I saw this film on TV and have waited thirty years to see it again. For me, it is one of the most under-rated films of all time.
Why isn't it more appreciated? Perhaps because you have to listen to the dialogue (which is also 18th Century speech, not Shakespeare but far from modern), or keep track of at least three main plots. This is not a simple 'romp', it is based on work by Vanbrugh and Fielding.
The script is literate and witty, but the overall theme is - sex. In pre-Victorian England, the desire for sexual fulfilment is regarded as a healthy and natural part of life. Men want it, women want it, and they'll do anything to get it.
The film is performed by a great cast. I defy anyone to recognise Christopher Plummer as Foppington under the make-up, wig and costumes. There's one scene where he is hilarious simply getting up out of a chair, as unsteady as a new born deer. After making love for the first time, he explains that he has a servant to do that sort of thing for him.
The rest of the cast is filled with marvellous character actors: Georgia Brown, Jim Dale, Roy Kinnear, Kathleen Harrison, Roy Dotrice, Glynis Johns, Peter Bayliss and Fenella Fielding. Not big names, perhaps, but they fill their roles to perfection. So my advice is: watch the film with care, more than once, to get the flavour of the dialogue, then enjoy the free-spirited age that is brought to life for you.
And, by the way, it's the *fourth* rung that's missing...
