The Bliss of Mrs Blossom (1968) torrent

I sampled this from VHS, before it disappeared forever, as the studios have chosen to let this one die without conversion. Please keep a copy and seed, as this is the only way it will endure.

It is a very strange film. When I described it to my friends, they felt certain that I must have dreamt it, as we all though when one of them told us about Zardoz, which is also real (and made the conversion to digital on its own).



SPOILER ALERT



This is from the Wikipedia:

The Bliss of Mrs. Blossom

Directed by Joseph McGrath
Produced by Josef Shaftel
Written by Alec Coppel
Denis Norden
Based on a short story by Josef Shaftel
Starring Shirley MacLaine
Richard Attenborough
James Booth
Music by Riz Ortolani
Cinematography Geoffrey Unsworth
Editing by Ralph Sheldon
Distributed by Paramount Pictures
Release date(s) September 11, 1968 (USA)
November 21, 1968 (UK)
Running time 93 minutes
Country United Kingdom
Language English

The Bliss of Mrs. Blossom is a 1968 British comedy film directed by Joseph McGrath. The screenplay by Alec Coppel and Denis Norden was adapted from a play by Coppel that was based on a short story by Josef Shaftel, who served as the film's producer.


Plot synopsis

Robert Blossom is a workaholic brassiere manufacturer. When his wife Harriet's sewing machine breaks down, he sends his bumbling employee Ambrose Tuttle to repair it. Mrs. Blossom seduces him, then hides him in the attic, instructing him to sneak out in the middle of the night. Ambrose, however, is enchanted by the woman and decides to settle in to serve as her secret paramour. When he's reported missing, Det. Sgt. Dylan from Scotland Yard is assigned to the case, one he doggedly pursues for years. The mysterious noises Robert frequently hears overhead finally lead to his nervous breakdown, but Ambrose saves the day by passing along stock tips that turn his employer into a millionaire. The grateful Mr. Blossom not only allows Ambrose to remain with his wife, but presents the couple with his factory as a wedding present.
[edit] Story

The film is loosely based on a real incident. In the early 1920s, Walburga Oesterreich kept her lover, Otto Sanhuber in the attic where he lived for many years. The real story doesn't have the happy ending of the movie.


Production notes

Assheton Gorton served as production designer for the film.

Location scenes were filmed in Bloomsbury, at the National Film Theatre in the South Bank Centre, and at Alexandra Palace in London. Interiors were filmed at the Twickenham Film Studios in Middlesex.

The soundtrack includes the songs "The Way That I Live" performed by Jack Jones and "Fall in Love" performed by the New Vaudeville Band.

Frank Thornton, Barry Humphries, and John Cleese make brief appearances in the film.


Principal cast

* Shirley MacLaine ..... Harriet Blossom
* Richard Attenborough ..... Robert Blossom
* James Booth ..... Ambrose Tuttle
* Freddie Jones ... Det. Sgt. Dylan
* Bob Monkhouse ..... Dr. Taylor
* Patricia Routledge ..... Miss Reece


Reception

In his review in the New York Times, Howard Thompson called the film "roguish, restrained and absurdly likable, with a neat climactic twist." [1]

Variety described it as "a silly, campy and sophisticated marital comedy, always amusing and often hilarious in impact . . . although basically a one-joke story, [the] idea is fleshed out most satisfactorily so as to take undue attention away from the premise. Performances are all very good, Attenborough's in particular." [2]

Time Out New York calles it a "coarse comedy which looks a little like Joe Orton gone disastrously wrong . . . any sparks in the script or performances are ruthlessly extinguished by atrocious direction."