On the Game

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On the Game
On the Game film Theatrical release poster (1974).png
Directed by Stanley Long
Written by Suzanne Mercer
Produced byStanley Long
Barry Jacobs
Starring Lloyd Lamble
Gloria Walker
Olive McFarland
Carmen Silvera
David Brierly
Fiona Victory
Peter Duncan
Narrated by Charles Gray
Production
company
Salon Productions
Release date
  • 1974 (1974)
Running time
88 mins
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish

On the Game is a 1974 British comedy drama film directed by Stanley Long and starring Charles Gray. [1] It was written by Suzanne Mercer, [2] who spent two years researching it. [3] [4] The film is a dramatised comedy documentary about prostitution through the ages.

Contents

Cast

Production

Mercer said, "Had I lived in 16th century Italy, or in the 1860's in France I probably would have been a courtesan ... I don’t think On the Game is anti-feminist ... In my view, no woman need be oppressed or repressed. I’m a chick, married for seven years, and I lead an independent life. I work in a very tough business.” [5]

Critical reception

Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: "Tawdry in the extreme, On the Game is a shoe-string production that almost becomes a high camp exercise in minimal film-making: a garden somewhere in Greater London – in early spring, with a small flight of goosepimpled dolly-birds – stands in for the temple meads of Babylon, and elsewhere a quarry and various London town houses do service for various periods, The film bids, from time to time, to be taken seriously for its historical stance, but such efforts are briskly guyed by its fun-poking notion of bawdy humour." [6]

The East Kent Times and Mail called it "an informative and entertaining film." [7]

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References

  1. ↑ "On the Game". British Film Institute Collections Search. Retrieved 3 December 2023.
  2. ↑ Pratt, Vic. "Bread (1971)". BFI Screenonline.
  3. ↑ "Stanley A Long Side 5". British Entertainment History Project. 24 November 1999.
  4. ↑ Sheridan, Simon (16 September 2012). "Stanley Long: Film director who was described by 'The Sun' as 'The King of Sexploitation'". The Independent.
  5. ↑ Ruben, William S. (August 1977). "The X Rated Business Woman". Together. p. 53.
  6. ↑ "On the Game". Monthly Film Bulletin . 41 (480): 32. 1974. ProQuest   1305831369 – via ProQuest.
  7. ↑ "Not for children". The East Kent Times and Mail. 27 November 1974. p. 6.
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