Privilege (1967)

User Rating:

6.9/10   

Director:

Peter Watkins

Writers:

Norman Bogner (written by)
Johnny Speight (story)
(more)

Release Date:

28 February 1967 (UK)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Music | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

[Privilege...] is probably the most extraordinary film you will ever see

Plot:

Steven Shorter is the ultimate British music star. His music is listened to by everyone from pre-teens to grandparents...

Plot Keywords:

Love | British | God | Popularity | Onward Christian Soldiers

Cast

Paul Jones	...	Steven Shorter
Jean Shrimpton	...	Vanessa Ritchie
Mark London	...	Alvin Kirsch
William Job	...	Andrew Butler
Max Bacon	...	Julie Jordan
Jeremy Child	...	Martin Crossley
James Cossins	...	Professor Tatham
Frederick Danner	...	Marcus Hooper
Victor Henry	...	Freddie K
Arthur Pentelow	...	Leo Stanley
Steve Kirby	...	Squit
Malcolm Rogers	...	Rev. Jeremy Tate
Doreen Mantle	...	Miss Crawford
Michael Graham	...	Timothy Arbutt
Michael Barrington	...	The Bishop of Essex
Edwin Finn	...	The Bishop of Cornwall
John Gill	...	The Bishop of Surrey
Norman Pitt	...	The Bishop of Hersham
Alba	...	The Bishop of Rutland
The George Bean Group	...	The Runner Beans
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Martin Beere	...	Photographer (uncredited)
Gweneth Guthrie	...	(uncredited)

Directed by
Peter Watkins

Writing credits
Norman Bogner		(written by)
Johnny Speight		(story)
Peter Watkins		(additional scenes and dialogue)

Produced by
Timothy Burrill	....	associate producer
John Heyman	....	producer
Peter Watkins	....	producer
Albert Finney	....	producer (uncredited)

Original Music by
Mike Leander

Cinematography by
Peter Suschitzky		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
John Trumper

Casting by
Miriam Brickman

Art Direction by
Bill Brodie

Costume Design by
Vanessa Clarke

Makeup Department
Jill Carpenter	....	makeup artist
Daphne Vollmer	....	hair stylist

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Scott Wodehouse	....	assistant director
Antal Kovacs	....	third assistant director (uncredited)

Sound Department
Iain Bruce	....	sound
Kevin Gurry	....	boom operator
Ken Scrivener	....	dubbing mixer
Roy Taylor	....	dubbing editor

Visual Effects by
Scott Dougherty	....	digital restoration producer: Cinesite (uncredited)
Jerry Pooler	....	digital restoration supervisor (uncredited)
Tiffany Smith	....	digital restoration coordinator: Cinesite (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Duffy	....	still photographer
Jimmy Turrell	....	camera operator
Patrick Ward	....	still photographer

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Barbara Gillett	....	wardrobe supervisor

Other crew
Valerie Booth	....	continuity
Colin Corby	....	follow focus
David Griffith	....	location manager
Derek Ware	....	action sequences

Production Companies

• John Heyman/Peter Watkins Production
• World Film Services
• Memorial Enterprises

Distributors

• J. Arthur Rank Film Distributors (1967) (UK) (theatrical)
• Universal Pictures (1967) (USA) (theatrical)
• New Yorker Films (2008) (USA) (DVD)
• Project X Distribution (2008) (Canada) (DVD)
• Project X Distribution (2008) (USA) (DVD)
• United International Pictures (UIP)

Runtime:

103 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:M | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | UK:X

Filming Locations:

Birmingham Town Hall, Birmingham, West Midlands, England, UK

Company:

John Heyman/Peter Watkins Production

Trivia:

Sarah Miles was offered the role of Vanessa Ritchie.

Movie Connections:

References Triumph des Willens (1935)

Before Britney, there was Steve.

Privilege is one of those `lost' rarely screened masterpieces that always seem to end up on some critic's top-ten list, but you almost never know anyone who has seen the film. It is no wonder no one has seen this film – it has never been available on video (except for crummy bootlegs), it's not shown on television any longer and revival theatres have long since forgotten about it. Why?

Privilege has much more pertinence now than it did back in 1967. Paul Jones (lead singer of Manfred Mann) plays Steve Shorter, a British manufactured rock-n-roll icon, who is shaped and molded into a tool used to sell every product imaginable. In one humorous moment, the British Apple Growers Association, having harvested far too many apples to be sold, hire Steve to do a commercial convincing each British person to eat six apples a day.

To the nation, Steve is a god. A symbol of everything that is pure and good. Steve can do no wrong. Unfortunately, Steve has no mind of his own and is easily led from concert-to-concert, commercial-to-commercial and meeting-to-meeting by his conniving, greedy managers. Everyone wants a piece of Steve. The mere mention of a product from Steve's lips will sway the entire nation's fashion sense – if Steve wears black, the whole country wears black. His managers know this and there is no organization they will not sell him out to.

`The Church', in an act to attract more young members into its congregation, hires Steve to convince the nation's youth to become God-fearing Christians. But, this does not sit well with Steve who is becoming more cognizant of his surroundings through the help of a young artist played by sixties supermodel, Jean Shrimpton.

Privilege, even though rarely shown, is a surreal motion picture every film fanatic and music historian should seek out. With teeny-bop stars like Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Mandy Moore, Jessica Simpson and NSYNC sprouting up like so many invasive weeds, Privilege is very worthy of a second look. Hurry, please, before it is too late.