The life and times of Paul Raymond the entrepreneur and in 1992 the richest man in Britain. Through the eyes of the 3 most important women in his life. His wife, the mistress and his daughter.
Review
A film about a pornographer is always going to be a hard sell and controversial. People are not going to automatically have an instant empathy for this man. Men are going to envy him for the cars, the life style and the endless supply of pretty girls. Women are going to dislike him for his exploitation of women. This man is always going to be not ordinary and for someone in his line of business even with all his money he is never going to achieve respectability and be sidelined from the mainstream of society.
The film starts in 1992 at a pivotal moment of his life as just before he is going to be crowned as the richest man in Britain he suffers a terrible family lost. Whilst watching a family interview on video his story is told in flash backs. Starting in the late 50s with the strict decency laws and opening his infamous Raymond Revue Bar. Always a showman and an opportunist he saw any publicist as good even when it was bad. Courting controversy and seeking the headlines. It is here during this time he slowly buys up Soho. All the while his wife Jean puts up with his infidelities and knows Paul will always return to her.
This all changes in the 70s when Julia Harrison/Fiona Richmond turns up and catches Paul's eye. This one threatens Jean's position and eventually he leaves Jean and his two kids for the new girl. At his divorce he proudly states it is the most expensive divorce in Britain and "It's not bad for a boy from Liverpool who started with just 5 bob." Always proud to state his humble origins. It's in the 70s when his publishing empire really kicks off with Men Only. Now the money really rolls in and the other trappings of drugs and more girls too.
Finally in the 70s too the third woman in Paul Raymond's life enters with his daughter Debbie. She unfortunately gets lost in all the excesses as she struggles to find a path for herself and to some extent trying to emulate her fathers entrepreneurial flare.
The film paint's Paul Raymond's life as rather bleak, empty and self serving without really hurting anyone in the process. Even with all the rich trappings there is nothing in his life that really brings him true happiness. In sorts he realises that he did have happiness twice in his life with his wife Jean and Fiona Richmond and this is emphasised at his daughter's wedding when he tries to reconnect with both of them.
During his empire building there is also a hankering for respectability with his purchasing of properties in Soho. He bought them for his daughter and his granddaughter so he tells his granddaughter whilst sitting in his Rolls Royce. His granddaughter does not want the houses but wants something that he can never buy. To this he agrees with her.
The film looks stunning and all the sets and costumes give the film a truly evocative feel for the period. The changing of the Rolls Royce through the times is also a great touch. The soundtrack that accompanies this film is good and subtle tracking and placing the film in different decades.
The film does have nudity and to my mind it is not excessive. This is a film about a pornographer and most of it is appropriate going from late 50s titillation to 70s sleazy.
Steve Coogan gives a good performance though at the back of my mind I always expect Alan Partridge to pop out. All the female leads Anna Friel, Tamsin Egerton and Amanda Poots give good turns with the strongest from Tamsin Egerton who is given the most to do. There are lots of cameos and heavily disguised actors who you are trying to spot in the film.
The film is essentially about trying to buy happiness but never succeeding. On the whole the film is quite a cold film told in a documentary style with a difficult character to relate to but this is deliberate giving more impact to the film when the film reaches it's emotional climax to show that for all the bravado and his riches Paul Raymond is ordinary after all.
7/10
