Kurt at 22:59, 7 February 2023

2023-02-07T22:59:49Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 17:59, 7 February 2023
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	\| name = Au Pair Girls		\| name = Au Pair Girls
	\| image = Au Pair Girls.jpg		\| image = Au Pair Girls.jpg
	\| caption = ~~Theatrical release poster~~		\| caption =
	\| director = [[Val Guest]]		\| director = [[Val Guest]]
	\| producer = [[Guido Coen]]		\| producer = [[Guido Coen]]
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	[[Category:1972 comedy films]]		[[Category:1972 comedy films]]
	[[Category:1970s British films]]		[[Category:1970s British films]]
			[[Category:British comedy films]]

Kurt at 22:59, 7 February 2023

2023-02-07T22:59:19Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 17:59, 7 February 2023
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	~~{{short description\|1972 film by Val Guest}}~~
	~~{{Use dmy dates\|date=June 2016}}~~
	~~{{Use British English\|date=June 2016}}~~
	{{Infobox film		{{Infobox film
	\| name = Au Pair Girls		\| name = Au Pair Girls
	\| image = Au Pair Girls ~~FilmPoster~~.~~jpeg~~		\| image = Au Pair Girls.jpg
	\| caption = Theatrical release poster		\| caption = Theatrical release poster
	\| director = [[Val Guest]]		\| director = [[Val Guest]]
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	*{{AllMovie title\|84118}}		*{{AllMovie title\|84118}}
	*{{Rotten Tomatoes\|au_pair_girls}}		*{{Rotten Tomatoes\|au_pair_girls}}

	~~{{Val Guest}}~~

	[[Category:1970s sex comedy films]]		[[Category:1970s sex comedy films]]

Kurt: 1 revision imported

2023-01-27T21:05:34Z

1 revision imported

← Older revision	Revision as of 16:05, 27 January 2023
(No difference)

91.125.57.55: /* Plot */ In the film the characters Anita stays with are called 'Mr & Mrs Howard' not 'Mr & Mrs Anderson'. Have corrected.

2023-01-20T12:58:30Z

Plot: In the film the characters Anita stays with are called 'Mr & Mrs Howard' not 'Mr & Mrs Anderson'. Have corrected.

New page

{{short description|1972 film by Val Guest}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2016}}
{{Use British English|date=June 2016}}
{{Infobox film
| name = Au Pair Girls
| image = Au Pair Girls FilmPoster.jpeg
| caption = Theatrical release poster
| director = [[Val Guest]]
| producer = [[Guido Coen]]
| screenplay = {{Nowrap|Val Guest and David Adnopoz}}
| story = [[David Grant (producer)|David Grant]]
| starring = [[Gabrielle Drake]]<br>[[Astrid Frank]]<br>[[Me Me Lai]]<br>[[Nancie Wait]]
| music = [[Roger Webb]]
| cinematography = [[John Wilcox (cinematographer)|John Wilcox]]
| editing = John Colville
| studio = Kenneth Shipman Productions
| distributor = [[Tigon British Film Productions|Tigon Pictures]]
| released = September 1972
| runtime = 86 minutes
| country = United Kingdom
| language = English
| budget =
| gross =
}}
'''''Au Pair Girls''''' is a 1972 British [[sex comedy]] film directed by [[Val Guest]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/val-guest-478294.html|title=Val Guest|publisher=Independent|language=English|date=15 May 2006|access-date=25 September 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=The Au Pair Girls (1973)|url=http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/au_pair_girls/|publisher=Rotten Tomatoes|access-date=31 May 2012}}</ref> It stars [[Gabrielle Drake]], [[Astrid Frank]], [[Me Me Lai]] and [[Nancie Wait]]. Part of the British 1970s [[Softcore pornography|softcore]] sex comedy genre, the film also includes appearances by mainstream actors [[Trevor Bannister]], [[Richard O'Sullivan]], [[John Le Mesurier]], [[Ferdy Mayne]], [[Geoffrey Bayldon]] and [[Johnny Briggs (actor)|Johnny Briggs]].

A sequel, ''Glamour Incorporated'', was also to have been directed by Guest but was never produced.<ref>{{cite book|last=Hamilton|first=John|year=2005|title=Beasts in the Cellar: The Exploitation Film Career of Tony Tenser|publisher=FAB Press|isbn=9781903254264}}</ref>

==Plot==
Four young female [[au pair]]s are seen arriving at [[Heathrow Airport]]. They are then taken to the offices of the Overseas Employment Agency in London, which has arranged placements for them.

Anita Sector is assigned to Mr and Mrs Howard. She does not prove popular with Mr Howard as she manages to flood the house while taking a shower and then disappears on a date with Malcolm, a man who preyed on her at the airport. They visit a casino where Anita meets Sheik El Abab and disappears with him after Malcolm loses money at the roulette table. When she is taken to the sheik's home, she spends time with his [[concubine]]s and discovers that he is a very wealthy [[philanthropist]]. When the sheik tries to seduce Anita, she realises that her deadline for returning to the Howards' house has passed. She reaches the house to find her suitcases on the doorstep.

