Steaming

Five stars for this film of Nell Dunn's play set in an English council run Turkish bath on Women's day. There is some fine acting: Diana Dors steals the show of course for her sheer ability. Venessa Redgrave gives a stolid performance although there is nothing to stretch an actress of her abilities, and the rest of the cast give good performances. The whole film has an atmosphere of a BBC play for today and there is no real cinematic quality to the film as a whole. I really would not want to see this on the big screen. Perhaps this is due to the confines of the set: we see the plunge bath, steam room, hot room, exercise room, showers and rest room. And that's it. No exterior shots to establish the baths - all the action takes place in one location. The whole thing is simply a filmed play. Workmanlike but not inspired.The play however examines relationships between a number of women, mostly middle class.

I probably would have never seen this movie if it were not for the fact that I was offered the part of Josie in the stage version. My husband and I sat down to review the film to help me decide if I would venture into my first role with nude scenes. I was partially happy with the film's adaptation and loved the performances. This is a chatty film, perhaps a little too much like the stage version, and the sets (though appropriately drab) could have been spiced up a little. Surprisingly this is not a sexy film at all (not completely devoid of charm and cuteness, the women are on the downhill side of middle age and their personalities only increase their speed down the hill.) I had read some lesbian or bi-sexual overtones into the script that don't translate well in this film. The director could have had the characters more nurturing and gentle with each other in massaging or bathing (unfortunately the film was made in the eighties not the nineties). Influenced by the film, I accepted the stage role. It's the only film I ever saw that influenced me to disrobe in front of family, friends, neighbors, and strangers so that must count for something.

I have not noticed a lot of British nudie cutie films make the hop over the pond. I was not expecting many either, given the Brit's public persona as being presented as very reserved (Benny Hill not withstanding).

What a pleasant surprise to see this film about some rather good looking older and a few good looking, but kind of plump, younger women, letting it all hang out while going around a lot in their starkers!

The director managed to make the nudity both titillating and non-exploitive at the same time--This was not too hard considering the caliber of the acting talent involved. And the fact that no men appeared anywhere in the film probably made it more of a "lets hide a camera in a women's steam club and see what they really talk about!". Surprise--it's men! No feminine hygiene, breast cancer, yeast infections, or even babies!

The one thing about the limeys is that even when they don't do something often, they do it right! Rather old bean, top drawer!

I'm a big fan of director Joseph Losey, and over the last year I've managed to watch all his movies. But I came to this one, his last, with very low expectations. He was in his eighties, after all, and ratings for Steaming are low.

But...what a delight this movie turned out to be! I found myself slowly but surely drawn into the special world of camaraderie that develops between the characters, and deeply caring about the outcome of the story. (Can the baths, the special place where they all come together, be saved from demolition?)

This is essentially a filmed stage play, yes, but Losey came from a theatrical background (he worked with Brecht way back when), and this movie never feels stage-bound or claustrophobic. Indeed, toward the end of the film, when an important action takes place "off-stage," the logic of never leaving the baths becomes manifest; this is a story that needs to take place over time but in a single location.

Vanessa Redgrave is great as always, and Sarah Miles naked is a revelation, but it's an actress named Patti Love who steals the movie in a dynamite role which she also played in the West End. (She seems to be the only hold-over from the original stage production.) You will not soon forget her.

Special kudos to the simple but exhilarating electronic music score, which has aged almost as nicely as the women in this movie.

While this is not a real great piece of film making, I found it to be erotic in a very subtle sort of way. First, the whole concept of a movie about 40ish and 50ish women hanging out (in more ways than one) at spa is very exciting to me. Then add the fact that we have established actresses like Sarah Miles and Vanessa Redgrave spending a lot of time lying around in towels and less and you have a very erotic film in my opinion. I really hated to see it end. If you find this concept much more sexy that overt sexuality, then you might want to check out this film. It's hard to find, though. I found it in a small independent video store in 1987 and haven't come across it since.