LOCK UP YOUR DAUGHTERS

UK, 1969, 103 minutes, Colour.
Christopher Plummer, Roy Kinnear, Georgia Brown, Susannah York, Glynnis Johns, Ian Bannen, Tom Bell, Elaine Taylor, Jim Dale, Kathleen Harrison, Roy Dotrice, Vanessa Howard, Fenella Fielding, Peter Bayliss, Richard Wordsworth, Peter Bull, Fred Emery.
Directed by Peter Coe.

Lock Up Your Daughters is in the vein of Tom Jones and Joseph Andrews. It is a sex farce set in 18th century London. The atmosphere, costumes and decor are expertly reproduced.

The film has an excellent cast led by Susannah York, Tom Bell and, especially, Jim Dale. Christopher Plummer has to be seen to be believed as the fop lord.

The film is broad in its humour, has the elements of Restoration and post-Restoration sex farces. The film is tongue-in-cheek in tone.

The film was adapted from a musical version, with music by Lionel Bart. However, the music has been dropped for the film.

1. The mood and atmosphere of 18th. century farce? Restoration comedy, sex, manners and morals?

2. Colour photography, period, the re-creation of London? The absence of the Lionel Bart songs? The substitute Ron Grainer score?

3. The British tone of the film, language, comedy, 18th. century style? The strong cast?

4. The introduction and the night caller, the introduction to all the characters, the Who's Who with comment on them?

5. The sailors being let loose on London, the warning to 'lock up your daughters'? Adventures, crying 'Rape', police, trials, Mrs. Squeezum and her hypocrisy? The happy ending and reunion?

6. Foppington and his appearance, Christopher Plummer and his style, appearance, speaking manner? Nell and her entanglement? Hoyden and his betrothal? The morals and hypocrisy? The pie in his face? The escape, the visit to the Tumbleys? In court - and the succession of mishaps to the fop?

7. The gossip-writer, his wife, Hilaret and the sailor, Cloris? Escaping from home, their being caught, the attentions of Mr. Squeezum? Their framing Mr. Squeezum? The court interrogation? The happy ending? The reconciliation with the gossip father?

8. Squeezum and his miserliness, hypocrisy, his salacious wife and her luring-the men? The upheaval in the court?

9. The Tumbleys and their pretensions? Roy Kinnear and his humour? Kathleen Harrison and her fussiness? Hoyden as the busty young woman, the priest and his hypocrisy, the marriage, the mix-up - and the coincidental relatives and reconciliations at the end?

10. Lusty and his vivaciousness, talking to the audience, involved with Hoyden, the marriage, the happy ending and the reconciliation?

11. The sailors and their entanglements, in prison, the crying of 'Rape', Mrs. Squeezum, reunited?

12. The farcical aspects of the court scene? The overall raucous tone, comedy? The point of such farce for observing manners and morals?