Film: The Look of Love

Film review by Tom Hunt

Note: The author's views are entirely his or her own and may not reflect the views of RetoxMagazine.com

The Look of Love Review; A Personal Look Into The World of Erotica.

"I don't like a lot of direction, when directors give you all these instructions, and Michael's not like that," Steve Coogan reveals discussing director Michael Winterbottom during the post showing Q&A of The Look of Love at The Cornerhouse in Manchester. Winterbottom, directing Coogan for the 4th time seems to enjoy working with the actor and the feeling is mutual. The film also stars Anna Friel, Amanda Poots, Tamsin Egerton, Chris Addison as well as cameos from Matt Lucas, Stephen Fry and Simon Bird, in the biopic about porn mogul and iconic figure, Paul Raymond.

The film follows Paul's (Steve Coogan) life as he becomes the King of Soho, transforming not only the area in London but also the UK as he becomes a successful entrepreneur between the 50's – 80's. At its heart, really though, the film is about love (hence the title) and the love in particular he had for his daughter, Debbie (Amanda Poots). The film opens with an elderly Raymond being mobbed by journalists following the unexpected passing of the woman he cared most for in the world. He resides to his room where he reviews old interviews of his daughter and remembers back on his life. A man surrounded by thousands of naked women in his life, having a wife (Anna Friel) and a mistress (Tamsin Egerton), and countless flings, his affection for his daughter Debbie is the most pure and honest of his love, which he doesn't really have a lot to give. We see how Raymond transformed the way the UK looked at porn, how he introduced it in his private club before putting on shows, creating the popular 'Men's Only' magazine and a legacy and fortune that surpassed him after death. The relationship between Paul and Debbie is bittersweet. The one woman he cared enough about to try and protect and keep away from his seedy dealings is the one woman he ultimately couldn't protect. The irony upon her passing that 2 weeks later he was named Britain’s richest man is not lost on the film and the film's writer Matt Greenhalgh makes a point of getting this message in there.

Raymond was comfortable around women, he had no brothers and his father left when he was very young so he was brought up only around his mother and sister. We never get to see this in the film, just a brief passing comment. The film shows Raymond constantly around naked women without batting an eye lid and you can imagine this is how it was in real life. Coogan reminisces how he never wanted 24 Hour Party People to end because it meant so much to him and while he wanted to be in The Look of Love, and enjoyed it, at the end "he just wanted to be alone walking around The Lakes for a few days". Months of being around naked women made him feel horrible, the novelty, he says, "wore off" and was left feeling quite empty by it all. Coogan believes this is how Raymond probably felt and if he could, would have escaped that world. He invested in property to try and take himself away but ultimately once you're in, you're in.

The film isn't without it's critics, some people feel they're making a hero out of a man who's really quite a seedy character. Coogan states this was his attraction to the role, to play someone who was so unsympathetic and reveal his vulnerable side. Raymond's own son, who isn't written into the film much and is shown to have a distant and difficult relationship with his father when he is, tried to stop the production (maybe for that reason) and trade marked the original film's title, The King of Soho and aims to bring out a film himself next year about his father.

By no means is this a film to canonize Paul Raymond, but he was an iconic figure to British culture and for that his history deserves to be immortalised in film.

The Look of Love, directed by Michael Winterbottom and written by Matt Greenhalgh is released 26th April 2013.