''Not Tonight, Darling'' (also known as ''Not Tonight, Darling!'' and ''Not Now, Darling'') is a 1971 British drama film directed by

Anthony Sloman Anthony B. Sloman (born 6 May 1945 in Waltham Abbey, Essex) is an English film producer and screenwriter. Tony Sloman is a cinema critic and historian, whose long career has encompassed many facets of film making. He has worked intermittent ...

and starring Luan Peters and

Vincent Ball Vincent Martin Ball, (born 4 December 1923) is an Australian retired actor of film, theatre and radio active in the industry for nearly 55 years (with a brief return) firstly in Britain starting in the late 1940s and then his native Australia ...

. It was written by James Pillock.

Plot

Karen Williams is bored with her comfortable suburban life and her solicitor husband John who ignores her after six years of marriage. She falls for fast-talking businessman Alex, and becomes involved in a seedy world of blackmail and sex.

Cast

* Luan Peters as Karen Williams *

as Alex * Jason Twelvetrees as John Williams * James Hayter as Mr Finlay *

Bill Shine William Shine (born July 4, 1963) is a former White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Communications in the First presidency of Donald Trump, first administration of President of the United States, U.S. President Donald Trump. He spent most of his ...

as Captain Harrison * Sean Barry as Eddie * Nicki Howorth as Joan * Lance Barrett as Gary Williams *

Fiona Richmond Fiona Richmond (born 2 March 1945) is an English former glamour model and actress who appeared in numerous risqué plays, comedy revues, magazines and films during the 1970s. She became Britain’s best-known sex symbol and she has been describe ...

as Susanne (credited as Amber Harrison) * Michael O'Malley as Ben the Click * Carol Catkin as Jill * The Tiffany Sisters as speciality act in strip club * John Gillett as guest in strip club * David Nimmo as guest in the club * Victor Schonfield as guest in strip club * David Vorhaus as George * Patti Walby as Anna * Jay Lee as Bill * Jenny D'arcey as Celeste * Sue Calder as Three *

Thunderclap Newman Thunderclap Newman were a British rock band that Pete Townshend of the Who and Kit Lambert formed in 1969 in a bid to showcase the talents of John "Speedy" Keen, Jimmy McCulloch, and Andy "Thunderclap" Newman. Their single, " Something in t ...

as themselves * Sean Redmayne as announcer in strip club * Olwen Griffiths as dubbed voice of Joan

Critical reception

The Monthly Film Bulletin The ''Monthly Film Bulletin'' was a periodical of the British Film Institute published monthly from February 1934 until April 1991, when it merged with '' Sight & Sound''. It reviewed all films on release in the United Kingdom, including those wi ...

'' wrote: "A miserable piece of British sexploitation, from which the sex itself has been all but censored away. The dross that remains – a ritual of mooning about from bathroom to bedroom to nightclub – tests endurance to the utmost. Luan Peters' performance as Karen just about rises above its essentially shabby context." ''

Kine Weekly ''Kinematograph Weekly'', popularly known as ''Kine Weekly'', was a trade paper catering to the British film industry between 1889 and 1971. Etymology The word Kinematograph was derived from the Greek ' Kinumai ', (to move, to be in motion, to ...

'' wrote: "A routine little tale without any particular distinction, this will get by with the uncritical. ... The film falls short of quality on several counts. The plot itself is novelettish and the characters are, at the best, only stout cardboard, that of the stuffy young husband, John, being incredibly stupid. Jason Twelvetrees plays this unplayable part bravely without blanching at some dreadful lines, but he and his colleagues are not helped by direction that leaves no point unsharpened. Luan Peters creates some sympathy as the wife who goes off the rails, and Vincent Ball gives the best conviction to the nasty habits of Alex."

References

External links

* {{IMDb title, 0141667, Not Tonight, Darling 1970s English-language films 1970s British films British sex comedy films 1970s sex comedy films English-language sex comedy films