Under the Bed

Under the Bed! (1977)

** (out of 4)

A group of people gather for a wedding party but it seems the bride might not be as happy as she thought.

Apparently, director David Hamilton-Grant originally wanted this to be a sequel to THE OFFICE PARTY but he couldn't get enough of the cast members back so he just made it a separate film. Either way, technically speaking this is certainly a better made film, although it doesn't quite deliver the same amount of sex and nudity.

Having said that, UNDER THE BED! Does have a few funny moments including one where a man is hiding under the bride's bed to surprise her. The film offers up a willing cast and for the most part they are entertaining at what they're asked to do. However, the main goal was to show off naked ladies during sex scenes and there are plenty of them throughout the rather short 54-minute running time.

A wedding party sees all sorts of saucy shenanigans.

This sunny, light-hearted short has a real 'shot at the producer's house' vibe (it's the delightful Wraysbury in Berkshire) and its content is deeply inconsequential - it starts with its best nudity (with the gorgeous Theresa Wood in the bath) and then there's all sorts of chatter, some of which is actually quite funny, especially the stuttering, fffffing girl, before some mild couplings. We also get a cast member who'd become a teacher at Grange Hill. And there's not only a gay man present, but a lesbian too!

You can't imagine the dirty mac brigade would have been too impressed, unless they watched the hardcore version intended for foreign markets - as it is, this is a very English, very Seventies sauce film, but that's not necessarily an insult.

This can presently only be viewed at the BFI Mediatheque on London's South Bank, which is where I watched it yesterday.