Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush

source: Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush

Saw another review of the double dvd issue...since my first review..reading the imdb write up now CONFIRMS the film was 1-85-1 BUT.. not on the other nights Sony Movie channel...MUST have been BBC1 or ch4 so still I wait...why...because having read amazons reviewr saying he couldnt see the difference between standard dvd abd bly ray double issue..I chanced it again...BOTH discs are 16-9.;.WHAT is going on...i've now emaild amazon..it seems though they are standard and blu ray my copies ARE THE SAME...16-9...same menus, no sign of extras now. Packaging problem then. Yes its complete, considering Mary is wearing not flattering dress..when she strips...shes more up top than thought...its entirely innocent now..then it was something. SO...IT IS wider...thanks imdb for that info. I await amazons answer but what a muck up. Sonys film is full screen...complete..enjoyed it anyway,, the humour just my kind..yes..NEED IT WIDE..I worked stevenage in my career, know it sort of..played its police station canteen band wise...ha..that was fun. SO...WHAT will amazon reply...if all their double packs are the same...who complains now.

Oh boy does this film bring back memories of my 1960's teenage years. In 1967 I was 17 going on 18 the same age as the character Jamie in this film. I remember going to the cinema to watch this movie after seeing it advertised in a newspaper. Jamie has several encounters with young ladies and gets so called expert backing and advice from his pal Spike. Of all the young women he is involved with Jamie is infatuated with Mary played by Judy Geeson, but their romance is short lived as she is far too much of a free spirit for young Jamie. When I watch this film I am transported back in time bringing back memories of young ladies I have known. Barry Evans was ideal in the part of Jamie McGregor and it was a pity that his career never really took off in films and so sad how his life ended in strange circumstances. I am sure you will enjoy this warm happy film right from the moment Traffic belt out the theme song through the opening titles and until the closing titles when Jamie rides off into the sunset as a conductor on a bus.

Enjoyed this 1967 teenage film which can be enjoyable even in the Year 2008. Jamie McGregor, (Barry Evans) plays the role of a hot to trot young man who is girl crazy because he is a virgin and would like the experience of going to bed with a girl. Jamie's great interest is in Mary Glouster), Judy Geeson and she proceeds to tease him by taking most of her clothes off and starting trouble with the film making code. The film starts off with Jamie riding his bike to make deliveries to various homes and every girl who goes by him gets a through examination with his eyes. The film location is in England at a very rich man's mansion and if you like teenage film's this is a good one to view.

I have a real nostalgia for the Britain of the 60's and 70's--which is kind of odd since I actually grew up in America during the 1980's (and I usually regard that era with more nausea than nostalgia). But maybe it was the great British Invasion music (Traffic did the soundtrack to this movie) or maybe it was the movies like this. Technically, this is a movie about a young man (Barry Evans) trying to "lose it". But, frankly, if "losing it" is your only concern, that's just not that damn hard to do even when you're a teenager (try a prostitute, the town skank, etc.). The conundrum this guy has is that "the ones (he) fancies, don't fancy (him), and the ones that fancy (him), (he) doesn't fancy". To me that's much more of a REAL problem than simply trying to "lose it". He gets together with several beautiful girls. But one is just plain dumb, one is too devoted to her church and (especially) her handsome priest, one is a mentally unstable rich girl with an even more unstable rich family, and then there's one played by Vanessa Howard (there's NOTHING wrong with HER), but that doesn't work out either. It's actually left a little ambiguous whether he "loses it" to any of these girls, but regardless he finally finds true love with "Mary" played by Judy Geeson. But even this isn't your usual Hollywood "rom-com" happily-ever-after thing--it manages to be a little more realistic. I think this movies idealizes British girls a little bit--the women I've met when I was in Britain reminded me a lot more of "Bridget Jones" (the one in the novel, not a slightly overweight Renee Zellweger with a bad British accent)than they did Judy Geeson or Vanessa Howard. Still, this is quite a collection of British beauties here--Geeson, Howard, Diane Keen, Angela Scoular, Adrienne Posta. They're really only missing Jane Birkin and Gillian Hills (who were a little too old) and Susan George, Linda Hayden, and Jenny Agutter (who would have been a little too young). More importantly, they are all good enough actresses to play rather infuriating characters, such that it's actually conceivable why the protagonist might have given up on them. The one weak link here is undoubtedly the male lead Barry Evans, but he isn't bad, and he is certainly much better than he would be in anything he did after this. The visual psychedelic 60's style and the sexy but still strangely innocent Swinging London ambiance are also highly enjoyable. Recommended.

