Tiffany Jones

This atypical Pete Walker romp is a far cry from the horror fare he would later put out - and much worse in quality, too. Based on a long-forgotten comic strip, it features THE SCARS OF DRACULA's Anouska Hempel as the titular character, who finds herself getting intimate with the tyrannical ruler of a made-up country. Somehow, somewhere this seems to have been devised as a gender-swap Bond spoof, but something's lost along the way. Instead we get grating comedy, endless nudity from Hempel, an excruciating nude bathing sequence that goes on forever, and a cast of famous faces (including poor old Eric Pohlmann) deserving better.

According to the big old website we're currently expounding in, Anouska Hempel, hotel designer and star of 'Tiffany Jones', bought up the rights to the film so it would never be seen (whether she returned her fee is another matter). Imagine her pique when she sees it's on Prime for free for everyone.

Poor Anouska (now Lady Weinberg) knows in her heart of hearts that her flesh being on view is the ONLY reason anyone would watch 'Tiffany Jones'. In every other respect, it's hopeless. A 'political' comedy which would, deservedly, be mouldering in oblivion were it not for her jaw-dropping turn.

Carry-On bit-parters and scarcely remembered 60's horror extras, soap opera mainstays and cheap tv ad regulars vie for screen time. It doesn't look as if any of them are interested in furthering the pathetic plot. I'd like to have seen how they sold the extremist chef roles to the actors.

If Anouska's annoyed at her own body, imagine her ire when she sees Ray Brooks' hair or hears the painful theme song.

In my humble (narrator?) opinion, Ms Hempel is almost Pam Grier and Diana Rigg level on the swoon in disbelief chart. She is a STAGGERINGLY beautiful woman. By modern standards, up there with Emilia Clarke and Toy off 'Run To The Movies'. Men have eaten their own heads for lesser legs than hers. Revolutions begin for humbler décolletage. Her presence - shucked-down or not - never fails to sticky-up a quivering screen . . But her 'Tiffany Jones' is a turkey of equally high order. A stiff. A bozo. A rotten old sock.

You sit there thinking: one day this movie will end . .

The original Tiffany Jones newspaper strip won plaudits for its wit and style. Written and drawn by two female fashion journalists, it told of the exploits of a glamorous model, Tiffany, and her friends Jo and boyfriend Guy, and epitomised the free spirit of 'Swinging London'. Unfortunately this seems to have been completely jettisoned in this rather tedious adaptation. Instead poor Jo and Guy are relegated to a brief appearance at the start of the film, and then disappear for the duration. Tiffany gets embroiled in an attempt by a deposed foreign royal to overthrow the dictatorship which has taken over his country. The makers of the film seem unsure how seriously they should take the story, and how much sex and nudity (which is after all the only reason most people will be watching) to throw into the mix. One can only speculate what Fiona Richmond's producers, makers of probably the best looking sex films of the period, would have done with this story. Or how it would have been handled by the more low-brow creators of the 'Confessions' or 'Adventures' films; doubtless the clothing would have been lost with more panache than happens here. Anouska Hempel does not have the knowing sexuality of a Fiona, nor does she have the dizzy wide-eyed innocence which might also have worked. Instead she is reduced to reacting to everything that happens to her as if it was an everyday occurrence. The viewer is left with a feeling of regret for what might have been.

The producers must have given up on this film before production even started. Very weak script, while based on a comic strip, the comic had better dialogue. Plot is simple but also juvenile. The acting extremely mediocre as if no one cared. Much of the sets, props & costumes are sparse or weak. Cinematography slightly above amateur. Music, very dated though nothing memorable even when made. So what is left? Bare bodies. You see the lead actress in states of undress a number of times, often as a running gag thru the movie, though no laughs by me. One extended scene has a number of girls getting undressed (some full frontal) but the camera jumps around so much, doubt anyone gets excited from it. I originally gave 4 stars but as I wrote the above review, changed it to only 3 stars. It really is an awful movie. An hour in I just wanted it to end. I recommend you save your time and watch any other movie.

That silliness, sauciness and innocent charm you find in 1930s screwball comedies is lovingly evoked in this entertaining low-budget but well made spy parody. Despite what some have said, this is NOT a smutty British 'sex comedy'.

I can see why mistakenly it might have been grouped in with those dreadful sex-comedies because, well it is a comedy and there is nudity in it but it's nothing like those tacky, humourless, sexist and generally unpleasant pictures which were popular for a while. This is a proper story with believable and likeable characters which you can really engage with. There's not even any swearing and certainly no sex.

What makes this a good watch is how quickly you'll engage - how easy it is to relate to the characters and situations. The low budget feel actually adds a degree of realism which coupled with good writing results in an enjoyable romp in the nostalgic world of our youth. If you're familiar with those 1930s comedies you'll recognise all the characteristic tropes: mistaken identity, increasing absurdity and a sexy leading lady. Also like America in the 1930s, England in the seventies had a certain shabbiness about it which this film really captures. It was however a shabbiness filled with hope and optimism - again a feeling this picture effortlessly puts across.

Anouska Hempel is perfect in this role: she's pretty but nothing out of the ordinary so is 100% believable as the sexy girl next door. A well-written, well-acted character you can believe in like Tiffany gives a film with a silly story like this the necessary anchor in reality. It's undeniable that there is gratuitous nudity in this but also it's not completely gratuitous. We've all met people like Tiffany Jones who aren't too bothered about being fully clothed inside her own house. There's nothing dirty or salacious in this film's nudity: it's just reinforcing Tiffany's casual approach to life. It's a far cry from those horrid 'sex comedies' where there's just a lifeless parade of nameless, cartoon-like bare boobs.

Lastly, you might recognise the name of the writer: Alfred Shaughnessy. He was writing UPSTAIRS DOWNSTAIRS at the same time he was writing this!