Percy (1971) User Reviews

Flaccid.

[BA_Harrison · 4/10 · 30 January 2012]

When antiques dealer Edwin (Hywel Bennett) loses his tally-whacker in a freak accident, he becomes the first ever patient to undergo a penis transplant.

The permissive society of the swinging sixties and early seventies gave rise to the great British sex comedy, bawdy farces that offered cheap titillation to the masses in the form of ribald innuendo, silly sexual situations, and gratuitous nudity.

Percy looks set to be a classic example of the genre, it's penis transplant subject matter lending itself perfectly to such bawdy treatment, and sure enough, viewers are quickly treated to some suggestive dialogue, unsubtle phallic imagery and curvaceous beauties in skimpy outfits. The lowbrow laughs don't last long, however, soon giving way to a much more sober approach, the film focusing instead on Edwin's confusion and emotional turmoil following his operation.

This shift to a more ponderous tone serves to make Percy a more respectable movie than it could otherwise have been—a shame, 'cos I'd been looking forward to a huge helping of shameless smut and seriously saucy giggles and what I actually got was that guy from Shelley looking downright miserable (yet again) even when faced with a series of sexy 70s babes desperate for a seeing to.

One thing's for sure, Robin Askwith wouldn't have wasted time deliberating his dilemma when he could've been testing out his new todger!

The penis mightier than the sword.

[ianlouisiana · 5/10 · 10 June 2007]

What was science fiction 35 years ago is pretty much run of the mill today,practically anything that can be cut off can be sewn back on again except perhaps your electricity supply."Percy" is pretty much a one - joke movie,if indeed joke it be.There is a serious side issue of course in any transplant situation,the psychological affect of of an alien organ on the recipient.This,ostensibly,supplies the raison d'etre for the movie although,to be honest,it seems to me just an excuse for the usual sub "Carry On" British obsession with genitalia. Big - busted blonde girls scamper around a lot,our hero gets to road test his new equipment (0 - 6 inches in 5 seconds?) and all very blokey it is too. If you are over 14 or a woman you may well find "Percy" about as funny as a Barium Enema,but for sniggering about during a dull period of 3rd form History - it's ideal.

certain level of medical discretion and no excessive lavatorial humour

[rogierr · 5 August 2001]

Percy (the transplant) is obviously not a very intellectual movie, but somehow funny and harmless. A friendly guy gets a penis transplant and starts looking for the original owner, because he suffers from identity problems. Along the way are sixties' sex kittens Elke Sommer (Shot in the dark '64) and Britt Ekland (Wickerman '73, Get Carter '71). In a way it is actually a very friendly SF without violence and with funny situations and (ironically) sincere human emotions underneath. It's not even bad acted; maybe a little shaky directed. The problem with this flick is that the technicalities aren't convincing and there isn't excessive lavatorial humour, so that kids will probably not enjoy it: the film falls between two stools, because the subject might not be appealing enough for adults (apart from Britt Ekland completists). See for yourself: it's a meaningless little piece with a certain level of medical discretion and appropriate music too. And it's not even the only flick on that subject matter either. Not that I ever want to see it again though.

Better than you think.

[granty-95171 · 7/10 · 30 September 2020]

"Percy" has taken such a battering down the years i felt it was time to write something in its defence. The most dubious content occurs early on, but for the most part Percy is surprisingly thoughtful, with the organ recipient coming to realise that he can only enjoy a meaningful sexual relationship with someone he really loves. The late actor Hywel Bennett bitterly regretted his involvement with the film but at least he gives his character a sensitive side; in lesser hands, eg Robin Asquith's, it would indeed have been 90 minutes of terrible kn*b gags.

Also going for it is a brief cameo by George Best, a rather fine soundtrack by the Kinks, and some nice glimpses of late era swinging London. Unusually for its time, Percy also treats a gay character with respect rather than making him a figure of fun.

