Felicity (film)

Felicity

Theatrical film poster
Directed by John D. Lamond
Produced by Russell Hurley
John D. Lamond
Written by Diane Lamond
John D. Lamond (both as
Felicity Robinson)
Starring Glory Annen
Marilyn Rodgers
Joni Flynn
Christopher Milne
Jody Hanson
Music by Brian Potter
Cinematography Gary Wapscott
Edited by Russell Hurley
Production
company
Krystal Motion Picture Productions
Distributed by Roadshow
Release date
 5 July 1979
Running time
 90-94 minutes
Country Australia
Language English
Budget AU$170,000[1]
Box office AU$532,000 (Australia)

Felicity is a 1978 Australian sexploitation film starring Canadian actress Glory Annen and written and directed by John D. Lamond.[2][3]

Plot

Felicity Robinson (Glory Annen) is a teen who studies at a remote Roman Catholic Church boarding school and who seeks indulgence in popular erotic novels Story of O, Emmanuelle and in a lesbian love affair with her friend Jenny (Jody Hanson). Her father arranges her holiday trip to Hong Kong where she will stay with a wealthy couple, Christine (Marilyn Rodgers) and Stephen (Gordon Charles). After a party at the couple's mansion, she is deflowered by a guest, Andrew (David Bradshaw) and Christine introduces her to libertine Me Ling (Joni Flynn). Me Ling initiates Felicity to new pleasures. However, Felicity eventually falls in love with Miles (Chris Milne) who saves her from a bunch of Chinese thugs.

Cast

Production

Lamond wanted to make a film in the vein of those directed by Just Jaeckin such as Emmanuelle:

The French have always been able to make their films NOT be pornographic, they’d be erotic. They were classy – the most they could ever say was ‘softcore’. And the way they did it, they made pretty images that looked like a Singapore Airlines TV commercial, they had nice fashion, good photography and nice music. And that way it dresses it up and makes it all chocolate boxy... I thought okay, the way to do that on a film budget is to go somewhere exotic. Make sure the people are pretty and they don’t have pimples. Don’t be sordid in any way, have pretty music and exotic locations, nice lighting and nice fashion. So even though it was a tiny film, we came up to Hong Kong and we got all the clothes tailor made for them, so that they fitted properly.[4]

Lamond was also influenced by The World of Suzie Wong (1960), which prompted him to set it in Hong Kong. He intended to make it immediately after Australia After Dark but ended up making The ABC of Love and Sex: Australia Style first. Lamond claims that at one stage George Miller was going to direct but he wanted to take the film in a different direction.[4]

Lamond secured investment from Roadshow Pictures, then tried to obtain funding from the government film bodies. They refused, although the AFC offered to loan him $40,000, but Lamond did not want to be beholden to them. He formed a unit trust and sold a hundred units at $1,250 each which people could buy in any number, and the movie was made entirely with private funds.[5]

Glory Annen was a Canadian actress living in London who was cast in the lead role.

The film was shot in 1977. The Internet Movie Database cites the opening scenes as having been shot at Montsalvat, Eltham, while the train station scene was at Healesville. Other scenes were filmed in Hong Kong and in a studio at Nunawading in Melbourne; when a typhoon was approaching Hong Kong Lamond moved the unit to Lord Howe Island instead for a number of days.[4] Lamond says it was shot in the same "Singapore Airlines style" as Emmanuelle, "No. 3 fog filers and so on. It gives the film a nice, respectable look.[5]

In one scene the characters go to a movie where The ABC of Love and Sex: Australia Style is being shown. Lamond describes this as a "pure Roger Corman-style economic necessity."[4]

Box office

Felicity grossed $532,000 at the box office in Australia,[6] which is equivalent to $2,080,120 in 2009 dollars. According to Lamond it also sold widely around the world.[4]

Proposed Sequel

Lamond intended to make a sequel, Felicity in the Garden of Pleasures. It was budgeted at $230,000 and the South Australian Film Corporation decided to invest A$100,000. The Corporation's director, John Morris, told the board “the film would be funny, commercial and R-rated”. However the decision was much criticised and the SAFC withdrew their investment. No sequel was made.[7]

Edits

See also

References

  1. ↑ David Stratton, The Last New Wave: The Australian Film Revival, Angus & Robertson, 1980 p309
  2. ↑ "The New York Times". The New York Times. Retrieved 31 January 2012.
  3. ↑ "DVD Talk". DVD Talk. Retrieved 31 January 2012.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Interview with John Lamond, Mondo Stumpo, early 2002 accessed 14 October 2012
  5. 1 2 Scott Murray, "John Lamond", Cinema Papers Oct/Nov 1978 p97-98
  6. ↑ Film Victoria - Australian Films at the Australian Box Office
  7. ↑ Vincent O'Donnell, "Strewth! How Aussie does Australian cinema need to be", The Conversation 30 March 2012 accessed 21 February 2015
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