Scandal

In London the osteopath Stephen Ward introduces young women into high society. An affair begins between nineteen-year-old Christine Keeler and the Secretary of State for War, John Profumo. It emerges that Keeler was also seeing a Soviet attaché. Profumo lies to the House of Commons, is caught and resigns; the government is shaken. The subject is not the political scandal but who pays for it. Profumo resigns and carries on with his life; Ward is prosecuted and kills himself before the verdict; Keeler goes to prison. The film shows plainly that the bill goes to the people at the bottom. The form is period drama: sixties London, clubs, newspaper front pages, a courtroom. The narrative looks from Ward's side. The production caused a censorship argument before release; in America one scene raised the prospect of the most restrictive rating and it was cut for distribution. In Britain the events were still recent history and some of the film's claims were contested. Ward's trial continued to be questioned as a miscarriage of justice for years afterwards. Michael Caton-Jones directs. John Hurt plays Ward, Joanne Whalley plays Keeler and Bridget Fonda plays Mandy Rice-Davies, with Ian McKellen as Profumo. Who it is for: viewers curious about real political scandal and sixties Britain. Who it is not for: anyone expecting the women's stories to be central; the film gives its weight to Ward.