Of all of the films to emerge from the "Swinging London" film phenomenon of the sixties, Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush (1967) has remained one of the more difficult films to see due to its unavailability on any format. Though not as well known as some of its contemporaries such as A Hard Day's Night [1964], Blow-up [1966] or Performance [1970], the movie, based on Hunter Davies' first novel (he also adapted the screenplay) is a giddy, high-spirited time capsule of its era, popping with day-glo colors, groovy fashions, British slang and playful cinematic techniques influenced by Richard Lester's Beatles films such as speeded up motion, still frames, and the breaking of the fourth wall; the protagonist, Jamie McGregor (Barry Evans), constantly addresses the viewer in the manner of a confessional.

The entire movie is set in and around "Newtown" (Stevenage in Hertfordshire), an antiseptic, modern suburb of London, where Jamie lives, works (as a delivery boy and stock clerk at a grocery) and goes to school. There is only one thing on Jamie's mind - SEX - and the entire storyline is devoted to his pursuit of losing his virginity. Although Jamie's go-getter attitude suggests he's an Alfie in the making, he's much less successful when it comes to actual conquests and the movie chronicles one sexual misadventure after another, each one played for laughs, with Jamie coming close to but never succeeding in his quest. In fact, the entire movie is one long, unconsummated tease that withholds Jamie's pleasure until the final act; it's a comic exercise in sexual frustration similar in tone to Michel Deville's Benjamin (1968) from the same period in which the title character (Pierre Clementi) is continually interrupted in his attempts at lovemaking. When Jamie finally hooks up with his dream girl, Mary (Judy Geeson), he is shocked to discover she is as sexually adventurous and independent as he aspires to be but the film, directed by Clive Donner, doesn't treat this revelation with irony but instead imposes a moralistic ending on the movie that only reinforces Jamie's chauvinistic attitudes (as well as those of the male-dominated film industry at the time) - Good girls don't have premarital sex and aren't promiscuous.

Donner, whose earlier films The Caretaker [1963], based on the Harold Pinter play, and Nothing But the Best [1964], had been well received by the critics, is clearly aiming for a more commercial, youth-oriented film with Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush, but the result is a mixed message farce with a hip, pop art veneer, the swinging London sounds of The Spencer Davis Group and Traffic, and a stuffy bourgeois sensibility underneath it all, which makes the occasional nude scenes appear all the more voyeuristic. The film actually ran into censorship trouble in England and the au natural swimming sequence with Barry Evans and Judy Geeson was excised from the film. (TCM Underground will be showing the complete, uncut version).

Not surprisingly, most critics at the time treated Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush as an unexceptional sex comedy for teenagers. Typical of the general reaction was Hollis Alpert in Saturday Review who wrote "The film for all its lighthearted cheerfulness, does not amount to much." Still, the movie holds up much better today than many of its contemporaries and is always visually engaging with occasional moments of sharp satire (Jamie's claustrophobic home life with his parents and brother) and hilarious off-color humor (Jamie's mom inspecting his underwear in the presence of a girlfriend). Whether intentional or not, the film's setting with its drab uniform housing developments and lack of green space adds another layer of desperation to Jamie's situation and despite the surface gaiety, the stark reality beneath is just as depressing as a Ken Loach film such as Family Life (1971).

Barry Evans, in his film debut, makes an animated, cheeky protagonist who may occasionally remind you of the young Albert Finney in Tom Jones (1963) in some of his facial expressions and mannerisms. It was a promising showcase for the young actor but it didn't lead to a successful film career and Evans is mostly known today for his work in two popular British television shows, Doctor in the House [1969-1970] and Mind Your Language [1977-1979]. The cause of his untimely death at the age of 53 in his rundown bungalow has never been confirmed as either a homicide or an alcohol-related home accident but rumors of both have persisted since Evans died in 1997.

The other leading players in Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush - the various "birds" who are pursued by Jamie - includes Judy Geeson who is a complete knockout and the most fleshed-out character; the rest - Angela Scoular, Sheila White, Adrienne Posta, Vanessa Howard and Diane Keen - function as eye candy and obstacles to Jamie's sexual education. The real scene stealer in the film is Denholm Elliott as a decadent aristocrat with a wine fetish who finds a captive audience in Jamie during his weekend visit to see his daughter.

Producer: Clive Donner, Larry Kramer
Director: Clive Donner
Screenplay: Hunter Davies, based on his novel
Cinematography: Alex Thomson
Film Editing: Fergus McDonell
Art Direction: Brian Eatwell
Costume Design: Sandy Moss
Cast: Barry Evans (Jamie McGregor), Judy Geeson (Mary), Angela Scoular (Caroline), Sheila White (Paula), Adrienne Posta (Linda), Vanessa Howard (Audrey), Diane Keen (Claire), Maxine Audley (Mrs. Beauchamp), Denholm Elliott (Mr. Beauchamp), Christopher Timothy (Spike).
C-96m. Closed captioning.

by Jeff Stafford