Otley (1969)

Gerald Arthur Otley (Sir Tom Courtenay), wannabe antiques dealer, is kicked out of his flat for failing to pay rent, sleeps at a friend's house for the night, wakes up two days later in an airport field, and finds himself entangled in international espionage.

Director:

Dick Clement

Writers:

Dick Clement (screenplay), Ian La Frenais (screenplay)

Stars:

Tom Courtenay, Romy Schneider, Alan Badel

1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Tom Courtenay	...	Gerald Arthur Otley
Romy Schneider	...	Imogen
Alan Badel	...	Alec Hadrian
James Villiers	...	Hendrickson
Leonard Rossiter	...	Johnston
James Bolam	...	Albert
Fiona Lewis	...	Lin
Freddie Jones	...	Philip Proudfoot
James Cossins	...	Jeffcock
James Maxwell	...	Rollo
Edward Hardwicke	...	Lambert
Ronald Lacey	...	Curtis
Phyllida Law	...	Jean
Geoffrey Bayldon	...	Superintendent Hewitt
Frank Middlemass	...	Bruce

Storyline

Gerald Arthur Otley (Sir Tom Courtenay), a petty thief and garbage rummager, wakes up one morning after a drunken night on the town, and finds that he is wanted by the Police for murder, and that is only the beginning. While being pursued for a crime he did not commit, he is kidnapped by a group of criminals who suspect him of being involved with double Agents. Otley manages to escape, but cannot avoid getting into one nearly fatal crisis after another, as Police and foreign Agents chase after him. It is a wild week of misadventures which he will never forget.

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Plot Keywords:

thief | london england | espionage | time bomb | bus | 

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Taglines:

Everybody loves Otley...well, almost everybody

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Genres:

Comedy

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Certificate:

M/PG

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 May 1969 (UK)

Also Known As:

Banditák hálójában

Filming Locations:

Denbigh Road Ecumenical Centre, Notting Hill, London, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Bruce Cohn Curtis Films Ltd., Open Road Films (II)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

92 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Tom Courtenay, playing everyman Otley, pokes fun at the fact a particular character will soon be knighted (making a noise and expression as if that were pretentious or conceited). Years later, in real life, Tom would become Sir Tom Courtenay.

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Quotes

Gerald Arthur Otley: [trying to dissuade his captors from torturing him] Do what you like with my mind, just leave my precious body alone!

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Connections

References P.J. (1968)

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Soundtracks

Homeless Bones
Written by Stanley Myers and Don Partridge

User Reviews

Overlooked gem that deserves a DVD!

This is one of my favorite 60's films. It's based on the first of a series of books by Martin Waddell about Gerald Arthur Otley, a young man whose occasional pocket-picking inadvertently lands him in the middle of a spy plot. (The books are great fun, too). Poor Otley's in way over his head, can't tell the good guys from the bad, and like Dorothy in "the Wizard of Oz," simply wants to go home! Suddenly his dull old life doesn't look so bad. There are many funny sequences, but the one in which he takes his driving test is truly inspired.

Tom Courtenay gives one of his best performances as the lead character, and he's well supported by a terrific cast of veteran character actors. Leonard Rossiter has an especially funny cameo. Moreover, "Otley" has one of the catchiest soundtracks of that era, a quirky mix of classical and rock tunes, and you'll find yourself humming the main theme for days after you've watched the film.

Why isn't this available on DVD? Or even VHS? It's a major oversight. "Otley Forever!"