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Are You Being Served? is a 1977 British comedy film directed by Bob Kellett and written David Croft and Jeremy Lloyd,[3] based on the 1972–85 BBC sitcom of the same name, which follows the staff of the men's and women's clothing departments of the London Grace Brothers department store.
| Are You Being Served? | |
|---|---|
 British quad poster | |
| Directed by | Bob Kellett |
| Screenplay by | |
| Based on | Are You Being Served?[1] by Jeremy Lloyd and David Croft |
| Produced by | Andrew Mitchell[1] |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Jack Atcheler[1] |
| Edited by | Al Gell[1] |
| Music by | Ronnie Hazlehurst |
Production company | Anglo-EMI[1] |
| Distributed by | EMI[1] |
Release date |
|
Running time | 95 minutes[1] |
| Country | United Kingdom[1] |
| Language | English |
The story is adapted from the successful stage production of the show, which played at Winter Gardens, Blackpool. The film features the performers from the television series, including Mollie Sugden, John Inman, Frank Thornton, Trevor Bannister, Arthur Brough, Wendy Richard, and Nicholas Smith.
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As Grace Brothers undergoes redecorations, the management sends the staff on a paid holiday to the resort of Costa Plonka, on the Spanish coast. On the first night they think they are allocated seven "penthouses" but it is in fact "tent-houses" outside the hotel – save for Mr Harman, who is given one of the hotel's luxury suites, much to the chagrin of the others.
After various misfortunes and misunderstandings, the staff narrowly survive a gunfight between the revolutionaries and government troops. They are rescued by a group of tanks that arrive on the scene; revealed to have been commandeered by Young Mr Grace, who wanted to visit his beleaguered underlings, but was unable to find a taxi.
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- John Inman as Mr Wilberforce Clayborne Humphries, the senior sales assistant on the men's counter.
- Mollie Sugden as Mrs Betty Slocombe, the head of the ladies department and the film's main female protagonist.
- Frank Thornton as Captain Stephen Peacock, the floorwalker at Grace Brothers.
- Trevor Bannister as Mr Dick Lucas, the junior of the men's department.
- Wendy Richard as Miss Shirley Brahms, the Cockney junior of the ladies' department and Mrs Slocombe's friend.
- Arthur Brough as Mr Ernest Grainger, the head of the men's department and the oldest member of the staff. This was Arthur Brough's last appearance as Mr Grainger as he died before filming of series 6 began.
- Nicholas Smith as Mr Cuthbert Rumbold, the manager of the floor.
- Harold Bennett as Young Mr Grace, the elderly head of Grace Brothers department store.
- Arthur English as Mr Beverley Harman, the head of the packing department.
- Karan David as Conchita, a young waitress who works at the hotel.
- Glyn Houston as Cesar Rodriguez, a terrorist with a crush on Mrs Slocombe.
- Andrew Sachs as Don Carlos Bernardo, the moderately dishonest hotel manager, and Cesar's unwilling accomplice.
- Derek Griffiths as the Emir.
- Nadim Sawalha and Sheila Steafel as various Grace Brothers customers.
- Penny Irving as Miss Nicholson, Mr Grace's new secretary.
- Raymond Bowers as Henry, the barber at Grace Brothers.
- Paul Grist as the Customs Officer
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Filming
Filming took place at Elstree Studios and London Gatwick Airport.
The film opened in British cinemas from 31 July 1977 onwards.[2]
In a contemporary review, John Pym of the Monthly Film Bulletin gave the film a negative review, stating that "The humour consists mainly of a withering selection of patent British puns; an inflatable brassiere, some let's-insult-the-Germans jokes and a rickety thunder-box which bolts from the outside are thrown in for good measure."[1]
In a retrospective review, DVD Verdict's Michael Stailey regards it as a film that is "guilty of violating almost every law of comedy and film."[4] The film is widely considered to be lacking in originality, plot, and focus. At present, the film holds a 60% positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes; the cutoff for a positive rating is 59%.[5]
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