Personal Services

"The future lies in kinky people"

1987 1h 45m EN

😐

6.0

MID

★6.0TMDB · 48

Comedy

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Fed up with working hard just to scrape by, Christine Painter comes up with a bold plan to become the madam of a brothel and earn her financial freedom: she opens a house of spanking to fabulous reviews.

“The future lies in kinky people”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Julie Walters
Christine Painter
Shirley Stelfox
Shirley
Alec McCowen
Wing Commander Morten
Danny Schiller
Dolly
Tim Woodward
Timms
Suzette Llewellyn
Helen
Victoria Hardcastle
Rose
Dave Atkins
Sydney

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Terry Jones
Writers: David Leland
Languages: English
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

39 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Terry Jones, shot by Roger Deakins. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Julie Walters and Shirley Stelfox and Alec McCowen carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "The future lies in kinky people".

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0093727 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

Only 48 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Terry Jones directs. Roger Deakins behind the camera. John Du Prez scores. George Akers cuts. Produced in United Kingdom. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

139 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
2Directed by Terry Jones, shot by Roger Deakins. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Original score by John Du Prez. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Editor George Akers shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Julie Walters and Shirley Stelfox and Alec McCowen carry the top of the cast.
6Marketing tagline: "The future lies in kinky people".
7IMDB entry: tt0093727 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Only 48 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: Roger Deakins
Original score: John Du Prez
Editing: George Akers
Production design: Hugo Luczyc-Wyhowski
Costume design: Shuna Harwood
Makeup / hair: Jenny Shircore
Stunt coordinator: Alan Stuart
Runtime: 105 min · 1h 45m
Status: Released
Box office: $1,744,164
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: Personal Services (1987)

Also by

Terry Jones

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2023-07-24
★ 7/10
Julie Walters is great in this story of a woman who starts off life working in a café but ends up being arrested for living off the immoral earnings made running a brothel for the great and the good. It's loosely based on the rise and fall of the renowned madam Cynthia Payne (who consulted on the drama) and reaches inside the murky sex industry, laying bare peccadilloes galore as we discover a wide variety of kinks that keep all ranges of society entertained and/or employed. "Christine" is a shrewd business woman whom aided by her stalwart "Dolly" (Danny Schiller); "Shirley" (Shirley Stelfox) and the RAF veteran Wing Commander - in panties and a bra - "Morten" (Alec McCowen) is making quite a go of her elicit enterprise. The police pop up now and again, but for the most part Terry Jones left me with thinking that this is actually quite an empowering drama. Certainly some of the women taking part do so out of necessity - and perhaps that is rather underplayed here - but we are also presented with the inescapable fact that human beings are all different and that the Victorian-era proscription of sex, and of sexual practices between consenting adults is long outdated and certainly no business of the state or their agencies. David Leland has written a script that is peppered with realism, sarcasm and proves ideal for the on-form Walters and her well targeted delivery. It does meander around familial discord a bit, which I didn't need - but the last few scenes speak (or should that be spank) volumes about the hypocrisy and double-standards that prevail in a society that should enjoy sex and keep it's nose where it belongs... It's good fun and thought-provoking in equal measure, and well worth a watch.

Production companies