A Touch of Love (1969)

A young London woman, studying for her doctorate in the British Museum, spends her nights trying to avoid the sexual admiration of men in her life.

Director:

Waris Hussein

Writers:

Margaret Drabble (screenplay), Margaret Drabble (from her novel "The Millstone")

Stars:

Sandy Dennis, Ian McKellen, Michael Coles

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview:
Sandy Dennis	...	Rosamund
Ian McKellen	...	George
Michael Coles	...	Joe
John Standing	...	Roger
Peggy Thorpe-Bates	...	Mrs. Stacey
Kenneth Benda	...	Mr. Stacey
Deborah Stanford	...	Beatrice
Roger Hammond	...	Mike
Eleanor Bron	...	Lydia
Margaret Tyzack	...	Sister Bennett
Maurice Denham	...	Dr. Prothero
Rachel Kempson	...	Sister Harvey

Storyline

Rosamund (Sandy Dennis), a young 'bookish' girl in London society, spends her days studying for a doctorate in the British Museum and her nights avoiding the sexual attention of the men in her life. But one day, all that changes. Through a friend, she is introduced to rising TV newsreader/announcer George (Ian McKellen) and after a further chance meeting and a tumble on the sofa, she finds herself pregnant from her first sexual encounter. After a failed attempt at self-induced abortion, she resolves to have the child, leaving her on a solitary and at times discouraging path through pregnancy and into single motherhood, aided only by her close friend Lydia (Eleanor Bron).

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Plot Keywords:

single mother | giving birth | childbirth | maternity ward | expectant mother | 

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Taglines:

The community is uptight about single girls like Rosamund Stacey. That's THEIR hang up.

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

M

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

September 1969 (UK)

Also Known As:

Thank You All Very Much

Filming Locations:

British Library British Museum, London, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Amicus Productions, Palomar Pictures International

Technical Specs

Runtime:

107 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor) (photographed in)

Did You Know?

Trivia

Opening credits: All characters and events in this film are fictitious. Any similarity to actual events, or persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

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Quotes

Lydia Reynolds: But you ought to tell somebody, Ros. Somebody ought to help you out. What about your sister?
Rosamund Stacey: My sister's got three of her own.
Lydia Reynolds: Then get your mother home.
Rosamund Stacey: Lord, Lydi', the last thing on Earth I want is my mother home.
Lydia Reynolds: It's none of my business but what about this man, whoever he is?
Rosamund Stacey: Look, Lydia, you don't know him, he doesn't know it's happened and I'm not going to tell him so let's forget about him shall we?
Lydia Reynolds: Sorry. Do you love him, whoever he is?
Rosamund Stacey: Love him? I hardly know him.
Lydia Reynolds: [...]

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Connections

Referenced in Monty Python's Flying Circus: Full Frontal Nudity (1969)

User Reviews

Worth watching

***SPOIL Very faithful to Drabble's book. Wonderful ensemble cast including Eleanor

Bron, Ian McKellen, Maurice Denham, Rachel Kempson and I even spotted

Penelope Keith as one of the hospital battleaxes. Some things have changed

since 1969. Parents can visit their children in hospital, single mothers aren't faced with a choice between abortion and adoption, and we don't have to wear

tent-like beige minidresses any more.

When Sandy explains to Eleanor she never slept with either of her official

boyfriends Eleanor asks "How did you get away with it?" Maybe things haven't

changed that much.

Being a Margaret Drabble, the single mother is an academic living free in her parents huge mansion flat. I longed for Sandy to get together with Ian but I

suppose it would never have worked. We can only hope the character finds Mr

Right and learns to like sex eventually.

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