Respectable: The Mary Millington Story (2016)

Simon Sheridan has long been writing entertaining books about the British sex film industry of the 1970s, so he was obviously perfectly placed to make this documentary about one of the decade's leading industry lights. RESPECTABLE is a real labour of love for those involved, getting into the nitty gritty of Millington's character and providing a fully-rounded exploration of what made her tick.This is a traditionally-structured documentary that starts out with snappy sound bites and choice cuts before moving into a chronological exploration of her career. Millington started out in modelling before moving quickly into hardcore pornography. Bizarrely, she then become something of a mainstream starlet, featuring in numerous tabloids due to her outrageous behaviour and even getting a film career of sorts. The final part of the documentary explores her decline and tragic suicide at the age of 33.RESPECTABLE is a fine mix of talking head interview footage and clips from Millington's career. Be warned, this is explicit stuff indeed, with lots of brief moments from her pornographic work on display, so many in fact that I'm surprised this was passed as an 18 certificate. Dexter Fletcher is a fine choice of narrator for the piece and the interviews are all with interesting or entertaining faces like Dudley Sutton, Ed Tudor Pole, and David Sullivan. Millington's tale is something of an odyssey packed with incident and outrage and the viewer comes away with a thorough picture of life in Britain's mainstream sex industry during the 1970s.

Dexter Fletcher tells the story of Mary Millington, War time baby, turned British porn star in the 1970s. All kinds of nudity. both male and female. Born and raised in "Dorking" (of course). the irony of the town name. Life history and information provided by David Sullivan and Trevor Crook, her purported lovers. Was married to Robert Maxted for 15 years. Documentary shows very explicit intercourse... definitely for adults only! Lots of vintage film from London. They show it all. They also spend a considerable amount of time on Mary Whitehouse, leader of the Christian anti-porn group, who kept trying to shut her down. Sadly, Millington had tax troubles, and overdosed on meds and alcohol at age 33. Written and directed by Simon Sheridan, his one big project to date. Interesting story of what was occurring in Britain about the same time as things like the Playboy Clubs were happening in the United States. Showing on netflix.

Having been born in 1993, I was unfamiliar with the life, and tragic demise, of Seventies' porn starlet Mary Millington. Simon Sheridan's engrossing documentary remind everybody of my generation how porn was not as ubiquitous as it is today. 40 years ago hardcore material was illegal in Great Britain and those who made it, distributed it or starred in it were crucified in the press and persecuted by the authorities.One lone figure who stood up to campaign for the legalisation of porn was Mary Millington, a tiny blonde from Surrey who pretty much single-handedly took on the British Establishment. Such was her immense popularity that she starred in the biggest selling 8mm porn movie Europe has ever known ('Miss Bohrlock') as well as appearing in 'Come Play with Me', the longest-running British film ever. But alongside fame came unhappiness and she died aged just 33, apparently with nobody left to help her beat her addiction to drugs, or her battle with depression.Whilst 'Respectable: The Mary Millington Story' is not always a happy tale, there is much to enjoy, and digest, - there are carefully- judged moments of joy and laughter (actor Dudley Sutton is especially funny) mixed with heartbreaking and poignant tales told by several ex- lovers and friends. I found it utterly enthralling from beginning to end, and I couldn't stop thinking about it even days later. How did Mary really die? Who was ultimately responsible? And why was she considered such a thorn in the side of the Metropolitan Police?What could've been a tawdry documentary is actually a beautifully- paced history lesson on British post-war attitudes towards sex. I absolutely loved it and as a teacher myself I think teenagers today would be shocked to know how the human rights we take-for-granted now were once a battlefield.

Simon Sheridan has put together an incredibly moving, touching and funny documentary that sheds light on the effervescent Mary Millington. This is so much more than a documentary on porn; it is an insight into how one woman showcased her own feminist movement, albeit in way that rocked the establishment, and how she celebrated her unconventional job and how she loved her body. Mary was natural, smart, and way before her time.Respectable highlights a time in the 20th century when we Brits were conflicted with our culture, but most of it all is explores the beauty and vulnerability of Mary, who was, in a way, Britain's own Marilyn Monroe. Mary sparkles on the screen, and Simon Sheridan has cleverly captured the essence of Mary through footage and interviews with her family. Watch this, and learn something. Compelling, tragic, thoughtful, wonderful. This is the best thing I have watched in 2016.