Not so much a Swinging London movie, more of a Swinging Stevenage one. Barry Evans made his film debut as fresh-faced 17-year old delivery boy 'Jamie McGregor'. The Sexual Revolution is underway, and hormonally rampant ( and virginal ) Jamie wants desperately to be a part of it. He has his eye set on the lovely Mary Gloucester ( Judy Geeson. Sigh! ) but she is too busy dating other men to notice him. To get the required sexual experience, he romances a succession of pretty girls - among them the permanently sniffing Linda ( Adrienne Posta ), religious Paula ( Sheila White ), snooty Caroline ( Angela Scoular ), and anything-goes Audrey ( Vanessa Howard ) - but each time the reality does not quite live up to his fantasies. Hunter Davies' 1965 novel was in the same kitchen sink vein as 'Billy Liar' and 'Saturday Night Sunday Morning'. But the film boasts psychedelic opening titles, a soundtrack by 'The Lovin' Spoonful', Stevie Winwood and Traffic amongst others, and 'Billy Liar'-styled daydreams. Very much a product of its time. Dated? Well, yes it is, but by being so serves as a snapshot of a particular moment in time. The Pill was in, girl's fashions were becoming more and more outrageous, and sexual barriers were one by one being removed. Evans is excellent, and his performance led to Humphrey Barclay casting him as 'Mike Upton' in London Weekend Television's 'Doctor In The House' the following year. Also good is Michael Bates as Jamie's fusty father. Among the girls, Geeson and Scoular are the stand-outs, the latter going wild in a boutique in one scene, employing a meaningless catchphrase of 'Zoom Zoom!' to sexy effect. As another reviewer has noted, there is no bad language and very little nudity on display. Had the film been made a few years later, I suspect this would not have been the case. Davies did a fine job in capturing the teenage angst of the time. Clive Donner had previously directed the Peter Sellers comedy 'What's New Pussycat?', and here employs the same 'hip' mindset. Some find it irritating, but personally I love it! A D.V.D release of this wonderful film is imminent. Get it and if you can find a copy read the book too.

One of the few films that's maybe best known for its theme song (by Traffic), and five minutes in you begin to see why. This is a never-coming-of-age comedy with a cringe-worthy script, from Hunter Davies based on his own novel. Barry Evans plays the most annoying teenager, like evah, though he might have been better had his voice broken. The narrative consists of his attempts to chat up girls and, amazingly, he pulls the lovely Judy Geeson but even when his big moment comes, he's bleats around the bush by jabbering about her dog. It might sound sweet and indicative of the period but there's a cynical, slightly exploitive vibe about it. Normally in 'swinging 60s' films London provides a picturesque backdrop but this is set in not-so swinging Stevenage, with the local supermarket standing in for the Kings Road. In truth, it never tries to be cool but then it doesn't try to be much else, either.

I just watched this on DVD having not seen it for about 30 years and very much enjoyed it. It's a simple story and although set in the 1960s it's a timeless one. Every guy in the world remembers being that age and how desperate you are to experience the pleasures of women. The film also honestly depicts how the reality of losing your virginity isn't the mind blowing experience you imagined it would be and leaves you feeling a bit odd. Although reminiscent of the 70s sex comedies that followed this film has much more heart and depth. It's also a perfect time capsule of Britain at a unique point in it's history. It shows the brave new world of 1960s architecture just before it all turned sour. This was to be the way we were going to live with. Everything made from concrete with people interacting in strange urban spaces. Of course we know that it failed miserably but there was a brief moment when it must have felt like a bright new future. The Victorian architecture that we now value depressed the people of the 1960s and reminded them of the past and of the war. The overall experience of watching this was a strange one. It is very much of the 60s and yet it also feels incredibly modern as if it was made later but set in the 60s. Barry Evans wouldn't have looked out of place in the 80s with his jeans and white shirt. Of course the girls all look fantastic in their mini skirts and sexy boots. I don't know if suburbia was really as liberated as this in the 1960s but it's fun to imagine that it was.

Cool teenage film which although dated is more thoughtful than most. Encapsulates the period perfectly - full of groovy young people obsessed with the opposite sex undergoing mainly embarrassing experiences. Pop music is used entirely for the soundtrack and this reinforces the aura of youth. The group playing at the church rave is a classic Sixties moment which immortalises the real location of Bowes Lyon House Youth Club. The Stevenage new town locations and the top London fashions add to the shiny glossy feeling of it all. Grounded in the world of council houses and shop work, it occasionally takes on flights of fantasy. The bed shop orgy scene and Judy Geesons bare bottom were considered risqué for the time. Newcomer Barry Evans gives a confident performance as innocent, angst ridden Jamie desperate to lose his virginity. His friend Spike, played surprisingly by a young Christopher Timothy, seems more experienced but is he? Jamie's tribulations with various girls are touching and funny, easily recognisable if you are male of course. Although sexist by todays standards it does retain its period charm and there are several memorable scenes. It has never been released on DVD and nobody seems to know why.

I remember when this movie was being made, I was working on another movie at the time with Sheila White, & like everybody at the time went to see it in the hope that I could identify with it. Although a good story & well acted by all in the movie it lacked something. It should have been shot in London & maybe then it would have captured more of the spirit of the time. What it does have however is a good example of youth growing up & the adventure that the male lead goes on. I still watch this film every year & I wouldn't be without a copy. It has become an essential part of the epoch that it represents with some very funny scenes, notably Capable Caroline & her family where Jamie spends a weekend. Judy Geeson has the female lead & she looked great, I worked with her many years later & we talked about the movie. She told me how the director held her hand in the rushes theatre the day they watched the * scenes & we laughed, he seemed rather anxious as to what I would think about it, she said. Over all I like the film & it is a must have.