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STIFF UPPER LIPS Send This Review to a Friend
Although there are many funny moments in this satire of Merchant Ivory and Masterpiece Theater-type films, the humor isn't consistently uproarious enough to make "Stiff Upper Lips" more than a modest diversion. That's not bad. Just don't expect to fall into the aisles laughing all of the time.
It's the British Empire, circa, 1908, just the right setting for a period piece, and the plot revolves around the efforts of Prunella Scales as Aunt Agnes to see that Georgina Cates as her niece Emily is married off to the proper suitor, which means the right family, the right money and the right education. Off they go to Italy--get the reference? The trouble is that Emily is really only interested in losing her virginity. You can count on her.
I won't ruin the jokes and the escapades by describing them, but the action at one juncture leads to India (more satirical reference), and there's a droll role for Sir Peter Ustinov. Other key characters are Emily's brother Edward (Samuel West) and his friend Cedric (Robert Portal), who is intended for Emily. The men have other inclinations. Some of the comic references go further afield. Fans of Luchino Visconti's film version of Thomas Mann's "Death in Venice" should delight in one allusion.
The funniest gags are the smuttiest, and there are a few very outrageous ones, to be sure. The often clever screenplay is by Gary Sinyor, who directed, and Paul Simpkin. Mike Grant's production design and Simon Archer's photography combine to give the film a classy look worthy of their targets and the various locations are used effectively. A Cowboy Booking International release.
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