Keep It Up Downstairs (also known as Can You Keep It Up Downstairs? and My Favorite Butler), is a 1976 British period sex comedy film, directed by Robert Young and starring Diana Dors, Jack Wild and William Rushton.[1] It was written by Hazel Adair.
| Keep It Up Downstairs | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Robert Young |
| Written by | Hazel Adair |
| Produced by | Hazel Adair Mark Forstater |
| Starring | Diana Dors Jack Wild William Rushton |
| Cinematography | Alan Pudney |
| Edited by | Mike Campbell |
| Music by | Michael Nyman |
Production company | Pyramid Films |
| Distributed by | Thorn EMI |
Release date |
|
Running time | 94 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
Plot
editThe film follows the adventures of the sex-crazed inhabitants of the bankrupt Cockshute Castle in 1904, and the attempts of Lord and Lady Cockshute to find a rich wife for their uninterested inventor son Peregrine.
Cast
edit- Diana Dors as Daisy Dureneck
- Jack Wild as Peregrine Cockshute
- William Rushton as Snotty Shuttleworth
- Aimi MacDonald as Christabelle St. Clair
- Françoise Pascal as Mimi
- Neil Hallett as Percy Hampton
- Mark Singleton as Lord Cockshute
- Julian Orchard as Bishop
- Simon Brent as Rogers
- Sue Longhurst as Lady Cockshute
- John Blythe as Francis Dureneck
- Carmen Silvera as Lady Bottomley
- Seretta Wilson as Betsy-Ann Dureneck
- Anthony Kenyon as Mellons
- Olivia Munday as Lady Kitty Cockshute
- April Olrich as Duchess
- Sally Harrison as Maud
- Mary Millington as Polly
Production
editIt was shot at Elstree Studios and on location at Knebworth House in Hertfordshire. A version exists with hardcore inserts; these were shot with body doubles for the main stars.[2]
Music
editThe score was by Michael Nyman, his first for a commercially released film.
Critical response
editMonthly Film Bulletin said "A joyless 'romp' that is soporifically heavy-handed with its phallic imagery and double meanings (endless references to "big ones" and "getting it off"), Keep It Up Downstairs bungles the tempting possibility of a ribald melange of Upstairs Downstairs and The Go-Between [1971] school of sensitive historical drama. The cast, required to bare breasts and buttocks at regular intervals, is able to make no headway against the inane script and consistently mistimed direction."[3]
References
edit- ^ "Keep It Up Downstairs". British Film Institute Collections Search. Retrieved 29 November 2023.
- ^ Sheridan, Simon (2011). Keeping the British End Up: Four Decades of Saucy Cinema. Titan Books Ltd
- ^ "Keep It Up Downstairs". Monthly Film Bulletin. 43 (504): 102. 1976 – via ProQuest.
External links
edit- Keep It Up Downstairs at IMDb
- Keep It Up Downstairs at BFI
- Keep It Up Downstairs at Letterbox DVD
- Keep It Up Downstairs at TCMDB
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