''That Lucky Touch'' is a 1975 British-West German

comedy film The comedy film is a film genre that emphasizes humor. These films are designed to amuse audiences and make them laugh. Films in this genre typically have a happy ending, with dark comedy being an exception to this rule. Comedy is one of the o ...

directed by

Christopher Miles Christopher Miles (19 April 1939 – 15 September 2023) was a British film director, producer and screenwriter. Personal life Christopher Miles was born in London, England, the eldest of four children to Clarice Remnant (‘Wren’), a councill ...

and starring

Roger Moore Sir Roger George Moore (14 October 192723 May 2017) was an English actor. He was the actor to portray Ian Fleming's fictional secret agent James Bond (literary character), James Bond in the Eon Productions/MGM Studios film series, playing the ...

Susannah York Susannah Yolande Fletcher (9 January 1939 – 15 January 2011), known professionally as Susannah York, was an English actress. Her appearances in various films of the 1960s, including '' Tom Jones'' (1963) and '' They Shoot Horses, Don't They?'' ...

and

Shelley Winters Shelley Winters (born Shirley Schrift; August 18, 1920 – January 14, 2006) was an American film actress whose career spanned seven decades. She won Academy Awards for ''The Diary of Anne Frank (1959 film), The Diary of Anne Frank'' (1959) and ' ...

. The film was shot at

Pinewood Studios Pinewood Studios is a British film and television studio located in the village of Iver Heath, England. It is approximately west of central London. The studio has been the base for many productions over the years from large-scale films to t ...

, with

location shooting Location shooting is the shooting of a film or television production in a real-world setting rather than a sound stage or backlot. The location may be interior or exterior. When filmmaking professionals refer to shooting "on location", they are ...

around

Brussels Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...

. The film's sets were designed by the

art director Art director is a title for a variety of similar job functions in theater, advertising, marketing, publishing, fashion, live-action and animated film and television, the Internet, and video games. It is the charge of a sole art director to supe ...

Jack Maxsted Albert John Maxsted (30 April 1916 – September 2001) was an English art director. He won an Academy Award in the category Best Art Direction for the film ''Nicholas and Alexandra''. Selected filmography *''The Million Pound Note'' (1954) ...

. It was originally entitled ''Heaven Save Us from Our Friends''.Review 1—No Title The Guardian (1959–2003) ondon (UK)5 February 1975: 10.

Plot

An international arms dealer, at a

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental Transnationalism, transnational military alliance of 32 Member states of NATO, member s ...

meeting to sell weaponry, becomes entangled with a female journalist from the ''

Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

'' whose world-view is very different from his.

Cast

as Michael Scott *

as Julia Richardson *

as Diana Steedeman *

Lee J. Cobb Lee J. Cobb (born Leo Jacoby; December 8, 1911February 11, 1976) was an American actor, known both for film roles and his work on the Broadway stage, as well as for his starring role on the television series '' The Virginian''. He often played a ...

as Lt. Gen. Henry Steedman *

Jean-Pierre Cassel Jean-Pierre Cassel (; born Jean-Pierre Crochon; 27 October 1932 – 19 April 2007) was a French actor and dancer. A popular star of French cinema, he was initially known for his comedy film appearances, though he also proved a gifted dramatic a ...

as Leo *

Raf Vallone Raffaele Vallone (17 February 1916 – 31 October 2002) was an Italian actor and footballer. One of the top male Italian stars of the 1950s and 1960s, he first became known for his association with the neorealist movement, and found success in ...

as Gen. Peruzzi *

Sydne Rome Sydne Rome (born March 17, 1946. prounciation SID-nee ROHM)Valery, Bernard (March 10, 1974)"Sydne Rome Is Her Name ... Sex Goddess Is Her Game" ''New York Sunday News''. p. L1. Retrieved January 28, 2025. "The latest entry in the field is S ...

as Sophie *

Donald Sinden Sir Donald Alfred Sinden (9 October 1923 – 12 September 2014) was an English actor. Sinden featured in the film ''Mogambo'' (1953), and achieved early fame as a Rank Organisation film star in the 1950s in films including '' The Cruel Sea'' ( ...

as British Gen. Armstrong *

Michael Shannon Michael Corbett Shannon (born August 7, 1974) is an American actor. Shannon received two Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor nominations, for '' Revolutionary Road'' (2008), and '' Nocturnal Animals'' (2016). He received Screen Actors Guil ...

as Lt. Davis *

Aubrey Woods Aubrey Harold Woods (9 April 1928 – 7 May 2013) was an English actor. He is best remembered for playing Bill in ''Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory'', where he sang " The Candy Man". Biography and career Woods was born on 9 April 19 ...

as Viscount L'Ardey * Alfred Hoffman as Berckman * Vincent Hall as David Richardson *

Julie Dawn Cole Julie Dawn Cole (born 26 October 1957) is an English actress and psychotherapist. She began her career as a child performer in the 1971 film ''Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory'', playing Veruca Salt. Career Cole was raised in Guildford, Su ...

as Tina Steedman * Fabian Cevallos as Photographer *

Timothy Carlton Timothy Carlton Congdon Cumberbatch (born 4 October 1939) is an English actor. Early years Carlton was born in Oxford, Oxfordshire, England, the son of Pauline Ellen Laing (née Congdon), who died on 11 October 2007, and Henry Carlton Cumberb ...

as Tank commander * Takis Emmanuel as Arab Sheik

Critical response

In his 2015 publication of movie ratings,

Leonard Maltin Leonard Michael Maltin (born December 18, 1950) is an American film critic, film historian, and author. He is known for his book of film capsule reviews, '' Leonard Maltin's Movie Guide'', published from 1969 to 2014. Maltin was the film criti ...

gave That Lucky Touch one and a half stars and described the film as a 'tepid romantic farce'.Leonard Maltin's movie guide 2015 edition
/ref>

References

External links

* * * 1975 films West German films English-language German films Films directed by Christopher Miles 1975 comedy films Films shot at Pinewood Studios Films shot in Brussels British comedy films Films about journalists Films set in Belgium Films scored by John Scott (composer) Films with screenplays by John Briley 1970s English-language films 1970s British films 1970s German films {{1970s-Germany-film-stub