In
1970s Britain hardcore pornography was illegal, so it is perhaps surprising to
discover that back in the 1970s we had our very own porn superstar who became a
household name. Mary Millington was one of the most desirable women in the
country, rumoured to have even spent the night with the then serving Prime
Minister. She starred in hardcore films shot in Germany in the early 1970s
before moving into more respectable territory back home, becoming the face of
David Sullivan’s pornographic magazine empire. From there she moved into
legitimate motion pictures, from bit parts in sex comedies like Eskimo Nell (1975, Martin Campbell) through
to starring in the box office smash Come
Play With Me (1977, George Harrison Marks). She even opened and operated
her own sex shop where fans could come and meet her in the flesh and leave with
a brown paper bag full of magazines, some of them imported illegally from Denmark
or Holland.
Seemingly
the girl who had it all, that girl-next-door appeal, winning smile and perfect tiny
frame masked an increasingly chaotic life. An only child, Mary Millington was
desperately unhappy when her mother died after a long illness, and a friendship
with notorious party animal and former pinup Diana Dors lead to drug dependency
and addiction. Constant harassment from the police over her sex shop and a
growing kleptomania problem, combined with her increasing reliance on pills and
cocaine and worries about her body beginning to show signs of age contributed
to the tragic decision to take her own life, when she was still only
thirty-three.
Simon
Sheridan has made a name for himself as a British sex film historian and wrote
the definitive biography of Mary Millington several years ago, so is perfectly
equipped to create this documentary which tells the full story of Mary’s life,
warts and all. He has interviewed everyone that knew her, even members of her
family (although her husband Bob declined to be involved), and the film creates
a vivid picture not only of her life but of the commercial exploitation of sex
in the 1970s. Featuring archival imagery and interviews with Mary means she
also has a contribution to make, and it is fascinating to hear her story
unfolding in her own words. If you remember Mary Millington, have any interest
in the history of British cinema, or at least bought “dirty mags” in the 1970s,
this documentary is for you.
Respectable: The Mary Millington Story is available now for
streaming on Netflix in the UK and many other countries, and has been released on
DVD and blu ray.
