Stanley Long's Adventures: A Seventies Sex Comedy Threesome (Blu-ray)

Once dubbed the ‘King of Sexploitation’ by the tabloid press, Stanley Long was the godfather of the British sex film. Starting out with 8mm striptease reels in the 1950s before moving into nudist documentaries, Long went on to produce and direct a string of extremely popular X-rated movies which told tales of wife swapping, groupies and other saucy goings on. He reached the pinnacle of commercial success with this trio of incredibly successful ‘on the job’ sex comedies.

Adventures of a Taxi Driver, starring sitcom actor Barry Evans, set the template with the antics of a cabbie who ‘gets more than his fare share’. Securing international distribution – as well as becoming the most successful comedy at the British box office in 1976 – it prompted two sequels, Adventures of a Private Eye and Adventures of a Plumber’s Mate, each featuring more of the same but with a different lead actor (future hit-record producer Christopher Neil).

Boasting supporting casts which burst with top-tier British acting talent – including Harry H Corbett (Steptoe and Son), Diana Dors (Berserk), Judy Geeson (Inseminoid), Suzy Kendall (To Sir, with Love), future musical theatre sensation Elaine Paige, and former Doctor Who Jon Pertwee – the Adventures series represents British popular filmmaking at its most unashamedly cheeky.

INDICATOR LIMITED EDITION BLU-RAY BOX SET SPECIAL FEATURES

• High Definition presentations of Adventures of a Taxi Driver, Adventures of a Private Eye, and Adventures of a Plumber’s Mate
• Limited edition exclusive 80-page book with a new essay by Simon Sheridan, archival interviews with Stanley Long and actor-composer Christopher Neil, a letter from the producers complaining about the Adventures films’ treatment in the British press, newspaper articles on the controversy surrounding the casting of Elaine Paige in Adventures of a Plumber’s Mate while she was starring in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Evita, a look at the three films’ novelisations, an overview of contemporary critical responses, Jan Manthey on his short films, and film credits
• Original mono audio
• Audio commentaries on all three films with director Stanley Long (2008)
• The Best of the Adventures (1981): feature-length compilation of extracts from the Adventures series, made for the nascent videotape market and hosted by broadcaster Peter Noble
• The BEHP Interview with Stanley Long (1999): archival audio recording, made as part of the British Entertainment History Project, featuring the producer and director in conversation with Denis Gifford and Emmanuel Yospa
• Peter Sinclair’s Camera (2022): the veteran cinematographer discusses his work for exploitation filmmakers Stanley Long and Pete Walker, and his move to Los Angeles in the 1980s to direct music videos
• Dear Prudence (2022): Prudence Drage, one of Long’s favourite performers, tells colourful stories from her extensive career as an actor and singer
• Stanley by Simon (2022): Long’s biographer Simon Sheridan recalls his close friendship with Britain’s undisputed ‘King of Sexploitation’
• Super 8 version of Adventures of a Private Eye: cut-down home cinema presentation
• Original theatrical trailers
• Can You Keep It Up with This, That and the Other for a Week? (2004): Jan Manthey’s affectionate short film homage to the British sex comedies of the seventies
• The Adventures of a Plumber in Outer Space (2008): Manthey’s follow-up to Can You Keep It Up…, featuring a cameo appearance by Long
• New and improved English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
• World premieres on Blu-ray
• Limited edition of 6,000 copies for the UK and US

Starring: Barry Evans, Diana Dors, Judy Geeson, Suzy Kendall, Adrienne Posta, Christopher Neil, Harry H. Corbett, Liz Fraser

Rating: NR