Review – A Touch Of Class 1972)

The year 1973 was a great year for classic movies, that have stood the test of time. Movies like The Exorcist, Live And Let Die, Magnum Force, Enter The Dragon and The Sting, ruled the box office that year. In amongst these blockbusters, a brilliant low budget comedy starring two acting legends, George Segal, and our very own Glenda Jackson, came out of nowhere and floored everyone who saw it, including me.

American businessman, Steve Blackburn, played by Segal, is in the insurance game, and is married with two children. Vickie Allessio, a self described design “stealer” for a knockoff fashion house, is recently divorcéd, and also has two kids. Steve and Vickie, don’t know each other, but they are running into each other regularly in their day to day lives in London.

When they do finally meet, Steve is totally honest with her, and tells her he would very much, be up for a no strings, casual affair with her. Steve, has had affairs in the past whenever his wife Gloria, is out of town, as is the currently case, with her being in the States visiting her parents.

Vickie, in turn, is up front, stating that she is amenable to a no-strings affair with him, under specific circumstances, namely that it be a reasonably classy short term affair, meaning no cheap motels, and preferably a weekend away in the sun. Able to arrange a business trip to Málaga for a week, Steve convinces Vickie to change their agreed weekend to a full week and spend it in the nearby resort of Marbella. However, one issue after another has the potential to derail the Marbella vacation and thus their affair, unless they can overcome all of the obstacles. If they can, they will have to decide on wether there is any sort of future for them in their real lives back home.

I have seen this movie many times, and it’s one of those films that gets better with every viewing. The central performances are brilliant, and the comic timing between Segal and Jackson works wonderfully, thanks to a razor sharp script.

They followed this up in the late 70s with another romantic comedy, Lost And Found, which i think was meant to recreate the sheer brilliance of A Touch Of Class. Sadly it didn’t work and the movie sank without trace, and was branded a bit of a turkey. Personally i didn’t think it was that bad, it was good to see them back together, and the film had laughs in all the right places, coupled with a fairly decent script. But for me, nothing can ever come close to this first pairing of two amazing comic talents. A comedy that just gets funnier with every viewing…..