Personal Services (1987)

The story of the rise of a madame of a suburban brothel catering to older men, inspired by the real experiences of Cynthia Payne.

Director:

Terry Jones

Writer:

David Leland

Stars:

Julie Walters, Shirley Stelfox, Alec McCowen

Nominated for 2 BAFTA Film Awards. Another 1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Julie Walters	...	Christine Painter
Shirley Stelfox	...	Shirley
Alec McCowen	...	Wing Commander Morten
Danny Schiller	...	Dolly
Tim Woodward	...	Timms
Victoria Hardcastle	...	Rose
Dave Atkins	...	Sydney
Ewan Hooper	...	Edward
Alan Bowyer	...	David Painter
Antony Carrick	...	Edgar
Beverley Foster	...	Elizabeth
Leon Lissek	...	Mr. Popozogolou
Peter Cellier	...	Mr. Marples
Benjamin Whitrow	...	Mr. Marsden
Stephen Lewis	...	Mr. Dunkley

Storyline

The story of the rise of a madame of a suburban brothel catering to older men, inspired by the real experiences of Cynthia Payne.

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Plot Keywords:

brothel | woman spanks man | teenage boy | late rent | brothel madam | 

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Genres:

Comedy

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 May 1987 (USA)

Also Known As:

Henkilökohtaista

Filming Locations:

11 Allington Street, Victoria, London, England, UK

Box Office

Gross:

$1,744,164 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

British Screen Productions, Zenith Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

105 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.75 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Another film from writer David Leland was also based on Cynthia Payne. That film, Wish You Were Here was based on Payne's childhood, this film was based on her life as an adult.

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Quotes

[Wing Commander Morten, dressed in a French maid's uniform, is dragged along the corridor to the cells after a police raid on the brothel]
Morten: [yells] I am retired officer of the RAF, twice decorated. I flew two hundred and seven missions over occupied territory - in bra and panties!
Policeman: You're a disgrace.
[the cell door slams shut]
Morten: [yells, with hands on hips] This is no way to treat a lady!

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Crazy Credits

The cast and crew credits are intermingled: successive screens of credits show snapshot photographs of the main characters and the actors who played them, and at the bottom of each screen a few random crew credits are included.

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Connections

Referenced in Comedy Connections: Ripping Yarns (2008)

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Soundtracks

"In the Bleak Midwinter"
(uncredited)
Traditional

User Reviews

what a great movie

beautifully acted, unexpectedly moving, hilarious, and at times very, very dirty, this film is "inspired by" the life of cynthia payne, one of the most notorious madame's in britain's history - julie walters is brilliant as a woman who evolves from a waitress struggling to make her rent, to a successful businesswoman running a brothel that caters only to "kinky sorts"

• through all of it, she raises a son, forces her father to come to terms

with the person his daughter has become, and has difficulty with the "charles and diana" ideal of love that she can never find for herself - perhaps the greatest quality of this film, though, is its ability to shock at every turn - just when you thought you'd seen just how honestly funny kinky sex can be, think again...