moore in the lead, and was the executive producer of the 'Confessions' series of sex comedies with Robin Askwith.

<i>Rattle of a Simple Man</i> 1964 British film by Muriel Box

Rattle of a Simple Man is a 1964 British comedy-drama film directed by Muriel Box and starring Diane Cilento, Harry H. Corbett and Michael Medwin. It was written by Charles Dyer, based on his 1962 play La Crécelle(Rattle of a Simple Man).

<i>Cover Girl Killer</i> 1959 British film by Terry Bishop

Cover Girl Killer is a 1959 black and white British 'B' thriller film directed and written by Terry Bishop and starring Harry H. Corbett, Felicity Young, Victor Brooks and Spencer Teakle.

<i>Who Killed the Cat?</i> 1966 British crime film by Montgomery Tully

Who Killed the Cat? is a 1966 British crime film directed by Montgomery Tully and starring Mary Merrall, Ellen Pollock and Amy Dalby. The screenplay was by Maurice J. Wilson and Tully, based on the 1956 play Tabitha by Arnold Ridley and Mary Cathcart Borer.

Three Steps to the Gallows is a 1953 British second feature crime film directed by John Gilling and starring Scott Brady, Mary Castle and Gabrielle Brune. It was released in the USA by Lippert Pictures as White Fire.

<i>Never Back Losers</i> 1961 British film by Robert Tronson

Never Back Losers is a 1961 British 'B' crime film directed by Robert Tronson and starring Jack Hedley, Jacqueline Ellis and Patrick Magee. The film is based on the 1929 novel The Green Ribbon by Edgar Wallace. It was one of the Edgar Wallace Mysteries series, produced at Merton Park Studios in the early 1960s.

<i>Girls of the Latin Quarter</i> 1960 British film Alfred Travers

Girls of the Latin Quarter is a 1960 British second feature ('B') musical film directed by Alfred Travers and starring Bernard Hunter, Jill Ireland and Sheldon Lawrence. Itwas written by Brad Ashton, Alfred Travers and DIck Vosburgh.

<i>All Coppers Are...</i> 1972 Brtitish film by Sidney Hayers

All Coppers Are... is a 1972 British drama film directed by Sidney Hayers and starring Martin Potter, Julia Foster and Nicky Henson.

References

  1. 1 2 Oakes, Philip. "The next Tycoons." Sunday Times [London, England] 12 Dec. 1965: 34+. The Sunday Times Digital Archive. Web. 29 Mar. 2014.
  2. John Hamilton, Beasts in the Cellar: The Exploitation Film Career of Tony Tenser, Fab Press, 2005 p 40-41
  3. "London in the Raw". British Film Institute Collections Search. Retrieved 30 November 2023.
  4. Simon Sheridan, Keeping the British End Up: Four Decades of Saucy Cinema, Titan Books 2011 p 50-51
  5. "Primitive London (1965)". BFI. Archived from the original on 2 March 2016.
  6. "London in the Raw". Monthly Film Bulletin . 31 (360): 126. 1964. ProQuest   1305826085 via ProQuest.