Randi Lindstrom is assigned to the family of businessman Mr Wainwright. She is picked up by his son Stephen, who is immediately attracted to her. After a series of mishaps, Stephen and Randi end up back at Mr Wainwright's offices and have sex in the car, where they are found naked by a shocked Mr Wainwright the next morning.

Nan Lee is assigned to Lord and Lady Tryke as a playmate for their son Rupert, who is being groomed as a concert pianist. Rupert's exposure to the outside world has been limited to trips out in the car and he is immature for his age due to a lack of appropriate interaction with other young people. Nan plays along with Rupert's children's games in the garden and after dinner. Later, she reflects on Rupert's immaturity but realises that she has enjoyed her time with him. She seduces him and quietly leaves the next morning.

Christina Geisler is assigned to the Fairfax family. Learning that Christina is a virgin, their daughter Carol decides to take her along to see pop star Ricky Strange. Carol and Christina go shopping to buy a more revealing outfit that will help Christina to arouse Ricky. Christina meets Ricky after his performance and ends up having sex with him, quickly followed by Carol's boyfriend Buster, but this is all revealed to have been a ruse by Carol to enable her to have sex with Ricky. After Christina realises that she has been used, she confides in Buster, who is understanding despite his boorish personality. Next morning, she tells Carol that she is leaving and terminates her employment with the Fairfaxes.

Randi, Nan and Christina end up back at the agency. Anita arrives and asks them if they want to join her as new concubines for the sheik. They immediately accept, and all four au pairs get into the sheik's car and are driven away.

==Cast==
{{Col-begin}}
{{Col-break}}
*[[Gabrielle Drake]] as Randi Lindstrom
*[[Astrid Frank]] as Anita Sector
*[[Me Me Lai|Me Me Lay]] as Nan Lee
*[[Nancie Wait]] as Christina Geisler
*[[Richard O'Sullivan]] as Stephen Wainwright
{{Col-break}}
*[[John Le Mesurier]] as Mr Wainwright
*[[Ferdy Mayne]] as Sheik El Abab
*[[John Standing]] as Buster
*Steve Patterson as Ricky Strange
*Julian Barnes as Rupert Tryke
{{Col-break}}
*[[Rosalie Crutchley]] as Lady Tryke
*[[Geoffrey Bayldon]] as Mr Howard
*[[Daphne Anderson]] as Mrs Howard
*[[Trevor Bannister]] as Photographer
*[[Johnny Briggs (actor)|Johnny Briggs]] as Malcolm
{{Col-break}}
*[[Harold Bennett]] as Lord Tryke
*[[Roger Avon]] as Rathbone
*[[Joyce Heron]] as Mrs Stevenson
*[[Marianne Stone]] as Mrs Fairfax
*Lyn Yeldham as Carol Fairfax
{{Col-end}}

==Production==
{| style="float:right; width:25%; background:whitesmoke; border:0.1em solid lightgray; margin-left:2em; margin-bottom:1em; padding-top:0em; padding-left:0.2em; padding-right:0.2em; padding-bottom:0.2em"
|-
| [[File:Oakley Court Windsor 2.jpg|160px]] || rowspan="2" | [[File:Euston Tower - geograph.org.uk - 1598273.jpg|155px]]
|-
| [[File:Lodge at Friar Park - geograph.org.uk - 1588804.jpg|160px]]
|-
| colspan="2"; style="text-align:center; font-size:90%; padding-bottom:0.1em" | The film's shooting locations included [[Oakley Court]] (top left), [[Euston Tower]] (right) and [[Friar Park]] (bottom left).
|}

''Au Pair Girls'' was director [[Val Guest]]'s first sex comedy. Unfamiliar with the genre, he decided to view a number of foreign sex comedies in preparation, turning to ex-[[British Board of Film Censors|BBFC]] censor [[John Trevelyan (censor)|John Trevelyan]] for suggestions. The original script was adapted from a story by pornographic film producer [[David Grant (producer)|David Grant]]. Guest disliked its explicit sexual content and made numerous revisions before agreeing to film it.<ref name="Sheridan">{{Cite AV media notes |title="Au Pair Girls" DVD sleeve notes |author=Sheridan, Simon |year=2013 |publisher=Odeon Entertainment/Euro London Films |id=ODNF386}}</ref>

Principal photography began in January 1972.<ref name="Sheridan"/> Shooting locations were based in and around London. The opening scenes were filmed at [[Heathrow Airport]], with Mr Wainwright's office represented by [[Euston Tower]] and the Tryke family home by [[Oakley Court]] in [[Bray, Berkshire]]. Most of the scenes featuring Nan Lee ([[Me Me Lay]]) were filmed at [[Friar Park]], [[George Harrison]]'s mansion in [[Henley-on-Thames]], Oxfordshire.<ref name="Sheridan"/>

==Release and reception==
The film was released in September 1972.<ref name="Sheridan"/>

