Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.5
Overall		3.5

Adventures of a Plumber's Mate Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov May 29, 2022

Stanley Long's "Adventures of a Plumber's Mate" (1978) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Indicator/Powerhouse Films. The supplemental features on the disc include new program with actress Prudence Drage; archival audio commentary with the director; short film directed by Jan Manthey; vintage promotional materials; and more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

Stanley Long’s final Adventures film was very clearly conceived to appeal to a much larger audience, which according to some of its most outspoken critics turned out to be its biggest flaw. I tend to agree, but I think that it is still as good as its predecessor.

Christopher Neil returns as Sid South, a young, seemingly perpetually horny, and completely broke freelance plumber who is just days away from being evicted from his tiny apartment. While doing various small jobs for Crapper (Stephen Lewis), quite possibly one of the strangest small-business owners in London, Sid is tracked down by Blackie (Arthur Mullard) and Stropper (Jarold Wells), two aging debt collectors with impeccable reputation, and given an ultimatum: repay nine hundred quid or have his body crushed in multiple places. Sid wisely chooses the first option and, as recommended by Blackie, agrees to see Dodger (William Rushton), a very shady character who always has shady job offerings. After he fumbles a couple of Dodger’s gigs, however, Sid comes to the realization that it is time to pack up his bags and leave the city. Blackie and Stropper change his plan and proceed to unleash pain, but Lady Luck finally intervenes and Sid is able to repay his debt.

Because of Long’s fondness of improvising, it is fair to speculate that a good amount of the material in Adventures of a Plumber’s Mate did not come from Stephen Frances and Aubrey Cash’s screenplay. However, the film has a very particular structure that becomes unmissable as soon as Neil is informed that he is facing imminent eviction, and everything that is part of it feels carefully controlled. As a result, the organic ambience that flourishes in Adventures of a Taxi Driver and shapes up its identity is completely lost.

The nature of the sexual material in Adventures of a Plumber’s Mate is different as well. Indeed, there is less of it and virtually all of it feels like filler material that is needed simply to enhance the comedy, whereas in Adventures of a Taxi Driver and to a lesser extent in Adventures of a Private Eye the sexual material is what fuels the comedy. It is easy to tell the change was made to adjust the identity of Adventures of a Plumber’s Mate in order to broaden its appeal, which was a smart business decision but a move away from the roots of the series as well.

If the loose sexual material was the one and only reason you were attracted to the previous two films, there is an excellent chance that Adventures of a Plumber’s Mate will underwhelm you. There are just not enough fireworks of the kind that you require to be entertained in it. However, there is plenty of proper comedy material that can make you laugh if you adjust your expectations just a little bit. In fact, even though Barry Evans was a far more interesting playboy than Neil, the best acting in the three films is in Adventures of a Plumber’s Mate, so you will see plenty of quality contributions from the supporting cast as well. (Mullard and Wells for instance are perfect together).

I still enjoyed Adventures of a Plumber’s Mate quite a lot, but I would have preferred to see more of the period outdoor footage that made Adventures of a Taxi Driver effective as a time capsule as well. Long should have dispatched Neil to fix an issue in one of London’s famous sex shops and a couple of its biggest night clubs while capturing with his camera some of the activities in the area. One of these clubs could have been the place where Mullard and Wells like to spend most of their surrounded by much younger beautiful ladies. It would not have been risqué material, but likely would have complicated Long’s plan of making the film appeal to a bigger and more diverse audience.

Adventures of a Plumber's Mate Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Adventures of a Plumber's Mate arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Indicator/Powerhouse Films.

The is best looking of the three films in the Adventures trilogy. The release is again sourced from an older master, but the visuals have the most consistent organic appearance. For example, delineation and depth range from good to very good, though often times the surface of the visuals reveal less than optimal grain exposure. Color balance is good, too. In fact, excluding some very minor adjustments in terms of saturation and balance -- usually in areas where highlights and darker nuances struggle a bit -- I think that the master gets just about everything right. Image stability is very good. A few white specks can be spotted, but there are no distracting large debris, cuts, warped or torn frames to report. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location).

Adventures of a Plumber's Mate Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 1.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The audio is stable, clear, and easy to follow. Balance is very good, too. Dynamic intensity is unremarkable, but such is the original sound design of the film. To be honest, I don't think that there is any room for meaningful improvements. Even if one day some boutique label fully restores the film and remasters the audio, I think that the overall quality of the new track that is created during the makeover will be extremely similar to that of the current track. I did not see any encoding anomalies to report in our review.

Adventures of a Plumber's Mate Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - a vintage trailer for Adventures of a Plumber's Mate. In English, not subtitled. (2 min).

• Image Gallery - a collection of original promotional materials for Adventures of a Plumber's Mate.

• Dear Prudence - in this new program, Prudence Drage, one of the stars of Adventures of a Plumber's Mate, discusses her background and career as well as the various sexy parts she did in all kinds of different genre films. It is a very, very funny program. In English, not subtitled. (14 min).

• Commentary - this archival commentary was recorded by Stanley Long in 2008. It follows the same format that was used for the other two commentaries Long recorded for Adventures of a Taxi Driver and Adventures of a Private Eye. There is an abundance of information about the production of Adventures of a Plumber's Mate, the various locations where Long shot, the sense of humor that permeates the narrative and gives the film its personality, its reception, etc.

• The BEHP Interview with Stanley Long: Part Three - presented here is an excerpt from an archival audio interview with Stanley Long that was conducted on November 24 and 26, 1999. The late director discusses his background and work. In English, not subtitled. (89 min).

• The Adventures of a Plumber in Outer Space (2008) - a short film directed by Jan Manthey that pays homage to the British sex comedies of the seventies. The film can be seen with an audio commentary by the director. A small collection of stills is included as well. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles. (45 min).

• Booklet - an exclusive 80-page book with a new essay by Simon Sheridan, archival interviews with Stanley Long and actor-composer Christopher Neil, a letter from the producers complaining about the Adventures films' treatment in the British press, newspaper articles on the controversy surrounding the casting of Elaine Paige in Adventures of a Plumber's Mate while she was starring in Andrew Lloyd Webber's Evita, a look at the three films' novelizations, an overview of contemporary critical responses, Jan Manthey on his short films, and film credits.

• Poster - see screenshots.

Adventures of a Plumber's Mate Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

While some folks are unwilling to admit it, one of Stanley Long's Adventures films was a cultural phenomenon of the kind that could have initiated a rather interesting new cinematic movement. It would have required some bold stylistic adjustments, and the truth is that it would have been only a matter of time before the adult industry destroyed it, but while it lasted it could have produced unique films like the ones that emerged many decades later via the Dogme movement. I actually think that in the late '60s Radley Metzger thought of something very similar while blending erotica, psychedelica and the arty aesthetics of European cinema, but quickly gave up and began shooting X-rated films. Long lacked the ambition to be a trailblazer, so after the success of Adventures of a Taxi Driver he did what he thought was good for business, which is how the other two films in the trilogy materialized. I like these films. They are imperfect, but one is a very good time capsule and all three are pretty darn funny. RECOMMENDED.