The Bed Sitting Room (1969)

Set in post-nuclear-holocaust England, where a handful of bizarre characters struggle on with their lives in the ruins, amongst endless heaps of ash, piles of broken crockery and brick, ... See full summary »

Director:

Richard Lester

Writers:

John Antrobus (screenplay), Charles Wood (adaptation)

Stars:

Rita Tushingham, Ralph Richardson, Peter Cook

2 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Rita Tushingham	...	Penelope
Dudley Moore	...	Police Sergeant
Harry Secombe	...	Shelter Man
Arthur Lowe	...	Father
Roy Kinnear	...	Plastic Mac Man
Spike Milligan	...	Mate
Ronald Fraser	...	The Army
Jimmy Edwards	...	Nigel
Michael Hordern	...	Bules Martin
Peter Cook	...	Police Inspector
Ralph Richardson	...	Lord Fortnum
Mona Washbourne	...	Mother
Richard Warwick	...	Alan
Frank Thornton	...	The BBC
Dandy Nichols	...	Mrs. Ethel Shroake

Storyline

Set in post-nuclear-holocaust England, where a handful of bizarre characters struggle on with their lives in the ruins, amongst endless heaps of ash, piles of broken crockery and brick, muddy plains, and heaps of dentures and old boots. Patriotically singing "God Save Mrs. Ethel Shroake, Long Live Mrs. Ethel Shroake", they wander through this surrealistic landscape, forever being warned by the police to "keep moving", and prone to the occasional mutation into a parrot, cupboard, or even, yes, a bed sitting room with "No Wogs" scrawled in the grime on its windows. In particular, this story revolves around the odd "love story" of a girl who lives with her parents in one compartment of a London Underground train, the commuter in the next compartment, and the doctor they meet after returning above ground in search of a nurse for the heavily pregnant girl.

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Plot Keywords:

post holocaust | london england | world war three | mutants | absurdism | 

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Taglines:

"The Great Nuclear Misunderstanding Lasted 2 Minutes And 28 Seconds (including the peace treaty)"

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Genres:

Comedy | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

26 March 1970 (UK)

Also Known As:

A szoba-konyha

Filming Locations:

Chesil Bank, Dorset, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Oscar Lewenstein Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Ethel Shroake was the Queen's Char Lady.

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Quotes

Lord Fortnum of Alamein: I thought, doctor, I thought you'd might give me breakfast as a prescription against malnutrition.
Bules Martin: Aw, yes, well, take, um, 30 milligrams of egg on toast.

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Crazy Credits

In the opening credits, cast members are listed in order of height.

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Connections

Featured in Guide to the Flipside of British Cinema (2010)

User Reviews

An absurdist classic

This is a wonderful surreal comedy based on the play by Spike Milligan and John Antrobus. You know that it is going to be an odd film right at the beginning, when the opening credits list the cast in order of their height. The film begins with the BBC (Frank Thornton) telling us through the facade of an old television that this is the third, or is it the fourth?, anniversary of the shortest war in history, lasting 2 hours and 28 minutes. England is now a barren landscape, littered with derelict cars and buildings, hills of old boots, broken crockery, and other debris. Forty million people perished and there are only 20 known survivors. The Queen did not survive, and of the 20 known survivors the next in line for the throne is a Mrs Ethel Schroake of 393a High Street, Leytonstone. Among the other survivors are Ralph Richardson (O Lucky Man!) as Lord Fortnum of Alamein, who isn't looking forward to his impending mutation into a bed sitting room. Michael Hordern is Bules Martin, who wears a 18-carat Hovis bread ring. Spike Milligan is a postman who wanders around and delivers some memorable dialogue, for example: "And in come the three bears - the daddy bear said, 'Who's been sleeping in my porridge?' - and the mummy bear said, 'that's no porridge, that was my wife' ". Arthur Lowe is slowly turning into a parrot (which is then eaten by Spike Milligan), while his wife, the owner of her own death certificate, turns into a wardrobe. His daughter is pregnant with a strange creature, which she has held inside her for seventeen months. Peter Cook and Dudley Moore are a pair of policemen who perpetually tell the others to "keep moving!". Moore growls a lot and turns into a dog at the end. Marty Feldman is a wellington-boot-wearing nurse. It's a hilarious, absurdist treat, and one of my treasured filmic pleasures.