Spanish Fly Review

• 23rd Apr 2013

In 1970s, including in Britain, Europe was churning out some pretty awful saucy sex comedies and Spanish Fly was among one of them. They usually starred middle-aged comic actors whose careers are on the wane and co-starred a bunch of centrefold models not shy in baring their assets. In Britain among the leaders of these were the Carry On films in which the double-entendres became more direct culminating in the last of the 28 films, Carry On Emmanuelle parodying it’s French erotic namesake. Other films included the likes of Rentadick (1972) and the series of saucy Confession films starring Robin Askwith and Tony Booth. In this case Leslie Phillips and Terry-Thomas embarrass themselves in a forgettable film.

Phillips stars as Mike Scott, a lingerie businessman who is having problems with impotence in the bedroom with his business aggressive wife (Sue Lloyd). He is prescribed by his doctor (played by ‘Are You Being Served?’ star Frank Thornton who played Captain Peacock in the TV sitcom) to relax. In his job working with models he is tempted to stray but doesn’t. He goes over to sunny Menorca where he meets the four international beauties he is to work with. Meanwhile he bumps into an old adversary, dodgy English cad and conman Sir Percy de Courcy who is flogging off re-bottled French wine as his own. However, the cheap plonk needs an added ingredient and by accident that ingredient is found – a Spanish fly. This has the side-effect of making people randy. He invites Mike and the models over to his estate for dinner and offers the wine that soon displays the desired results. What no one is aware of though are the side-effects of this aphrodisiac wine.

To say the plot is thin is one thing but without giving too much away the side-effects are just plain stupid. Terry-Thomas who was already suffering from Parkinson’s disease when the film was made is a shadow of his former self and as his name is Sir Percy and even has a chauffeur called Perkins, the same names played by Terry-Thomas in the classic Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines (1965) with his side-kick Eric Sykes also called Perkins this becomes even more apparent. Meanwhile, Phillips is his clichéd self as the sleazy English lothario with plenty of “I sayyyyyyy” comments coming out of his mouth. Really the only good thing I can say about this film is the kitsch theme song, ‘Fly Me’ by Geraldine being played out at the start and the end titles of the film. Indeed the kitsch bubblegum pop song played to shots of a Rolls Royce going through the streets of a Menorcan town promises an interesting sex comedy which it fails to deliver. As with many similar British films (unlike in other countries such as Germany, France and Italy) there is very little sex or nudity on show short of a few glimpses of Nadiuska’s boobies. In a very 70s way the film is sexist, sexless and seedy in equal measure. Among the extras the trailer proves this point as it promises so much that is definitely reflected in the film. One of the other extras of note is Geraldine’s gorgeously kitsch theme song with shades of many a Balearic 70s Spanish package holiday.

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Chris Hick