The Best House In London (1969)

In Victorian London, prostitutes throng the streets blocking tradesmen's shops. What to do? The Home Secretary (John Bird) has the idea of opening a secretly funded government brothel to take them off the streets. But a young feminist (Joanna Pettet, THE GROUP) from a prestigious family makes it her mission to take the fallen women off the streets and teach them respectable professions. Directed by Philip Saville, this late 60s sex romp was originally rated X (since changed to NC-17) and one can see why. While tame by contemporary standards, the movie's sense of humor doesn't play well in today's PC climate. We're more sensitive to the problem of international sex trade and young girls being exploited against their will. In the film, mothers sell off their virgin daughters to become prostitutes. Let me remind you this is a comedy! There's also a scene with a little girl singing about a certain part of her body that would never get the okay today. I won't even go into the rape jokes. But it's biggest problem is that the laughs just aren't there. I think I grinned once when a not too bright wench quips "He had carnival knowledge of me!". The actors are game including David Hemmings playing a dual role as both hero and villain. With George Sanders, Dany Robin, John Cleese, Martita Hunt, Maurice Denham, Tessie O'Shea, Marianne Stone and Warren Mitchell.