3 Star

Sun, Sea and Aphrodisiacs.

Network Press bring us a 1976 British Comedy Classic in the sun soaked ‘Spanish Fly’,  directed by family favourite Bob Kellett (Are You Being Served?, Space: 1999), and featuring the ever popular Terry-Thomas (Jules Verne’s Rocket to the Moon, The Persuaders!) (his last major role) and Leslie Phillips (Saving Grace, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider) in this rival to the ‘Carry on‘ films. 1970s fun in the sun, not PC for the 2020s. Spanish Fly is for the nostalgic.

Sir Percy de Courcy (Terry-Thomas) is on the Mediterranean island of Minorca. He is borrowing money for his latest get rich quick scheme “buy cheap, sell dear,” this causes his chauffeur Perkins (Graham Armitage, Jane and the Lost City, That Englishwoman: An Account of the Life of Emily Hobhouse) much chagrin. He has only gone and bought 100,000 gallons of the cheap local wine, but what he hasn’t done is taste any of it. At the local café, where the local owner normally supplies Sir Percy with his gin and tonic, now finds that he has to supply a couple of wine glasses. The end result is the wine is undrinkable, it has to be adapted. But how.

“You’ll think of something, Perkins!”

Meanwhile, back in Blighty, Mike Scott (Leslie Phillips), salesman to his wife’s firm Janet Scott lingerie (Sue Lloyd, The Ipcress File, Correction, Please or How We Got Into Pictures) is at his doctor Johnson talking about his impotency, which is a problem when he is constantly surrounded by beautiful models on photo shoots. Tomorrow he is off to Minorca to meet four models and photographer Juan (Ramiro Oliveros, Cross of the Devil, Black Commando).

When Mark gets to Minorca, he is already eager to leave, that is until he meets Francesca (Sally Farmiloe, Witness to a Kill, Howards’ Way (TV Series)), Annette (Jaleh Haddah), Bruce (Andrea Allan, UFO (TV Series), Invasion: UFO) and the frisky Julie (Nadiuska, Conan the Barbarian, The Crazy Story of the Three Musketeers). They get a taxi and head into town.

Perkins is encouraged to take a bottle to another bar to see how they like it, but that causes uproar and soon there is a scene in the quay street, as the owner of the bar returns the wine bottle violently. This causes Mike’s taxi to get a puncture, and stop. This lets Mike, Juan and the girls out as they head for the bar, That’s when Mike spots ‘Horsey Corsey’ (Percy), is that you “Spotty Scotty”? It sure is.

With the right amount of snobbery, people will buy anything, especially the English.

Has Sir Percy found his gullible Englishman? It is time for some lingerie and wine in the sunshine. What can Perkins find to make that dreadful wine palatable?

Spanish Fly is available on Blu-ray