Home Before Midnight

Not to be confused with Before Midnight.

Home Before Midnight is a 1979 British sexploitation drama film^[3] directed and produced by Pete Walker, written by Murray Smith, and starring James Aubrey, Alison Elliott and Richard Todd.^[4]

Home Before Midnight
UK DVD cover
Directed by	Pete Walker
Written by	Murray Smith Michael Armstrong
Story by	Pete Walker
Produced by	Pete Walker
Starring	James Aubrey Alison Elliott Mark Burns Juliet Harmer Richard Todd
Cinematography	Peter Jessop
Edited by	Alan Brett
Music by	Jigsaw Ray Russell[1]
Production company	Peter Walker (Heritage)
Distributed by	Anchor Bay Entertainment
Release date	18 October 1979 (1979-10-18) (UK)
Running time	111 minutes[2]
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English

Plot

The film is set in London and follows Mike Beresford, a 28-year-old^[5] songwriter^[4] who is charged with statutory rape after having sex with a 14-year-old girl.^[6]

Cast

• James Aubrey as Mike Beresford
• Alison Elliott as Ginny Wilshire
• Mark Burns as Harry Wilshire
• Juliet Harmer as Susan Wilshire
• Richard Todd as Geoffrey Steele
• Debbie Linden as Carol
• Andy Forray as Vince Owen
• Chris Jagger as Nick
• Sharon Maughan as Helen Owen
• Charles Collingwood as Burlingham
• Faith Kent as Miss Heatherton
• John Hewer as Donelly
• Jeff Rawle as Johnnie McGee
• Patrick Barr as Judge
• Edward de Souza as Archer
• Ian Sharrock as Malcolm
• Emma Jacobs as Lindy
• Leonard Kavanagh as Mr. Beresford
• Joan Pendleton as Mrs. Beresford
• Ivor Roberts as Inspector Gray
• Claire McClellan as Tracey Wilshire
• Nicholas Young as Ray^[7]

Production

The soundtrack for the film, excluding incidental music provided by Ray Russell^[1] , was written and performed by British band Jigsaw.^[8][9] These songs were later released on a soundtrack album.^[10]

Reception

The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: "After Pete Walker's series of energetic horror shockers, this cautionary tale proves limp and deathly slow-moving. Quite lacking in a sense of emotional involvement, and notably confused in its view of the social mores of Outer London, the film seems bafflingly to miss its mark at every level. Inter alia, it asks us to accept that a teenage girl would be embarrassed at addressing a twenty-six-year-old woman by her first name, that a TV interview would be transmitted complete with lubricious remarks about a third party, and that during a High Court trial witnesses would be permitted to stand idly chatting in the shadow of the dock."^[11]