Permissive (film)
Permissive is a 1970 British exploitation drama film directed by Lindsay Shonteff, written by Jeremy Craig Dryden, and starring Maggie Stride, Gay Singleton and Gilbert Wynne. The film depicts a young girl's progress through the rock music groupie subculture of the time.
| Permissive | |
|---|---|
 Film Poster | |
| Directed by | Lindsay Shonteff |
| Written by | Jeremy Craig Dryden |
| Produced by | Jack Shulton |
| Starring | Maggie Stride Gay Singleton Gilbert Wynne Forever More |
| Cinematography | John C. Taylor |
| Edited by | Jackson Bowdell |
| Music by | Forever More Comus |
Production company | Shonteff Films |
| Distributed by | Tigon Films |
Release date | 1970 |
Running time | 90 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
Synopsis
Suzy (Maggie Stride) arrives in London with nowhere to stay. She meets a friend, Fiona (Gay Singleton), a groupie who has settled into a relationship with Lee (Alan Gorrie), bass player and singer with the band Forever More. At first Suzy is just one of many girls who follow the groups and make themselves sexually available to musicians and their hangers-on (a type represented by Forever More's road manager Jimmy, played by Gilbert Wynne). When the band go on tour she is left behind. For some time she lives on the streets with Pogo (Robert D'Aubigny, credited as "Robert Daubigny"), a gentle hippie drifter who is eventually killed in a road accident.
After the accident Suzy meets Fiona again. She becomes accepted as part of Forever More's entourage, and develops the glamorous style and hard attitude of an experienced groupie. She makes a play for Lee and ousts Fiona from her status as his 'old lady.' In the final scene, the band are about to leave their hotel when Suzy finds Fiona in the bathroom with her wrists slashed. She walks out, abandoning her former friend.
Cast
- Maggie Stride as Suzy
- Gay Singleton as Fiona
- Gilbert Wynne as Jimi
- Alan Gorrie as Lee, Forever More
- Stuart Francis as Kip, Forever More
- Mick Travis as Mick, Forever More
- Onnie Mair as Onnie, Forever More
- Debbie Bowen as Lacy
- Robert Daubigny as Pogo
- Titus Groan as Themselves
- Stuart Cowell as Nick, Titus Groan
- Nicola Austine as Coral
- Nicole Yearne as Groupie
- Suzy Randall as Groupie
- Juliet Adams as Groupie
- Linda Dean as Groupie
- Greta Nelson as Groupie
- Maria Vasilou as Groupie
- Sussana East as Groupie
- Cathy Howard as Groupie
- Samantha Bond as Groupie
- Maria Frost as Groupie
- Louisa Livingstone as Groupie
- Madeleine Collinson as Groupie
- Mary Collins as Groupie
- John Allen as Roadie
- Eric Simpson as Roadie
- Joyce Crossley as Woman
- C. Reeves as Technician
- Bill Hibbert as Policeman
- N. Tathan as Policeman
Production
Forever More were a genuine performing band, although the band members play characters other than themselves in the film. Songs from the soundtrack appear on their album Yours – Forever More. Alan Gorrie went on to commercial success as a member of the Average White Band.
The cult folk band Comus provided the film's opening title theme and other incidental music and songs.
Also featured were Titus Groan.
Release
Home media
Permissive was released on DVD and Blu-ray in the UK as part of the BFI's Flipside series on 25 January 2010.[1] The disc also includes the feature film Bread (directed by Stanley Long, 1971) and the short 'Ave You Got a Male Assistant Please Miss? (Graham Jones, Jon Astley, 1973).
References
- "BFI Flipside in January | News | Film @ the Digital Fix". Archived from the original on 7 January 2014. Retrieved 8 December 2009.