The Short and Curlies

The Short and Curlies is a 1987 short film written and directed by Mike Leigh. It stars Alison Steadman, Wendy Nottingham, Sylvestra Le Touzel and David Thewlis. The hairdressing salon, "Cynthia's", was in Willesden and exterior locations were in nearby Harlesden. Channel Four put up money for the film and, pending the success of this project, agreed to co-produce with Portman Productions Leigh's first feature film since Bleak Moments – what became 1988's feature movie High Hopes (with music by Rachel Portman).

The Short and Curlies
Directed byMike Leigh
Produced bySimon Channing-Williams
Victor Glynn
Written byMike Leigh
StarringAlison Steadman
Wendy Nottingham
Sylvestra Le Touzel
David Thewlis
Music byRachel Portman
CinematographyRoger Pratt
Edited byJon Gregory
Distributed byFilmFour International
Release date
1987
Running time
18 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish

The short, 18-minute film, made after three weeks of rehearsal, concerns a chatty hairdresser, Betty (Alison Steadman), her shy daughter, Charlene (Wendy Nottingham), and one of her customers, Joy (Sylvestra Le Touzel). Joy works in a chemist's shop and is chatted up by Clive (David Thewlis, in the first of his three Leigh roles) over the Durex counter.[1] "On the one hand there is ritual, physical indignity, rubber, prevention; on the other, new life, love, marriage. Charlene slips sadly and silently between two stools..."[2]

Notes

Alison Steadman, who has a hairdresser sister, said later that she loved playing Betty: "If Mike said I could do one of my parts again, that's the one I would choose. I loved her from the word go, the minute I got the curlers and the scissors in my hands. It just clicked. Sylvestra is a terrible giggler, and we just giggled the whole time, it was terrible. Great fun though."[3]

Thewlis's Clive is 'an incipient motormouth' – though not in the same class as Johnny in Naked – with a line in bad jokes; 'What's round and really violent? A vicious circle.'

Reception

The Short and Curlies was nominated for a BAFTA Award for Best Short Film.[4]

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References
  1. Michael Coveney, The World according to Mike Leigh, p. 187
  2. Coveney, p.188
  3. Coveney, p.189
  4. "Awards for The Short & Curlies". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 2011-03-16.


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