A Touch of Class (1973)

Director:

Melvin Frank

Writers:

Melvin Frank (written by) and
Jack Rose (written by) ...

Release Date:

1 October 1973 (Sweden)

Genre:

Comedy

Tagline:

They had the perfect love affair. Until they fell in love.

Plot:

Romantic comedy about a pair of clandestine lovers in a London-Spain tryst.

Plot Keywords:

Doctor | Vanity | Gibraltar | London England | Fashion Designer

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 10 wins & 9 nominations

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

George Segal	...	Steven 'Steve' Blackburn
Glenda Jackson	...	Vicki Allessio
Paul Sorvino	...	Walter Menkes
K Callan	...	Patty Menkes
Cec Linder	...	Wendell Thompson
Michael Elwyn	...	Cecil
Mary Barclay	...	Martha Thompson
Nadim Sawalha	...	Night Hotel Manager
Ian Thompson	...	Derek, Steve's Secretary
Ève Karpf	...	Miss Ramos, London Airline Clerk (as Eve Karpf)
David de Keyser	...	Doctor Alvarez (as David De Keyser)
Gaye Brown	...	Dora French
Carl Oatley	...	Bell Boy
Rebecca De Los Reyes	...	Rent-A-Car Clerk
Felipe Solano	...	Malaga Airline Clerk

Runtime:

106 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English | Spanish

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Singapore:PG | UK:12 (video rating) | Finland:K-12 | UK:AA | USA:PG

Filming Locations:

Alembic House - 93 Albert Embankment, Vauxhall, London, England, UK

Company:

Brut Productions

Goofs:

Boom mic visible: Early on in the film, when Vicki and Steve first share the taxi, it is reflected in the windscreen of the taxi just as it pulls up to drop Vicki off in the rain.

Quotes:

Vicki: My one chance to get raped, and you can't get your bloody trousers off.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Unhappily Ever After: A Touch of Glass (#2.7)" (1995)

Soundtrack:

Amor mio

A good movie for those who like to fantasize about forbidden love.

I saw this movie in 1976 and loved it. It was the first time I saw a movie where a woman had an affair with a married man that made me sympathize with the woman. At the same time I also felt sorry for the man, but not as much because he lied to her about his marriage making her think he wasn't happy with his wife and that their marriage was a sham. I've tried several times to rent this movie but have not been able to find it. I've tried all the main rental places such as Hastings, Hollywood Video and several smaller mom and pop type video rental places, but all to no avail The movie is good because it shows all the pitfalls of getting involved with someone who is married and yet has a tenderness about it that makes you understand why it happens. It is good for young girls to see because they can see how a man can take advantage of a gullible young woman by saying the right things. At the same time, it is interesting that the lead female role play by Glenda Jackson is anything but gullible in every other way. She is a strong woman with a strong personality who speaks up for herself but falls into the all too often belief that her love can make all the difference and that their love is so unique and wonderful that it cannot possibly fail and that he will leave his wife for her because he cannot live without her. Unfortunately, real life is not like fantasy and the practical takes over when the sun rises on the often cold reality of the pain and financial strain that breaking off a relationship can bring. Also, this man like many others didn't want to leave his marriage he just wanted to have an affair to fill whatever voids were there real or imagined. Still, I liked this movie and have often thought about it over the years. For me this is the true test of how effectively a story touches me.