Gentlemen's Relish

In an unusual blend of genres Gentlemen's Relish combines the appeal of well-mannered comedy romances such as A Room with a View with the ribaldry of a Carry On movie. Following numerous award nominations for Mrs Brown (1997), Billy Connolly reunites with the BBC to play Kingdom Swann, a delightfully good-natured artist in this light period drama. In Edwardian London, with his art out of fashion, Swann turns to photography, only to have his semi-nude Biblical tableaux exploited as erotica by an assistant, a splendid Douglas Henshall. The film is balanced by a subplot about political hypocrisy and the Suffragette movement, which revolves around an impressive performance from Sarah Lancashire as the housekeeper who Swann eventually realises he is in love with.

Without ever being either particularly dramatic or more than gently amusing, Gentlemen's Relish is an amiable romp with the star role perfectly tailored to Connolly's charm. Like Stiff Upper Lips (1998), the sexual comedy is predictably entertaining, while an overly sign-posted ending suggests a sequel. Given the subject, postcard-humour fans may be amused that the name of the screenwriter is David Nobbs, whose adaptation of Love on a Branch Line (1993) offered a more elegant slice of farce. --Gary S. Dalkin