The Small World of Sammy Lee

Moviecut—The Small World of Sammy Lee

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The Small World of Sammy Lee

I loved the scenes in the club, and with Julia Foster (Ben Fogle's mum). Yes, innocent arrives at strip club in search of man she had a one-night stand with at Butlins. Yes, of course she's persuaded to strip (she has experience as a dancer), but the experience is soul searing and she collapses in tears. Sammy spends most of the film trying to raise £300 he owes to Mr Big (shades of Night and the City) and I admit I fast-forwarded over his "comic" encounters with various character actors. Newley had his moments, and anyone who can write "A World of Pure Imagination" can't be all bad, but he took himself a bit too seriously. The best bits for me were the slow tracking scenes of Soho itself. Did I glimpse the Espresso Bar Barocco? This was made in the early 60s - I arrived in London a few years later. Mine's a cappuccino and a slice of cheesecake like you can't get any more.

Yes albeit I never met him, he was a living legend and this stunning monochrome photography is proof of that. All crew and cast are excellent . This story builds up with a unique pace of action to an unexpected climax. Poignant albeit emotional and yet moving . Unexpected events throughout as to how and where this (anti hero ) would react to his dilemma ? As the pace speeds up I found it quite hard to keep abreast of how he was resolving his trials and tribulations ? Clever screenplay writing and imagination of thought processes .

THE SMALL WORLD OF SAMMY LEE is a grim and gritty British character drama following a single day in the life of the titular character, a wiseguy and raconteur - as well as compere of a seedy strip club - played well by Anthony Newley. Newley finds himself in hot water due to his gambling debts, and has just a few hours to get together enough money to satisfy the thugs on his tail. It's a bit like a film version of CAN'T PAY? WE'LL TAKE IT AWAY; I jest, but it did remind me of THE LONG GOOD FRIDAY, especially towards the inevitable climax. The film isn't particularly suspenseful or thrilling, but its strength lies in the broad tableau of life that it presents within its confines. As usual, there's a fine supporting cast of talent to bring things enjoyable to life, and Newley proves a sympathetic lead.

I remember the Soho shown here so well.I used to walk through Soho on the way to the cinema.It has changed so much since this film was made.Newley gives a marvellous performance as the huckster trying to raise what would now be £5500 to pay his gambling debt or face a beating.Soho was in the grip of gangsters at this time and Could be a violent place The camerawork was superb.You get the impression that Newley is being filmed from a hidden camera.Probably his best role.

This is a big screen version of a BBC TV play. Anthony Newley, whose string of Top 20 pop hits had just come to an end, puts in a surprisingly good performance as Sammy Lee, a strip club compère whose gambling debts land him in trouble with gangsters. Newley was a quirky actor and takes some getting used to. Always nice to see Julia Foster who plays a doting innocent, and there are memorable cameos from Warren Mitchell and Miriam Karlin as his brother and his sister-in-law. Set before strip clubs and gambling were entirely lawful, the film is in black-and-white which enhances the period atmosphere. Jazz fans may care to note that the original music is composed by tenor saxist Kenny Graham.

I was engaged by the U.S. Distributor, Seven Arts Films, to produce a trailer for the film. Notwithstanding that both the film and my trailer were quite good, it did not enjoy good box office. Seven arts changed the title to "The Small VIOLENT World of Sammy Lee", had me do a new, more action oriented trailer, and they rereleased it under that title. It did somewhat better in that incarnation, but was still not the blockbuster they had hoped it would be. As an additional aside, in addition to the BBC t.v. play, there was a U.S. version of the television show, as well. If memory serves, it starred Mickey Rooney.

I saw this upon its original release in 1963 and loved. Never having being able to see it again I was sorry to miss it at a rare BFI Southbank showing last year and now here it is on DVD. To be honest, I remember enjoying it despite its gambling debt theme but now find this an annoyance. The b/w cinematography is still wonderful and this is a great portrayal of early 60s Soho, when it was more Jewish and Italian than Chinese and gay as it is now. Later in the 60s I was old enough to visit pubs and music venues and recall that older prostitutes still stood on the corners, though not anymore. There is still a buzz to the place and the street layout is unchanged but it doesn't have quite that jump and dare accurately depicted here. Newley is excellent in the central role and is well supported by Wilfred Brambell and Julia Foster.