A Touch of Love (1969) Review | Road Rash Reviews

4 star restoration of a dramatic and earnest time capsule.

A Touch of Love is a British drama film, originally released in 1969. It was adapted for the screen by author Margaret Drabble (The Garrick Year) from her 1965 novel The Millstone.

Directed by Waris Hussein (Copacabana, Forbidden Nights), it is available to own on Blu-ray, DVD and Digital from 17th March 2025, courtesy of Studiocanal as part of their Vintage Classics Collection.

“Poor Roger. Unlike you, he’s rich, he’s serious and he’s got a real job. You’re only good for decoration, you know.”

Rosamund (Sandy Dennis – That Cold Day in the Park, 976 EVIL) is a young woman studying for her doctorate at the British Museum, while living at the home of her distant and aloof parents who are working overseas. As the film opens we see her with a positive pregnancy test, heading home from the library via the off-licence with a massive bottle of gin. When she gets home we see her filling the bath with red hot water and her intentions become pretty clear.

Just as she is about to get in however, she is interrupted by her friends Lydia (Eleanor Bron – Help!, Women in Love), Joe (Michael Coles – Sweeney!, Slade in Flame) and Mike (Roger Hammond – The King’s Speech, The Madness of King George). They invite themselves in and helpfully drink all the gin. Having successfully fended off Joe’s advances, she makes the decision to keep the baby. She informs her boyfriend Roger of the situation, he assumes it is Joe’s child and they resolve not to see each other anymore.

Joe assumes the child is Roger’s, but as we see in a series of flashbacks, the father is really the young BBC news reporter George (Ian McKellen – Hamlet (2024), Mr Holmes), introduced to her by Joe. There followed a few chance meetings, culminating in an unsatisfactory first sexual encounter and an unwanted pregnancy. We now see her trials and tribulations as a single mother in the swinging sixties.

“I only told you because I thought I ought to. I mean, it wouldn’t be fair, would it? To let you go on taking me out and me getting bigger and bigger every day.”

A Touch of Love is a very interesting watch, featuring historical attitudes which were very different in the sixties. The casual sexism is astonishing and the way in which an unmarried pregnant woman is treated is nothing short of criminal. I don’t know whether it is accurate, I hope not.

As you might expect from such a great cast, the acting is very good, but this won’t be to a lot of people’s taste. It’s very dark and brooding and although it’s a good story which makes lots of important social statements, there is no action and not a lot really happens.

If you’re curious to see a young Ian McKellen (I certainly was) then this is one for you. The Blu-ray conversion is good, the picture looks crisp and with a nice presentation including new interviews, this release is well worth adding to your collection.

“Oh, please. Don’t tell him that. He’s vain enough already and I mean, if people start coming up to him in the street and asking for his autograph, he just won’t be fit to live with.”