A Pair of Briefs
A Pair of Briefs is a 1962 British legal comedy film directed by Ralph Thomas and starring Michael Craig, Mary Peach, Brenda De Banzie and James Robertson Justice.[1] The screenplay concerns a new female barrister who bonds with a male rebel in chambers, and then tries to piece together a case with him.
| A Pair of Briefs | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical poster by Renato Fratini | |
| Directed by | Ralph Thomas |
| Produced by | Betty E. Box Earl St. John |
| Written by | Kay Bannerman (play) Harold Brooke (play) Nicholas Phipps (screenplay) |
| Starring | Michael Craig Mary Peach Brenda De Banzie James Robertson Justice |
| Music by | Norrie Paramor |
| Cinematography | Ernest Steward |
| Edited by | Alfred Roome |
| Distributed by | J. Arthur Rank Film Distributors |
Release date |
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Running time | 90 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
The title is a double entendre, referring both to the documents setting out the case a barrister argues in court, and also to items of underwear. The film includes a scene of the female barrister in her underwear as she prepares for her court appearance, and the publicity poster reflects this.
Plot
The "Brief" of the title refers to the document which a solicitor in the UK court system writes to instruct a barrister who will plead the solicitor's case in court. Unfortunately barristers Tony Stevens and Frances Pilbright, as juniors, receive nothing but routine briefs concerning sewers. When a juicy brief concerning a writ for "restitution of conjugal rights" appears, they take opposite sides in the case. Pilbright works fiercely for her client, a woman whose marriage was disrupted by World War II. Stevens advocates for the other side, a man who denies that he was ever married to the plaintiff, although all records have been destroyed during bombing raids. For her part, the woman claims that her husband left her after she temporarily lost her memory. The two barristers squabble in court, becoming attracted to each other in the process.
Pilbright, about to lose the case, makes a furious declaration in which she declares "the Law is an Ass!".[2] Stevens, by this time, has more sympathy for her and joins her in this. In their zeal, they offend the presiding judge, Justice Haddon. Taking them aside, he privately informs them that the suit is intended to fail, as the woman has married a millionaire and wants to remove any grounds for her previous husband to blackmail her, so their efforts were for nothing. By this time, however, the two barristers are in love.
Cast
- Michael Craig as Tony Stevens
- Mary Peach as Frances Pilbright
- Brenda De Banzie as Gladys Worthing
- James Robertson Justice as Mr. Justice Haddon
- Roland Culver as Sir John Pilbright
- Liz Fraser as Gloria Hoskins
- Ron Moody as Sidney Pudney
- Jameson Clark as George Lockwood
- Charles Heslop as Peebles
- Bill Kerr as Victor (club owner)
- Nicholas Phipps as Sutcliffe
- Joan Sims as Gale Tornado
- John Standing as Hubert Shannon
- Amanda Barrie as Exotic dancer (snake)
- Judy Carne as Exotic dancer (maid)
- Barbara Ferris as Gloria Lockwood
- Myrtle Reed as Barmaid
- Terry Scott as Policeman at law courts
- Graham Stark as Police witness
- Ronnie Stevens as Hotel under-manager
Production
It was Michael Craig's fifth film for Box and Thomas and the last movie he did under his contract with Rank. He called it "a dismal comedy" in which he and Mary Peach "did our best nut the material was pretty thin and in spite of some extraordinary overacting by Ron Moody... and Brenda de Banzie, there weren't many laughs."[3]
References
- "A Pair of Briefs (1962)". BFI.
- A quote from Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens
- Craig, Michael (2005). The Smallest Giant: An Actor's Life. Allen and Unwin. p. 97-98.
External links
- A Pair of Briefs at IMDb
- A Pair of Briefs at Britmovie