Prudence is on the pill; so is her sister-in-law, but someone has been swapping aspirin for their pills. Is it the teen-age niece, the maid, the chauffeur, a lover, Prudence's husband, or ...
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Title: Prudence and the Pill (1968)
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Cast
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Deborah Kerr | ... | Prudence Hardcastle | |
| David Niven | ... | Gerald Hardcastle | |
| Robert Coote | ... | Henry Hardcastle | |
| Irina Demick | ... | Elizabeth Brett | |
| Joyce Redman | ... | Grace Hardcastle | |
| Judy Geeson | ... | Geraldine Hardcastle | |
| Keith Michell | ... | Dr. Alan Huart | |
| Edith Evans | ... | Lady Roberta Bates | |
 |
David Dundas | ... | Tony Bates |
|
|
Vickery Turner | ... | Rose the Maid |
| Hugh Armstrong | ... | Ted the Chauffeur | |
|
|
Peter Butterworth | ... | Chemist |
| Moyra Fraser | ... | Woman in Tea Shop | |
|
|
Annette Kerr | ... | Gerald's Secretary |
| Harry Towb | ... | Racetrack Official | |
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Plot Summary
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Storyline
Prudence is on the pill; so is her sister-in-law, but someone has been swapping aspirin for their pills. Is it the teen-age niece, the maid, the chauffeur, a lover, Prudence's husband, or all of the above? Written by Mike Smith <mismith@brody.med.ecu.edu>
Plot Keywords:
redheaded woman | expectant father | expectant mother | pregnant wife | husband wife relationship |Taglines:
A sportive look at the fertility rites (and wrongs) of Western society. See more »Parents Guide:
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See full technical specs »
Details
Country:
UKLanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
23 May 1968 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
Prudencia y la píldora See more »Company Credits
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IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
Mono (Westrex Recording System)Color:
Color
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Prudence Hardcastle: Oh, Gerald, do you mind. I'm trying to follow the plot.
Gerald Hardcastle: [scathingly] I'm sorry. I didn't realise there *was* one.
See more »
Music by Bernard Ebbinghouse, Lyrics by Norman Newell
Performed by The Bernard Ebbinghouse Orchestra
Sung by The Mike Sammes Singers
See more »
Did You Know?
Trivia
The director wanted the motor-racing scenes at Brands Hatch to be filmed with the cars going in the opposite direction to the conventional direction at that track. See more »Quotes
[Prudence is engrossed in watching a Western on television. Gerald is bored with it and starts to talk to her]Prudence Hardcastle: Oh, Gerald, do you mind. I'm trying to follow the plot.
Gerald Hardcastle: [scathingly] I'm sorry. I didn't realise there *was* one.
See more »
Soundtracks
Too Soon To Tell YouMusic by Bernard Ebbinghouse, Lyrics by Norman Newell
Performed by The Bernard Ebbinghouse Orchestra
Sung by The Mike Sammes Singers
See more »
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The main idea behind "Prudence and the Pill" is one that doesn't make sense to me. While birth control pills might have looked VERY different in the UK in the 1960s, all the ones I've seen look absolutely nothing like aspirins or vitamins--which are much, much larger. So how could people be replacing another person's birth control pills with aspirins without anyone realizing it?
This 1960s sex comedy stars Deborah Kerr and David Niven...both of which made quite a few sophisticated sex comedies in the 1950s and 60s (such as the horrible CASINO ROYALE, BEDTIME STORY and THE GRASS IS GREENER). In this film, Mr. and Mrs. Hardcastle have an open marriage and both have their lovers. In addition, Mrs. Hardcastle's niece (Judy Geeson) is sleeping with her boyfriend. However, someone is messing with these ladies' birth control pills and soon complications ensue.
Like most of the sex comedies of the era, this film talks a lot about sex (or, more rightly, INSINUATING a lot about sex) without really showing or saying much at all. Racy stuff for the time...very tame stuff when seen today. So, while it portrays folks who have affairs and premarital sex, it's done with 60s sensibilities--being both extremely broad-minded AND old fashioned at the same time.
So is this any good and is it worth seeing? Well, at least for me, no especially. I might have enjoyed it had it just been more interesting, made more sense or made me laugh. Plus, and I guess this makes me sound very prudish, but I thought the Hardcastles were a pathetic couple...and I really didn't care one bit about what happened with them. What was a kooky sex romp back in the day now just seems dated and sub-par despite the big-name stars in it.