Take a Girl Like You (film)

Take a Girl Like You is a British comedy film from 1969 (as per the opening credits), directed by Jonathan Miller and starring Hayley Mills, Oliver Reed and Noel Harrison. Based on the 1960 novel Take a Girl Like You by Kingsley Amis, it was adapted by George Melly.[1]

Take a Girl Like You
Directed byJonathan Miller
Produced byHal E. Chester
Written byGeorge Melly
Based onTake a Girl Like You
by Kingsley Amis
StarringHayley Mills
Oliver Reed
Noel Harrison
Music byStanley Myers
CinematographyDick Bush
Edited byJack Harris
Rex Pyke
Production
company
Albion Film Distributors
Distributed byColumbia Pictures
Release date
  • 16 December 1970 (1970-12-16)
(US)
Running time
101 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish

Synopsis

Northerner Jenny arrives in a town near London, where she has taken lodgings with a Labour candidate in order to take up a job as a teacher. She quickly meets Patrick, who knows another girl at the lodging house but shares the goal, along with his friend Julian, of having sex with as many women as possible.

After a first date which ends at Patrick's flat for coffee, Patrick is shocked when Jenny tells him she is a virgin and intends to stay that way until she meets the right man. Jenny is attracted to Patrick, so they get into a volatile relationship as Patrick tries to change Jenny's mind, without giving up his bachelor status.

Cast

Production

Amis' novel was published in 1960. In April 1961, Roy Ward Baker announced he would make a film of the novel after he finished Flame in the Streets but the project did not happen.[2][3]

In April 1968, it was announced that producer Hal Chester would make a version of the novel under his new contract with Columbia Pictures. George Melly was writing the script and the director would be Jonathan Miller.[4] Miller had directed for TV before, notably Alice in Wonderland and Whistle and I'll Come to You, but this was his first feature.[5]

Miller admitted his "motives were slightly at fault in accepting the project to begin with. I was thinking that... well, Mike Nichols can make a lot of money, why shouldn't I? I accepted the project probably too eagerly. I think it was probably one of Amis' best novels but there were a lot of things to be said against filming it."[5]

Miller says "the difficulties began to double" during scripting "because rather than let the script happen spontaneously, the producer sat in on its manufacture at almost every stage. I'm not saying he didn't work very hard and have the best intentions; it's just that his conception and our conception of the intentions were hopelessly at odds."[5]

Miller says the story was "old fashioned" and that he and writer Melly "were forced into making" the story "even more old fashioned by making it more sentimental. Gradually I found myself boxed in to a very conventional, almost 1950s studio situation and the final cut was beyond my control."[5]

Miller admitted "perhaps what we were doing was something quite dishonest in trying to steal in a realistic film inside the shell of a commercial enterprise. I don't think the two can be done."[5]

In December 1968, Hayley Mills signed to star.[6][7] Filming started March 1969 in London.[8]

Aimi McDonald had to play a love scene with Oliver Reed. She later recalled: "We had to look as if we were naked in bed, but I insisted on a towel between us. Ollie had a drink problem. At 7am, he'd already had a few. The plot had Ollie's character fancying a nice country girl, not the town tart played by me... Jonathan Miller came over to Ollie and said, 'You must remember you don't fancy Aimi, so can we have less panting please!' We did 12 takes while trying to get Ollie to stop panting."[9]

Reception

The film was a commercial and critical flop. It was the last film produced by Hal Chester and the only feature directed by Miller.[10]

References
  1. TAKE A GIRL LIKE YOU Monthly Film Bulletin; London Vol. 38, Iss. 444, (Jan 1, 1971): 32.
  2. BRITAIN'S SCREEN SCENE New York Times 23 Apr 1961: 129.
  3. In the Picture Sight and Sound; London Vol. 30, Iss. 3, (Summer 1961): 121.
  4. MOVIE CALL SHEET: Segal Signed for 'Remagen' Martin, Betty. Los Angeles Times 12 Apr 1968: c16.
  5. Pirie, David (Spring 1971). "New Blood". Sight and Sound. Vol. 40 no. 2. p. 73.
  6. MOVIE CALL SHEET: 'Power Play' to Be First Film for A&M Los Angeles Times 16 Dec 1968: g32.
  7. MOVIE CALL SHEET: Andrews to Co-Star in 'Madame Pompadour' Martin, Betty. Los Angeles Times 25 Dec 1968: i26.
  8. MOVIE CALL SHEET: Harrison in Starring Role Martin, Betty. Los Angeles Times 6 Mar 1969: d10.
  9. I'M IN THE HAPPINESS BUSINESS! Robertson, Peter. Mail on Sunday15 May 2016: 36.
  10. Bassett, Kate (2014). In Two Minds: a Biography of Jonathan Miller: A Biography of Jonathan Miller. Oberon Books. p. 203.
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