Sadly upon its release Percy got lumped in with the dire Confessions/Carry On films, but having watched it a couple of times on Channel 4 i can vouch that it's better than those, and Hywel Bennett had nothing to be ashamed of.

Has its ups and downs....

[gridoon · 6/10 · 8 September 2007]

For a movie centering around the world's first successful penis transplant, "Percy" turns out to be considerably less raunchy than one might expect; in fact, it's downright melancholy at times. The hero spends half the movie trying to discover the identity of the (deceased) donor of his new "member", and the other half meeting the donor's past conquests; in the end he realizes that going to bed with a woman only gives him pleasure when he really cares about her. The film is meandering and short on big laughs, but Hywel Bennett gives a likable, low-key performance, as do most of the women, who are quite lovely to boot (be aware, however, that the biggest names, Elke Sommer and Britt Ekland, appear only for a couple of minutes each). So "Percy" does not rise to any great heights (ha!), but it is not completely limp either (ha!) (**1/2)

Gently dramatic exploration of relationships with great soundtrack

[ben-1403 · 9/10 · 27 March 2009]

I've always been fond of this film. The seemingly intentional mis-marketing as a raunchy comedy is not uncommon for the time, and is really damaging to what is essentially a look at sexual relationships and sexuality. There's a sweet naivety about the films perspective, caught up in the era in which is was released. Not much raunchiness, innuendo base titillation is more the course. As for the comedy there are a few laughs, and they do help alleviate some of the melancholy moments. For me it's in the emotional twists and turns that the film really shows interest and variety.

The Kinks wrote and performed the soundtrack. The songs are well constructed with some touchingly sentimental moments. An appreciation of The Kinks would most certainly aid ones appreciation the film, the lyrics embellishing he drama considerably.

I'm really surprised this film has been rated so low. How much of that is related to the mis-marketing and an under appreciation of the soundtrack?

Very much of its era

[neil-476 · 7/10 · 7 April 2015]

A young man receives someone else's penis in a transplant, and attempts to track down as much as possible about the donor.

Back in 1971 this movie was edgy, controversial stuff, dancing along the very border of what was acceptable (so much so that the word "penis" was not heard during the film. History (or changed times) shows it to be a rather gentle, mildly satirical, somewhat bittersweet comedy/drama with a non-preachy moral centre, and far from as edgy as it thought it was at the time.

Hywel Bennett is excellent as the recipient, the donor's back catalogue of lovely ladies are, indeed, lovely, and Denholm Elliot (as the groundbreaking surgeon) chews scenery with relish. And the Kinks provide an excellent soundtrack, with Lola taking pride of place.

A sweet movie

[StrangeBrew1605 · 8/10 · 24 July 2013]

I agree with all who describe this film as poorly marketed. I'm not however sure what the correct marketing would be! The movie begins as a bawdy comedy and eventually becomes a rather sweet tale of people in pursuit of love, or a least a respite from loneliness or simple boredom. Some nice characters played by British stalwarts including Graham Crowden and Sheila Steafal. Cyd Hayman is stunning and charming in equal degree. Hywel Bennet is as reliable as always. Seems to be one of those films where a slightly confused script just seems to work. However my real weakness for this movie is that it captures London at the time beautifully. Like a swinging sixties movies (though released 1971 so presumably filmed 70 or 71) it catches the mood. Catch it if you can.

How long is Percy?

[ShadeGrenade · 8/10 · 15 January 2010]

In 1967, Dr.Christian Barnard made world history by carrying out the very first heart transplant operation. Much speculation was generated as to how far the new technique could be taken. Would it be possible to say, transplant a brain? Or any other organ? It sounded like the ideal subject for a movie, and in 1971, one got made. 'Percy', based on a book by Raymond Hitchcock, was adapted for the screen by Hugh Leonard, and directed and produced by Ralph Thomas and Betty E.Box, the team behind the popular 'Doctor' films, based on Richard Gordon's books.

