Before I had even seen this film, I was reading quotes like "possibly the best J.D. drama U. K. has ever produced". I still think "Violent Playground" could be the best (U.K.'s answer to "Blackboard Jungle") but I was really looking forward to this film. It is okay, more like "Dragstrip Girl" meets "Escort Girl" with a lot of gritty British realism thrown in for good measure. Adam Faith wasn't that famous in America but in England he was a huge star. He had an unusual style of singing, similar to Buddy Holly and "Beat Girl" was supposed to showcase his singing after his first few recordings flopped. Because of his collaboration with John Barry, after "Beat Girl" he was on his way. "I Did What You Told Me" is one of several rock and roll numbers sung by Adam Faith in this film.

Paul Linden (David Farrar) is just back from the Continent with a new wife, Nicolle (Noelle Adam) - his 16 year old daughter Jennifer (the beautiful and voluptuous Gillian Hills) is not happy. She is a "poor little rich girl" who is looking for love and affection, but instead has a bedroom full of clothes and the latest fads from her often absent father. Her new stepmother is determined to give her a proper home life. Jennifer, an art student, hangs with a beatnik crowd at the "Off Beat" - a local hang out for teenagers. Most have a home life they are running away from. Parents that are reliving the War and can't understand "Jazz". The kids want to feel different from their parents, they "live for kicks" and want to be a person in their own right. They all have bad memories of the War and use phrases such as "square", "kook", "he sends me over and out" to build up a barrier between themselves and anyone who is not hip. Towards the end the gentle "beatniks" are superseded by the young and violent "teddy boys".

Nicolle meets Jennifer for lunch and she also bumps into an old friend, Rita, who is a stripper. Jennifer, now taunts Nicolle, every chance she gets with a song "take it off, take it off", and begins to haunt "Les Girls" the strip club where Rita works. She also catches the eye of the sleazy manager Kenny King (Christopher Lee) who has dishonourable designs on her. Jennifer throws a party that gets out of hand - she performs a provocative strip tease but is stopped by the appearance of Nicolle. Nicolle reveals her childhood was similar to what Jennifer has experienced. Jennifer, who is really a frightened little girl is involved in a murder and things come full circle when Dave (Adam Faith) declares (after having his car trashed by some teddy boys) "Only squares know where to go"!!!

Shirley Anne Field, who actually had her best year in 1960, with roles in "Peeping Tom", "The Entertainer" and "Saturday Night and Sunday Morning", had the small role of "Dodo", one of Jennifer's friends (she even sings a song - "It's Legal". Oliver Reed has an extremely small role of "Plaid Shirt", a juiced up beatnik. The very catchy song played over the credits and through the movie is "The Beat Girl Song".

Recommended.

This film is also known as "Beat Girl" and that's the name on the DVD release. It's from a VERY popular theme of the era--out of control teenagers in films. In this case, however, it's a British version of the old American genre--and it's frankly a lot better.

A totally clueless divorced father arrives home after being on a three-month business trip. Surprise, surprise...he also brings home a brand-new (and relatively hot) French wife! Now his teenage daughter, Jenny, is a total insolent brat...but at least you can't blame her for not accepting New Mom! Only Mr. Potatohead would think bringing home a new mother would work out seamlessly.

Later, Jenny sneaks out to hang with the young beatniks at the local club--and it's dancing and listening to jazz and rock 'n roll all night long. Apparently, she's a regular there but clueless dad doesn't know, as he's so wrapped up in his work. However, New Mom decides to try to help and tries to befriend Jenny. Jenny's friends like New Mom, but Jenny is surly and refuses to give her a chance. When Jenny learns that New Mom used to be a stripper--then she thinks she has a chance to split up her new family. But, as it turns out, New Mom has MUCH more to hide than stripping! And Jenny has MUCH more insane behavior that you can see--if you get a copy of this film.

The film is silly and good for a laugh. But compared to the average film of the genre, it's actually very good. Part of it is that in MOST crazed teen films of the era, the kids in this one really are bad and really are living on the edge. Try comparing this to the incredibly tame "Wild One" (with Marlon Brando)--you'll see what I mean. It also has very catchy music and lots of crazy stuff to keep your attention. Subtle, it ain't! A lurid and exciting soap opera with an extra helping of sleaze--this isn't the recipe for a good film but it sure is for an entertaining one.

By the way, Christopher Lee plays a small part as the vicious owner of a strip club. He's cold and hateful--exactly what his part demanded. Although he's only in the film a bit here and there, he was terrific.

Look for the bad scene about 47 minutes into the film. Jenny tells her boyfriend to play a song. Although another song is playing and he doesn't prepare in any way, the other song immediately stops AND you his ELECTRIC guitar begins playing a neat tune--although it's NOT plugged in to an amplifier! Also, background accompaniment suddenly appears from no where! Cool, daddy.

Beat Girl is the United Kingdom's answer to some of the American made teen flicks that were popular drive-in movie fare at this time on our side of the pond. The Beat Girl here is Gillian Hills who is very upset that her dad David Farrar has married this knockout of a young bride in Noelle Adam. She's French, she could be a Brigitte Bardot clone and in a most Freudian turn of the plot the daughter is in a jealous rage over Adam who is only about seven years older than her.

But when Adam comes down to the coffee bar that Hills and her friends hang out at, she finds an old friend who works at a nearby strip joint who knew her when. It seems that Farrar has not been told the whole story of wife's background and now Hills has something on Adam.

What she doesn't count on is the sleazy owner of the strip joint who has a taste for jail-bait. Christopher Lee in a little time out from Hammer horror films is the best thing about Beat Girl. Also in small roles are Oliver Reed and Nigel Green.

British pop star Adam Faith and Peter McEnery and Shirley Anne Field play Gillian Hills's disaffected youthful companions. Faith has a couple of songs in the film which are the other main feature.

Beat Girl was trashy when it was first out and age hasn't improved it any. In the final analysis Hills just proves to be a spoiled brat and the London bobby's advice to Farrar about her needing a good walloping is long overdue.