Lock Up Your Daughters!

Awful late-sixties so-called "comedy" about the ill-fated attempts of an over-protective father (Christopher Plummer) to keep his daughters pure. Plummer's hate for his most famous film, "The Sound of Music," is infamous. Many people know that he refers to it as "The Sound of Mucus." So he started appearing in really bad movies (most notably ones where he plays evil characters) in order to wipe away his Nice Family Man persona.

So he made this trash instead? Whatever.

I reviewed this movie when it was released in 1969. At that time I thought it was absolutely rib-splitting. It deals mainly with the attempts of an English Fop (we're talking the 1700's here) to maintain the chastity of his daughters. It is ribald fare and the comedy a bit along the lines of TOM JONES, but it is worth the price of admission just to see this father, fake cheek mole plopped in place, his finery and lace cuffs set just so, rush from situtation to situation in little prig-ish strides.

I would love to see it released on Video.

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...

Lock Up Your Daughters is one of the best high-spirited comedies I have ever seen.

It is misunderstood since it lacks the "social commentary" values that many films of the day (1969) required to be successful.

The characters are over-the-top satires of everyday people and played to that purpose by all of the actors.

Christopher Plummer shines especially bright as Lord Foppington, a noble with hair too big to fit in the door.

The plot involves the usual 18th century stuff; mistaken identities, thwarted romances, corrupt government officials, and jokes at every turn.

It answers the questions: What happens when 4 rambunctious, eager to party sailors are on leave in a small British coastal town? And, who do they get involved with and how does it all turn out?

Despite doing poorly at the box office, it has great costumes, excellent music(based on the Mermaid Theatre musical of the same name), great,lively acting and sets that are obviously authentic.

That it has never been released on either VHS or DVD is truly a shame, since so many bad movies are released every day.

I saw this film when it came out, and loved it.. I fell in love with the ribald humor. I especially like the "asides" to the camara. The take off on the "Eating " scene in Tom Jones is a riot. I saw this film once more on Cable about a year or two ago. That leads me to belive it is available on tape , somewhere. I copied it to tape, but the quality is fair. I would buy this film on DVD if it came out.