Hywel Bennett is 'Edwin Anthony', a hippie-like antiques dealer who lives alone in London ( his wife has recently left him ). One day he is carrying a chandelier down a street when, unexpectedly, a naked man falls out of the sky and lands on him. Guy Warrington had been in bed with his lover Helga ( Elke Sommer ) when her husband came home early, and in his panic he jumped out of the window, forgetting she lived in a high-rise apartment. He is killed, but Edwin survives. However, a shard from the chandelier has cut off his penis ( ouch! ). Surgeon Emmanuel Whitbread ( Denholm Elliott ) removes Guy's pecker ( nicknamed 'Percy' ) and grafts it on to Edwin.

When Edwin wakes up, he is horrified at what has been done to him. The tabloid press regard the whole affair as one big joke and set about trying to locate Percy's new owner. On leaving hospital, Edwin is driven by a mad compulsion to find the donor's identity, and, obtaining a list of men who died in the hospital that day, tracks down their wives, and a glamorous lot they are too...

It is hard to believe that 'Percy' was made only five years after Norman Wisdom ended his run of cloth-capped comedies. Directors such as Thomas and Val Guest sensed that the audience for British film comedies had changed, and tailored their material accordingly. Hywel Bennett is the best thing about the film, portraying Edwin in a sympathetic light, as a man who wants a normal life but has become a carnival freak and does not like it ( today he would probably be invited on 'I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here!' ). Denholm Elliott is wonderfully smarmy as the surgeon. We first see him on a B.B.C. talk-show - he walks out in disgust when the producer ( Angus Mackay ) keeps bleeping out the word 'penis'!

The script is peppered with what Ben Elton used to call 'knob gags' ( a nurse tells Edwin: "Let's see how it stands up in the light of the day!", while Whitbread whistles a self-composed ditty entitled 'Penis From Heaven' ), but strangely, the film is a lot tamer than you might expect. It is quite thoughtful in its depiction of adult relationships. It did not warrant its 'Wahey! Penis transplant comedy!' marketing. The only nudity comes from Antonia Ellis' stripteasing nurse. Edwin's meeting's with Percy's girlfriends brings us glorious sightings of Britt Ekland and Elke Sommer, while Julia Foster, Cyd Hayman, Adrienne Posta, Gaye Brown, Tracy Reed, and Sheila Steafel, and Sue Lloyd appear elsewhere. George Best graces a 'Billy Liar'-styled fantasy sequence, while Arthur English is seen as a seedy pub comic.

Yes, it is a one-joke film, but manages to camouflage its deficiencies rather well. It is the work of professional film makers. The same story in the hands of say, Stanley Long or Derek Ford, would have been an unwatchable mess.

When 'Percy' was in production, Mary Whitehouse thundered to the press that it was in 'poor taste'. As so often happened whenever she complained about anything, the public flocked to see it in droves. In 1974, there was a sequel ( sans Bennett ) entitled 'Percy's Progress'.

Nice songs by Ray Davies & The Kinks, with 'Lola' being put to good use during Ellis' strip.

The summary quoted above came from the trailer. It asked 'How long is Percy?' and then responded with 'About 100 minutes!'.

Not funny or erotic

[Wizard-8 · 6 November 2010]

You might think that a movie concerning itself with a man getting a penis transplant and his adventures trying to find out about the donor would be a really raunchy affair. Surprisingly, the movie is extremely tame - there's almost no nudity, sex, or foul language. In fact, I am surprised this got an "R" rating even in 1971. Another surprise is that the movie doesn't try for as many attempts at humor as you might think. The second half of the movie is serious for the most part. As you might have guessed, this movie is not that much fun, and you'll get tired from it long before the end. The most curious thing about it is the score from The Kinks. It doesn't fit the movie for the most part, like how they play an instrumental of "Lola" when a woman is stripteasing for the main male character! Somehow this movie was successful enough to inspire a sequel several years later. Thanks, but I think I'll pass.