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.

---

Plot Keywords:

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

---

Taglines:

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

---

Genres:

Comedy | Sci-Fi

---

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

At one point, Bules Martin (Sir Michael Hordern) asks Shelter Man (Harry Secombe) where they are, to which he replies "Paddington". Michael Hordern narrated Paddington Bear (1976).

---

Quotes

Lord Fortnum of Alamein: Are you a doctor, doctor?

---

Crazy Credits

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

---

Connections

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

User Reviews

memorable and poignant futuristic farce

Some far thinking person at our new state of the art Village Twin Cinema decided to run The Bed Sitting Room and 2001: A Space Oddyssey as a double bill here in the very early '70's. That's where I first saw both and they have been locked in my consciousness as equally great and poignant comments on the "future". In one we get to boldly explore space, the other has us desperately rummaging in our own refuse to survive.

In August 2001 I wrote "I ache to see "Bed Sitting Room" again. Arthur Lowe and Mona Washbourne were exemplary, as was Ralph Richardson (and all of the rest). With the torrents of abominable drivel that has made it to DVD release, it is hard to fathom why such a unique gem is not even available on VHS. If there is a God he will inspire a DVD mogul to master and release The Bed Sitting Room, for the good of humanity - if not for my sake alone."

So now I am overjoyed that the Bed Sitting Room has been made future-proof and available to the general public in the carefully restored high definition MGM transfer which was simultaneously released on Blu-ray and DVD in the UK in 2009 by the British Film Institute. Both versions have valuable extras and a very helpful booklet.