Eskimo Nell (1975)

Three young men, a scriptwriter, a producer and a director are called in by Benny U Murdoch, an exotic movie producer. He wants to make a new erotic movie starring a big woman - the "Eskimo... See full summary »

Director:

Martin Campbell

Writers:

Michael Armstrong, Stanley A. Long (idea)

Stars:

Michael Armstrong, Terence Edmond, Christopher Timothy

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Michael Armstrong	...	Dennis Morrison
Terence Edmond	...	Clive Potter
Christopher Timothy	...	Harris Tweedle
Roy Kinnear	...	Benny U. Murdoch
Rosalind Knight	...	Lady Longhorn
Lloyd Lamble	...	The Bishop
Jonathan Adams	...	Lord Coltwind
Christopher Biggins	...	Jeremy
Katy Manning	...	Hermione
Diane Langton	...	Gladys Armitage
Gordon Tanner	...	Big Dick
Beth Porter	...	Billie Harris
Max Mason	...	Dave
Christopher Neil	...	Brendan (as Chris Neal)
Richard Caldicot	...	Ambrose Cream

Storyline

Three young men, a scriptwriter, a producer and a director are called in by Benny U Murdoch, an exotic movie producer. He wants to make a new erotic movie starring a big woman - the "Eskimo Nell" of the title. However problems start from the beginning, the scriptwriter is a virgin, a lover of penguins and hasn't a clue on how to write an erotic movie, each of the three main backers want a different type of movie - a western, an erotic and a kung-fu movie with different people in the main part. However problems really start for the three when Benny runs off with all the money and they have to make three different versions of the same film and try not to let the backers and stars know what has happened. And this is made harder when there is a clean-up-filth society breathing down their necks....

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Plot Keywords:

penguin | virgin | screenwriter | breasts | filmmaking | 

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Taglines:

Inspired by the bawdiest ballad ever written...

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Genres:

Comedy

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Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

17 January 1975 (UK)

Also Known As:

The Ballad of Eskimo Nell

Filming Locations:

Wardour Street, Soho, London, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Salon Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

85 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Brian Deacon was originally cast as Harris Tweedle but was forced to withdraw owing to shooting conflicts.

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Connections

References The Wizard of Oz (1939)

User Reviews

A British sex comedy that is actually FUNNY

This is a very rare creature indeed--a British sex comedy that is actually funny! This movie, probably inspired by Mel Brook's original version of "The Producers" is about three young men--an aspiring director (played by "Mark of the Devil" director Michael Armstrong), his virginal penguin-obsessed screenwriter, and the screenwriter's lothario flat-mate--who are all trying to break into the British film industry. They meet a sleazy producer (Roy Kinnear) who wants to make a film version of the famous bawdy poem "Eskimo Nell". To raise the money though he gets them to sell three very different versions of the movie to three different backers: a foul-mouthed American ("Big Dick")who wants to make a hardcore porn movie, another guy who wants to make a "kung-fu musical" to showcase the two "talents" of his girlfriend, and an arty dilettante who wants to make a gay Western ("with a lot of bottom smacking") featuring his transvestite boyfriend.

It gets worse when the producer runs off with the money, and the director has to find a fourth backer (simply to avoid the lawsuits), and goes to his society girlfriend's mother (no doubt modeled on puritanical British busybody Mary Whitehead)who runs a "decency" society and wants to make a clean family film! Needless to say, the whole thing goes horribly, horribly awry. Reels from the different versions get mixed up, a guy's willie gets caught in a clapboard, and one character delivers the immortal line: "What's my motivation for having an erection?" The movie is quite funny both in its conception and in its execution. It doesn't slather on the naked dolly birds quite as much as a lot of other British sex comedies of the era perhaps, but an almost unrecognizable Mary Millington does show for a 10-second "Benny Hill"-style speeded-up striptease.

As far as the sex goes, this probably won't inspire all the hairy-palmed Michaelangelos out there to turn their ceilings into a scummy Sistine Chapel, but it is definitely FUNNY and pretty entertaining, which is a lot more than can be said of the vast majority of these films.