Currently digging this one out for the first time in several years, via a French-subtitled YouTube print that's actually of extremely high quality. Compared to my hoary old VHS (recorded in long play alongside three or four similar titles) seeing it digitally is a bit of a revelation, I must say.
Of course, it's still camp as a Christmas spent round Jake Shears' mansion, the plot (and the fake Oirish and Scooootish accents) hilarious, and the acting in parts questionable. But in this clearly defined print, it looks beautiful- the old inn, the "rural Scots" locations (which, knowing the Danzigers, were obviously all shot round the back of Shepperton Marshes somewhere) and every shiny glittering inch of Nyah's plastic spaceship and binky-bonky robot simply GLEAM across the screen. Plus, the improved sound certainly allows the performances of Hazel Court, Adrienne Corri and Patricia Laffan - probably the only people in the entire cast NOT hamming it up - to really shine through for the first time.
Laffan, as some of you may know, never did become the huge star her work in either QUO VADIS or this film (or for that matter, 23 PACES TO BAKER STREET) warranted: sadly, it seemed she was destined for the remainder of her long and reasonably healthy life to be remembered principally for slithering around in a leopardprint bikini in the first-named, or doing her dominatrix BDSM act in full rubber'n'PVC getup here. Nonetheless, she seemed really affable and chirpy when interviewed about it for Matthew Sweet's TRULY MADLY CHEAPLY (2007) and lived to be a sprightly, entirely lucid 95 before quietly popping off in relative comfort and luxury in 2014. I've said this of a lot of people, but - I would have loved to have met her. She seemed a right laugh. Still, we "honronnists" will always have this to remember her by...
Ha! This is one I caught recently when trying out my new, big, TV, that has YouTube on it. It was a novelty looking at the telly from a distance, and YouTube on big screen reminded me of going to the pictures when I was wee and the film was always off the screen and out of focus. But (as mentioned by DD above) the French sub-titted YT upload is good. It doesn't make a bad film great, but it makes afun film funnier/more fun.
Having said "bad film" I don't mean that. That's non-freaky talk. It's not a bad film. It's not PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE. It's charming and endearing, but your granny will think it's an awfully silly thing. Bless 'em. I suppose it is, but it's also splendidly watchable. Pub-set, with Adrianne Corri, John Laurie, Hazel Court and.. Patricia Laffan as... well, something iconic.
I did enjoy this a lot and feel the need to watch that other one done the same year... Is it STRANGER FROM VENUS?