There is not particularly much happening here but it is clearly of that mid sixties British film period where a certain photographic look has taken hold and there is something going on with the young that has not yet turned into the 'swinging sixties'. There is the usual question as to whether a girl should and then if she does what happens regarding the dreaded abortion question. There are clever chatting guys, late night parties, a peripheral use of drugs, girls down from the north, in search of 'pleasure' and a definite widening of the 'generation gap'. It does all rather seem to be restricted to kids from well off families at this stage, however cheap the rental payments required now seem to us. There is also the obvious presence of rogue landlords and London mobsters. The crisp photography and sharp fast moving action is good and Francesca Annis does very well as does Ian McShane in an early and important film for him. Nice to see Klaus Kinski and if he is playing the wicked landlord he seems to have a 'heart of gold' and nowhere near as bad as we get used to seeing him later. He also gets a rather vicious beating here, in an underground car park, of course, and this together with some bare backs and a couple of side breasts was enough to get this an 'X' certificate in the day and cause much controversy during its West End run.
Review of The Pleasure Girls
