''Perfect Friday'' is a British bank

heist film The heist film or caper film is a subgenre of crime film focused on the planning, execution, and aftermath of a significant robbery. One of the early defining heist films was '' The Asphalt Jungle'' (1950), which ''Film Genre 2000'' wrote "alm ...

released in 1970, directed by Peter Hall. It stars

Ursula Andress Ursula Andress (born 19 March 1936) is a Swiss-German actress, former model and sex symbol who has appeared in American, British and Italian films. Her breakthrough role was as Bond girl Honey Ryder in the first James Bond film, '' Dr. No'' (1962 ...

as Lady Britt Dorset,

Stanley Baker Sir William Stanley Baker (28 February 192828 June 1976) was a Welsh actor and film producer. Known for his rugged appearance and intense, grounded screen persona, he was one of the top British male film stars of the late 1950s, and later a pro ...

as Mr Graham,

David Warner David or Dave Warner may refer to: Sports * Dave Warner (strongman) (born 1969), Northern Ireland strongman competitor * David Bruce Warner (born 1970), South African alpine skier * David Warner (cricketer) (born 1986), Australian cricketer Oth ...

as Lord Nicholas Dorset and T. P. McKenna as Smith.

Plot

Mr. Graham, an assistant bank manager who works in the West End of London, is dissatisfied with his boring life. He meets Lady Britt Dorset, a spendthrift aristocrat. They devise a plan, along with her husband, Lord Nicholas Dorset, to steal £300,000 from the bank. Their plan is to be enacted on the day that the manager plays golf. It involves Lord Dorset, posing as a bank inspector, substituting counterfeit money for real money which he places in Britt's deposit box. The scheme almost fails when a real inspector arrives, but a second opportunity arises, and Lady Dorset absconds with the funds. She fails to show up for the scheduled division of the loot, however, and Graham and Lord Dorset realize that they have been double crossed. Undaunted, they begin to plan another robbery for the following year.

Cast

as Mr. Graham *

as Lady Britt Dorset *

as Lord Nicholas "Nick" Dorset *

Patience Collier Patience Collier (born Irene Marjorie Ritscher; 19 August 1910 – 13 July 1987) was a British actress. Career Patience Collier began her theatrical career in Manchester. In 1956 she played Maria in Denis Cannan and Pierre Bost's ''The Power ...

as Nanny * T. P. McKenna as Smith *

David Waller David Waller (27 November 1920 – 23 January 1997) was an English actor best known for his role as Inspector Jowett in the British television series ''Cribb''. He also appeared as Stanley Baldwin in ITV's ''Edward & Mrs Simpson'' (1978), and in ...

as Williams *

Joan Benham Joan may refer to: People and fictional characters *Joan (given name), including a list of women, men and fictional characters *:Joan of Arc, a French military heroine *Joan (surname) Weather events *Tropical Storm Joan (disambiguation), multiple ...

as Miss Welsh *

Julian Orchard Julian Dean Chavasse Orchard (3 March 1930, in Wheatley, Oxfordshire – 21 June 1979, in Westminster, London)GRO Register of Deaths: JUN 1979 15 1935 WESTMINSTER – Julian Dean C. Orchard, DoB = 3 March 1930 was an English comedy actor. He ...

as Thompson * Trisha Mortimer as Janet * Anne Tirard as Miss Marsh * Johnny Briggs as Taxi Driver * Fred Griffiths as Taxi Driver * Sidney Jennings as Taxi Driver * Hugh Halliday as Cyclist *

Max Faulkner Herbert Gustavus Max Faulkner, OBE (29 July 1916 – 26 February 2005) was an English professional golfer who won the Open Championship in 1951. Early life Faulkner was born on 29 July 1916 in Bexhill-on-Sea, the son of Gus (1893–1976), a ...

as Strong Room Guard *

Carleton Hobbs Carleton Percy Hobbs, OBE (18 June 1898 – 31 July 1978) was an English actor with many film, radio and television appearances. He portrayed Sherlock Holmes in 80 radio adaptations in a series of Sherlock Holmes radio dramas (1952–1969), ...

as Elderly Peer * Eric Longworth as House of Lords Messenger * Brian Peck as Chauffeur *

Howard Lang Howard Lang (born Donald Yarranton; 20 March 1911 – 11 December 1989) was an English actor known for playing Captain William Baines in the BBC nautical drama '' The Onedin Line''. Early life Lang was born in Marylebone, London, the son of E ...

as Bank Commissionaire *

Patrick Jordan Albert Patrick Jordan (10 October 1923 – 10 January 2020) was a British stage, film and television actor. Biography He was born and raised in Harrow, Middlesex, the son of Margaret, a cook, and Albert Jordan, a regimental sergeant major. An ...

as Bank Guard * Malcolm Johns as Swiss Boy Friend *

Garfield Morgan Thomas Timothy Garfield Morgan (19 April 1931 – 5 December 2009) was an English actor who appeared mostly on television and occasionally in films. Biography Born in Birmingham, Warwickshire, Morgan began acting with a youth club drama group ...

as 1st Airport Official * Derek Cox as 2nd Airport Official * Barbara Ogilvie as Woman Airport Official * Georgina Simpson as Stewardess

Production

Dimitri de Grunwald had set up a new production and distribution consortium, the International Film Consortium, a co op of independent film distributors throughout the world. They raised finance for a series of films produced by London Screenplays Ltd - '' The McMasters'', ''Perfect Friday'', '' The Virgin and the Gypsy'', ''

The Last Grenade ''The Last Grenade'' is a 1970 British war film directed by Gordon Flemyng and starring Stanley Baker and Alex Cord as two Mercenary, soldiers of fortune, formerly comrades, who now find themselves on opposite sides. The cast also includes Richa ...

'', and '' Connecting Rooms''. De Grunwald described ''Perfect Fridays commercial prospects as "safe-ish". The movie was produced by

who later said of it:

I think he eter Hallwill produce film work as interesting as what he's done on the stage... What I like about ''Perfect Friday'' is that everybody lies to each other and everybody believes each other's lies. I don't know if the audience realises it, but every time the characters speak to each other, they're lying.

Director Peter Hall said the sex scenes "were meant to make fun of all those sex films that steam up the West End."

Release

Gene Siskel called the film "special entertainment." ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'' said "Mr. Hall has made an intelligent and quietly funny film about three eccentrics, who are as attractively written as they are played."Review of film
at ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

References

External links

* *
''Perfect Friday''
at

TCMDB Turner Classic Movies (TCM) is an American movie-oriented pay-TV network owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. Launched in 1994, Turner Classic Movies is headquartered at Turner's Techwood broadcasting campus in the Midtown business district of A ...

{{Peter Hall 1970 films 1970 comedy films 1970s crime comedy films 1970s heist films British crime comedy films British heist films Films about bank robbery Films directed by Peter Hall Films set in England Films set in London Films shot at Pinewood Studios Films scored by John Dankworth 1970s English-language films Films based on television plays 1970s British films