In a contemporary review, Derek Elley of ''[[The Monthly Film Bulletin]]'' was critical of the film: "Val Guest hits rock bottom with this humourless attempt at a sex comedy ... [[Gabrielle Drake]] and [[Astrid Frank]] just manage to keep the film moving, but as the national jokes pile relentlessly on top of one another, the principal diversion becomes the spotting of familiar British faces in the unlikeliest of roles."<ref>{{Cite magazine |magazine=[[The Monthly Film Bulletin]] |title=''Au Pair Girls'' |date=October 1972 |last=Elley |first=Derek |publisher=[[British Film Institute]] |location=London, UK |pages=207–208 |volume=39 |issue=465 |oclc=2594020 |issn=0027-0407}}</ref>

Commentator Simon Sheridan describes the film as a "funky, swinging feast of fun". He adds that while many sex comedies of the 1960s and 70s stereotyped female [[au pair]]s as "sexually provocative sexpots", ''Au Pair Girls'' was the first British film to cast them as the main characters.<ref name="Sheridan"/>

Brian Davidson of ''[[Cinema Retro]]'' magazine writes that the film's "[[Male chauvinism|chauvinistic]] treatment of women" would make it objectionable to many modern audiences. He also argues that while the film is ostensibly a comedy, "at least half of its running time has little to do with humour. While on the one hand it is a celebration of the liberal sexual attitudes of the time ... on the other, it ultimately condemns those same attitudes." He considers the film unusual for the genre in its portrayal of Christa ([[Nancie Wait]]), whose unhappy story "forces us to reconsider our response to everything that has gone before."<ref name="Davidson">{{Cite magazine|magazine=[[Cinema Retro]]|issn=1751-4606|oclc=76950353|volume=12|issue=34|date=Winter 2016|publisher=Cinema Retro, Inc.|location=Dunellen, New Jersey|title=Guilty Pleasures: ''Au Pair Girls''|first1=Brian|last1=Davidson|pages=58–59}}</ref>

Guest rejected claims that the film is [[pornographic]], instead calling it "art".<ref name="Sheridan"/> In an interview with ''[[Cinema X]]'' magazine, he described the film's depiction of sex as "all fun; it's bubble. There is absolutely no [[Sexual violence|violence]] or [[Kink (sexuality)|kinks]]. There are no lesbians, no [[queer]]s and [[BDSM|no whips]]; nothing like that at all."<ref name="Sheridan"/><ref name="Davidson"/> In his autobiography, he distanced himself from ''Au Pair Girls'' and his later sex comedy ''[[Confessions of a Window Cleaner]]'', stating that he preferred to be remembered for his earlier work.<ref name="Sheridan"/>

== Nancie Wait ==
Nancy Wait was born in Chicago in 1949, grew up in New York City, studied acting at the [[High School of Performing Arts]], attended Carnegie-Mellon for two years in theater, moved to London and attended [[Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts]], worked at the [[Playboy Club]] during term breaks. Wait, as "Nancie Wait" appeared in "Au Pair Girls". She returned from London, and became a painter and writer. Her memoir "The Nancy Who Drew" was published in 2011.<ref>{{cite web |title=Bio |url=https://nancywait.com/bio/ |website=NancyWait.com |access-date=12 April 2021 |language=en |date=25 July 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=DAVIDSON |first1=BRIAN |title=NANCY WAIT, FORMER ACTRESS AND CELEBRATED ARTIST/WRITER, SHARES HER MEMORIES OF MAKING 'AU PAIR GIRLS' |url=https://cinemaretro.com/index.php?/archives/9026-NANCY-WAIT,-FORMER-ACTRESS-AND-CELEBRATED-ARTISTWRITER,-SHARES-HER-MEMORIES-OF-MAKING-AU-PAIR-GIRLS-WITH-CINEMA-RETROS-BRIAN-DAVIDSON.html |website=Cinema Retro |access-date=12 April 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=GUEST ARTIST: "The Nancy Who Drew" by Nancy Wait |url=https://doodlewash.com/guest-artist-the-nancy-who-drew-by-nancy-wait/ |website=Doodlewash |access-date=12 April 2021 |date=15 January 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.blogtalkradio.com/art_and_ascension/2011/07/19/john-harrigan-founder-of-foolishpeople|author=Nancy Wait|title=Blogtalkradio: Interview John Harrigan, Founder of FoolishPeople|year=2011}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*{{IMDb title|0068235}}
*{{AllMovie title|84118}}
*{{Rotten Tomatoes|au_pair_girls}}

{{Val Guest}}

[[Category:1970s sex comedy films]]
[[Category:1972 films]]
[[Category:Au pairs in films]]
[[Category:British sex comedy films]]
[[Category:1970s English-language films]]
[[Category:Films directed by Val Guest]]
[[Category:Films set in London]]
[[Category:Films shot in Berkshire]]
[[Category:Films shot in London]]
[[Category:Films shot in Oxfordshire]]
[[Category:1972 comedy films]]
[[Category:1970s British films]]

Au Pair Girls - Revision history

Kurt at 22:59, 7 February 2023

Kurt at 22:59, 7 February 2023

Kurt: 1 revision imported

91.125.57.55: /* Plot */ In the film the characters Anita stays with are called 'Mr & Mrs Howard' not 'Mr & Mrs Anderson'. Have corrected.