''Fun and Games'' (US title: ''1000 Convicts and a Woman'') is a 1971 British comedy-drama and

sexploitation film A sexploitation film (or sex-exploitation film) is a class of independently produced, low-budget feature film that is generally associated with the 1960s and early 1970s, and that serves largely as a vehicle for the exhibition of non-explicit se ...

directed by Ray Austin and starring

Alexandra Hay Alexandra Lynn Hay (July 24, 1947 – October 11, 1993) was an American actress of the 1960s and 1970s best known for her roles in ''Guess Who's Coming to Dinner'', '' Skidoo'', and '' Model Shop''. Mainstream career On October 29, 1966, t ...

Sandor Elès József Sándor Éles (15 June 1936 – 10 September 2002), sometimes credited simply as Sándor Éles, was a Hungarian actor. He started his career in theatre, but was best known latterly for TV and film work. Early life Born in Tatabánya, 6 ...

, Harry Baird and

Neil Hallett Neil Hallett (born John W. Neil; 30 June 1924 – 5 December 2004) was a Belgian-born English actor. His stage name was taken from a combination of his proper surname, Neil, and his grandmother's maiden name, Hallet. He began his acting care ...

. The original screenplay was written by Academy Award nominee

Oscar Brodney Oscar Brodney (February 18, 1907 – February 12, 2008) was an American lawyer-turned-screenwriter. He is best known for his long association with Universal Studios, where his credits included ''Harvey'', ''The Glenn Miller Story'' (1954), severa ...

Plot

Seventeen year-old Angela Thorne returns from an American boarding school to live with her father, who has turned his country estate into an experimental open prison, of which he is the Governor. She seeks sexual attention from various prison inmates, leading to blackmail and death.

Cast

as Angela Thorne *

as Paul Floret * Harry Baird as Carl *

as Warden Thorne *

Robert Brown Robert Brown may refer to: Robert Brown (born 1965), British Director, Animator and author Entertainers and artists * Washboard Sam or Robert Brown (1910–1966), American musician and singer * Robert W. Brown (1917–2009), American printmaker ...

as Ralph *

Fredric Abbott Fredric William Abbott (16 October 1928 – 10 July 1996) was an Australian stage, film and television actor. Of Irish descent, Abbott was born a fifth-generation Australian in Newtown, Sydney and was educated at Newtown Boys High School. His c ...

as Forbus * David Bauer as Gribney *

Peter J. Elliott Peter John Henry Elliott (14 June 1930 – December 2016) was a British film actor, singer, dancer, stunt performer and television presenter. Life and career Elliott had been diving since the age of 12 at the Marshall Street swimming pool ...

as Matthews * Tracy Reed as Linda *

Stella Tanner Stella Tanner (1 January 1925 – 26 March 2012) was an English radio and television actress. Career Tanner was born in 1925 and studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA). She left her focus on dramatic acting to form the Tanner Sis ...

as Mrs. Jackson

Critical reception

The Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper in the U.S. and the larges ...

film critic Kevin Thomas penned a positive review, writing, "...slickly made... it is a surprisingly amusing movie, thanks largely to Miss Hay who is clearly having lots of fun... Hers is a very showy role and Miss Hay, a nervy, brittle actress, gives it her all and then some." ''

The Monthly Film Bulletin The ''Monthly Film Bulletin'' was a periodical of the British Film Institute published monthly from February 1934 until April 1991, when it merged with '' Sight & Sound''. It reviewed all films on release in the United Kingdom, including those wi ...

'' wrote: "As tedious as it is unconvincing, ''Fun and Games'' (helpfully subtitled 'A Portrait of a Nymphomaniac') charts the one-dimensional adventures of a teenager whose petulance Alexandra Hay suggests with a piercing monotone giggle, forever wiggling her thighs in the direction of the hardened criminals who freely roam around the country club setting of an improbably open prison. The naughty boarding school atmosphere is occasionally interrupted by some aggressively nasty scenes: Angela rubbing off her frustrations on the handlebars of her bicycle, or unzipping her jeans to taunt the moronic Gribney. Despite the film's token attempts to win sympathy for her behaviour with pat Freudian explanations, the camerawork suggests only a cynical and prurient detachment. Most of the prisoners show stalwart good sense in ignoring her silly antics; it's a pity the film's makers did not do likewise."'

Legacy

In 2024,

Kino Lorber Kino Lorber is an international film distribution company based in New York City. Founded in 1977, it was originally known as Kino International until it was acquired by and merged into Lorber HT Digital in 2009. It specializes in art film, art ho ...

released a restoration of ''1,000 Convicts and a Woman'' on Blu-ray as part of their Kino Cult line. It marked the first ever home video release of the film. The Blu-ray includes an audio commentary by Alexandra Hay's biographer Dylan Dean Staley (featuring excerpts from an audio interview Staley conducted with the film's director Ray Austin) as well as ''Having Fun Playing Games'', an 18-minute featurette by James McCabe, featuring interviews with assistant director Graham Fowler, assistant director Nicholas Granby, stunt actor Paul Weston, and stunt actor Dinny Powell. Kino Lorber's Blu-ray was favorably reviewed on Blu-ray.com by Dr. Svet Atanasov, who praised the restoration and extras, and also enjoyed the film. Atanasov wrote, "''1,000 Convicts and a Woman'' is a teaser with a distinctly British sense of humor, so if seen at the right time, it can be pretty effective. It looks very good on Blu-ray, too."

References

External links

* 1971 films British sexploitation films 1971 drama films British drama films 1970s English-language films Films directed by Ray Austin 1970s British films 1970s exploitation films {{exploitation-film-stub