A Touch of Class

"They had the perfect love affair. Until they fell in love."

1973 1h 46m EN

😐

6.1

MID

★6.1TMDB · 66

ComedyRomance

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Steve, a happily married American man living in London meets Vicki, an English divorcée and run off to Marbella for a rollicking week of sex. They then return to London to set up a cozy menage, despite the fact that he loves his wife and children, and now realize that he and Vicki have also fallen in love.

“They had the perfect love affair. Until they fell in love.”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

George Segal
Steve Blackburn
Glenda Jackson
Vicki Allessio
Paul Sorvino
Walter Menkes
K Callan
Patty Menkes
Cec Linder
Wendell Thompson
Michael Elwyn
Cecil
Mary Barclay
Martha Thompson
Nadim Sawalha
Night Hotel Manager

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Melvin Frank
Writers: Melvin Frank, Jack Rose
Languages: English, Spanish
Countries: United Kingdom

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

53 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Spanish.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Melvin Frank, shot by Austin Dempster. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by John Cameron. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Bill Butler shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

George Segal and Glenda Jackson and Paul Sorvino carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "They had the perfect love affair. Until they fell in love.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0070819 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Melvin Frank directs. Austin Dempster behind the camera. John Cameron scores. Bill Butler cuts. Produced in United Kingdom. Dialogue in English, Spanish.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

153 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Spanish.
3Directed by Melvin Frank, shot by Austin Dempster. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by John Cameron. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Bill Butler shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6George Segal and Glenda Jackson and Paul Sorvino carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "They had the perfect love affair. Until they fell in love.".
8IMDB entry: tt0070819 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Only 66 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: Austin Dempster
Original score: John Cameron
Editing: Bill Butler
Production design: Terence Marsh
Costume design: Ruth Myers
Makeup / hair: Tony Sforzini
Runtime: 106 min · 1h 46m
Status: Released
Box office: $18,312,000
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG
IMDB: A Touch of Class (1973)

Awards

Academy Award for Best Actress

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

Melvin Frank

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

John Chard2014-01-21
★ 8/10
Stress Relief in Early 1970s London… A Touch of Class is directed by Melvin Frank who also co-writes the screenplay with Jack Rose. It stars Glenda Jackson, George Segal, Paul Sorvino, Hildegarde Neil and Mary Barclay. Music is by John Cameron and cinematography by Austin Dempster. Two great lead performances and a sharp script propel this delightful sex comedy forward. Plot is no great shakes but it matters not in truth, divorced English woman meets American married man, an attraction is there and they agree to go away for a brief holiday to indulge in some stress relieving sex. Upon arrival at the Spanish resort, a number of things get in the way of the couple actually copulating. Once achieved, things start to go a bit sour, and the bickering and withering sarcasm starts. But hold on, there’s more twists to come, right up to the bittersweet finale. Genuine laughs are dotted throughout, Jackson’s waspish tongue an utter delight, and the pic never teeters over the edge into sentimental hog-wash. It’s obviously a product of its time, though the extra-marital affair theme is daringly mounted for the era. A lovely film, funny, poignant and literate. Score! 8/10
tmdb766221952023-09-27
★ 4/10
"A Touch of Class" was nominated for half a dozen Oscars, and Glenda Jackson won the Best Actress Award. Why? George Segal is Steve, an American living in London. He has a lovely wife named Gloria (Hildegard Neil) and kids. He is also on the prowl for some tail, and finds it in fashion designer Vickie (Glenda Jackson), a divorcee with kids. Immediately, the two are attracted to each other, and nonchalantly make plans to spend a week together in Spain. While in Spain, and through a bunch of maneuvers that can only happen in the movies, the pair are sighted by Steve's friend Walter (Paul Sorvino) and his wife Patty (K Callan). The cards are stacked against Steve and Vickie, who bicker and argue constantly, and Walter advises the two break up. Steve and Vickie go back to London, and take a flat together in a building full of prostitutes. Steve and Vickie bicker and argue some more, Steve always finds a way to run out on his saintly wife, and the film ends on a sour note. Although filmed in 1973, this script feels like a screwball romantic comedy from the 1940's, but with profanity and sex added to make it modern. The idea that these two people would get together is so unbelievable to begin with, we are supposed to automatically cheer for the adulterous insurance salesman and his lover. The screenwriters give us no emotional involvement in these characters, and then sends them through a goofy courtship and awkward slapstick scenes. I was not charmed by this duo, I was repelled. Jackson and Segal have great chemistry, but the script mostly asks them to constantly yell at each other, slam doors, and bug their eyes out. The director also has an annoying habit of using closeups of his cast at all the wrong times. While the movie gets better when the pair return to London, and Steve makes the funny excuses to step out on his wife, the bitter ending will make the viewer wonder why they invested even an hour and forty five minutes in the angry lives of these two people. On the other hand, it is nice to watch a romantic comedy where the leads are in their thirties, and the climax does not involve a big dance, a big game, or a big party. "A Touch of Class" feels awkward, plays awkward, and rarely generates its awkward laughs. It is a loud, obnoxious, overrated comedy that needed a touch of class itself.