Prudence... et la pilule

I'm not sure what exactly attracted me to check out Prudence and the Pill. Partly is was the cast David Niven and Deborah Kerr, and also I was very curious about how a British comedy might handle this type of material. After a slightly interesting opening credits sequence we get down to business. It's all a bit silly really, but that seems to be the problem that it's only a bit silly when reality it needed a lot more silliness to pull this off and make it actually funny. As it is it's just slightly amusing at random bits throughout, but sadly for everyone involved it's more often slow and kind of dry. Not a completely unpleasant viewing experience for sure, it was somewhat watchable, just not as much as I had hoped for.

I remember seeing this movie as a teen in the 80s, but had forgotten all of the particulars except for the fact that Deborah Kerr looked absolutely stunning and wore some great clothes. I had an opportunity to see it again recently and enjoyed the ride. This wasn't a Deborah Kerr film per se, but rather, an ensemble. David Niven was absolutely hysterical in the film. Some of the funniest scenes were of him up to shenanigans. The scene in the drug store getting aspirin was absolutely classic. Deborah Kerr, the reason I wanted to watch this movie, wasn't her usual genteel self, but I liked seeing her b!tchy side and the verbal sparring that went on between her and David Niven. All of the other characters were fun as well. This is a fun 60s romp with very little depth, but was entertaining enough to hold my interest until the end.

I found this one of the most hilarious movies, full of subtle, elegant, classy and witty British humour. A really complicated argument develops itself very intelligently and in a smooth way through the film. Deborah Kerr and David Niven, as well as the rest of the cast, display their professionalism and talent at its best in this movie and consolidates their status as Stars in the whole sense of the word. It shows how a film can be witty and sexual without having to resort to the worn-out trick of out-of-context nudity, and it should be an example for twenty first century film makers. The acting is superb as it is the story. The copyright owners Thoroughly enjoyable, although due to the story it must be kept rated as it is.

The sexually-estranged wife of a London banker (named Hardcastle!) is suspected of infidelity by her hypocrite husband, who is cheating himself with a French lass. He replaces his spouse's contraceptive pills ("Thenol") with aspirin--to catch her in the act, I guess--an idea he gets after his sister-in-law tells of a scheme by her teenage daughter to avoid pregnancy before marriage by swapping out her own mother's pills in the same fashion. Hugh Mills adapted his smirking play for the screen, and might have been astonished to find most of the female roles filled by matronly women (married to very mature men). This is a blue-haired attempt at keeping up with the youth explosion in cinema circa 1968, but the material is highly unsuitable for its stars. Deborah Kerr, David Niven, Robert Coote (awful!) and Joyce Redman look embarrassed to be involved; Edith Evans, as the potential mother-in-law for sexually-active Judy Geeson, is the only cast member to rise above the juvenile plotting. Director Fielder Cook left the project midway after a disagreement with the producers, to be replaced by Ronald Neame. * from ****

In case you have any doubt as to the meaning of the title, I'll put you out of your misery: Prudence and the Pill is about the birth control pill. It's a hilarious British comedy starring David Niven and Deborah Kerr that proves you can get pregnant even if you think you're too old, and even if you think you're on the pill.

In the 60s, it wasn't as commonplace for women to be on the birth control pill as it is today-or was it? As David Niven's maid's boyfriend hides birth control pills in her vitamin bottle-so as to not insult her by suggesting she prevent a pregnancy-the maid switches her vitamins, which are really birth control pills, with Deborah Kerr's birth control pills, which are really just vitamins. Why are they vitamins? Because David and Deborah have a marriage in name only; they each have extramarital affairs, and in order to get a divorce and marry his mistress, David wants to prove his wife's infidelity. He switches her pills with vitamins-what's a better proof of infidelity than a pregnancy?

The plot is fast-paced and a little complicated, but if I didn't get confused, you won't either. The humor is very British, but I found it absolutely hilarious. If you like British comedies, you'll absolutely love this one. It's a sex comedy with references rather than raunchiness, so it's classy and funny and sexy all at the same time-just like David Niven! I love him anyway, so I was a little predisposed to like this movie, and it shows off his comedic talents wonderfully. Also, I know Deborah Kerr was more famous for her meaty dramatic roles, I actually like her better when she's being funny! Give this one a try and see which side of her you prefer.