SEAT AT THE BACK: ALL TALK - AND STILL NO TROUSERS! // Legendary horror scriptwriter David McGillivray's controversial production of the "Saucy Seventies Great British Sex Comedy"-style 'TROUSER BAR' (2016) finds itself in a legal pickle . . . * Cameos from Nigel Havers, Julian Clary and Barry Cryer also now at risk! *

Friday, 29 January 2016

ALL TALK - AND STILL NO TROUSERS! // Legendary horror scriptwriter David McGillivray's controversial production of the "Saucy Seventies Great British Sex Comedy"-style 'TROUSER BAR' (2016) finds itself in a legal pickle . . . * Cameos from Nigel Havers, Julian Clary and Barry Cryer also now at risk! *

The chance of getting to see a new film version of a long thought lost

update # 1 (or indeed - very well hidden!)

update # 2 (or indeed - never even written!)

erotic comedy farce called TROUSER BAR is a bit up in the air at the moment, from what I can gather. It was initially thought to have been written by a well known English actor, but that rumour now seems to have been shot down by the Sir John Gielgud Charitable Trust itself (the Trust does a good job supporting young acting hopes in the UK) and accepted by producer McGillivray (at the time of writing!).

All references to the actor's involvement have now been completely deleted from publicity and filmed material. The Trust rejects the suggestion their esteemed actor ever gave away this previously hush-hush script to friend Peter de Rome (a cult erotic gay cinema director who died recently) to film. Initially they seemed determined more to prevent the actor's name being linked to the production. Now, they have stated quite categorically that the fabled script never even existed in the first place.

UPDATE: On 20th March 2016 the film will receive a premiere at the BFI in London, with the script now credited to unknown authorship! Expect further screenings and a DVD shortly . .

De Rome was a friend of TROUSER BAR's producer David McGillivray (the writer of 70s horror classics including TERROR, SCHIZO and FRIGHTMARE as well as critically acclaimed new films under his production company Pathetique Films and a well-received documentary about de Rome's films for a BFI celebration of the director's work) and McGillivray has clearly intended the filming of the rumoured, if difficult to actually prove, Gielgud script to be a mischievous (or maybe not at all mischievous - who knows!) tribute to both Gielgud and, especially, de Rome.

YOU HAVE NOW REACHED: THE INSIDE LEG!

It's a shame there has to be this (bordering on barely legal!) stand-off over TROUSER BAR, as it could be a bit of low-key harmless fun without all the hoo-ha currently taking place and spoiling it all. But in fairness, both sides do have their own good reasons and reasoning behind supporting their own rigid corner quite as passionately as they have. I have a feeling that all the ruffled corduroy will eventually be ironed out though, somewhere down the line - a friendly and productive resolution appearing on the horizon like a big banana of a King's Cross sunset.

YOU HAVE NOW REACHED: THE MOMENT YOU ARE ASKED WHETHER YOU DRESS ON THE RIGHT, THE LEFT - OR STRAIGHT DOWN THE MIDDLE!

Anyway, the film features cameos from such national treasures as Nigel Havers (who I recently saw on stage in Richmond in THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST with Martin Jarvis - both fabulous), Julian Clary and Barry Cryer and it all sounds to be pretty saucy (or even a little bit cheeky and rude - in the way British sex cinema used to be in the 70s; a time of hugely restrictive censorship and prosecutable 'obscenity') and funny in equal measure.

DAVID MCGILLIVRAY and NIGEL HAVERS - ON SET/ WITH TROUSERS ON!

All this hype around the film is a lot of fun, in a retro, canny and bonkers kind of way (although the film's director - Kristen Bjorn - is very much a product of modern-era and adult-orientated filmmaking, which, contrasted with the deeply establishment-sourced, and more restrained old school vibe also on show here, could make for an interesting collision of worlds). The dusty gentleman-only clubs of serious thespianism from yesteryear should surely approve, even if only peeking out at it all from between the gaps of sweaty hands covering a rampant rash of reddening and blushing (yet clearly still furtive) old eyes...

And let's not forget, as a by-the-way, and completely unrelated to any of the above, that John Gielgud appeared in some mighty fine movies, of the kind that Seat at the Back heartily approves of! So here's a quick pictorial reminder . .