Personal Services is a 1987 British comedy film directed by Terry Jones and written by David Leland. It is the story of the rise of a madam of a suburban brothel which caters to older men. The story is inspired by the real experiences of Cynthia Payne, the legendary "House of Cyn" madam.
Personal Services | |
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Theatrical release poster | |
Directed by | Terry Jones |
Produced by | Tim Bevan |
Written by | David Leland |
Starring |
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Music by | John Du Prez |
Cinematography | Roger Deakins |
Edited by | George Akers |
Production company | Zenith Entertainment |
Distributed by | Vestron Pictures |
Release date |
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Running time | 105 minutes |
Country | United Kingdom |
Language | English |
Box office | $1,744,164 |
Screenplay
Christine Painter (Julie Walters) is a sexually naive waitress and single-mother who pays for her teenage son's tuition by renting flats to local call girls. She later becomes a call girl herself – joining her friend Shirley (Shirley Stelfox) and their "maid" Dolly (Danny Schiller) – and specializes in fetish/kink roleplay with older gentlemen. With her new family of friends and admirers, she becomes a huge sensation leading to wealth and infamy in the tabloids. The brothel business also brings out Christine's self-confidence, and leads to repairing a previously strained relationship with her father.
- Julie Walters as Christine Painter
- Shirley Stelfox as Shirley
- Alec McCowen as Wing Commander Morten
- Danny Schiller as Dolly
- Tim Woodward as Timms
- Victoria Hardcastle as Rose
- Dave Atkins as Sydney
- Ewan Hooper as Edward
- Alan Bowyer as David Painter
- Antony Carrick as Edgar
- Beverley Foster as Elizabeth
- Leon Lissek as Mr. Popozogolou
- Peter Cellier as Mr. Marples
- Benjamin Whitrow as Mr. Marsden
- Stephen Lewis as Mr. Dunkley
- Charlotte Seeley (aka Charlotte Alexandra) as Diane
The film was banned in the Republic of Ireland upon theatrical release (although the ban was lifted two months later). At the time, there were four films that were banned in Ireland, and Jones had directed three of them (Personal Services, Monty Python's Life of Brian, and Monty Python's The Meaning of Life).