The Romantic Englishwoman

Plot

Elizabeth, bored wife of Lewis, a successful pulp writer in England, leaves husband and child and runs away to the German town of Baden-Baden. There she meets Thomas, who claims to be a poet but whom viewers know to be a petty thief, conman, drug courier, and gigolo. Though the two are briefly attracted to each other, she returns home. He, hunted by gangsters for a drug consignment he has lost, follows her to England. Lewis, highly suspicious of his wife, invites the young man to stay with them and act as his secretary. Initially resenting the presence of the handsome stranger, Elizabeth one night starts an affair and, after being caught together in the conservatory by Lewis, the two run away with no money to the south of France. Lewis follows them, he in turn being followed by the gangsters looking for Thomas. At the end the gangsters reclaim Thomas, presumably for execution, while Lewis reclaims Elizabeth.

Cast

• Glenda Jackson as Elizabeth Fielding
• Michael Caine as Lewis Fielding
• Helmut Berger as Thomas
• Michael Lonsdale as Swan, chief gangster
• Béatrice Romand as Catherine, nanny
• Kate Nelligan as Isabel, friend of the Fieldings
• Nathalie Delon as Miranda
• Reinhard Kolldehoff as Herman
• Anna Steele as Annie
• Marcus Richardson as David
• Julie Peasgood as New Nanny
• Frankie Jordan as Supermarket Cashier
• Tom Chatto as Neighbour
• Frances Tomelty as Airport Shop Assistant

Production and Release

The film was shot in London, Baden-Baden, and on the Côte d'Azur. The locations in Baden-Baden were the Casino and Brenners Hotel. Losey again collaborated with cinematographer Gerry Fisher, with whom he had shot a total of seven films. Gerry Fisher had been involved as editor on all of Losey's films since 1966. For Richard Hartley, this was the first film for which he wrote the score. Helmut Berger wore suits from Yves Saint-Laurent.

Production costs were estimated at US$1.2 million. Finance came partly from Rank.

The film premiered out of competition at the Cannes Film Festival on 19 May 1975 and was released in France on 11 June of the same year. Its tv premiere in Germany was on 14 November 1976.

In 2021, the Pidax label released a DVD in German and English as part of its Film Classics series. "The Cocaine Trap" was chosen as the alternative title.

Reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 80% based on 5 reviews, with an average rating of 6/10. AllMovie gave the film 3-and-a-half-stars-out-of-5.

Home media

The Romantic Englishwoman was released on DVD and Blu-ray in North America by Kino Lorber on June 21, 2011.

References

References

1. Chapman, J.. (2022). "The Money Behind the Screen: A History of British Film Finance, 1945-1985". Edinburgh University Press.
2. "Festival de Cannes: The Romantic Englishwoman".
3. {{IMDb-title. tt0073634
4. [https://imdb.com/title/tt0073634/business Box office / business for The Romantic Englishwoman], accessed September 9, 2008.
5. Vagg, Stephen. (22 August 2025). "Forgotten British Film Studios: The Rank Organisation 1968-1977".
6. [https://www.festival-cannes.com/en/films/the-romantic-englishwoman The Romantic Englishwomen], Cannes Film Festival, Out of Competition
7. "The Romantic Englishwoman". [[Fandango Media.
8. Erickson, Hal. "The Romantic Englishwoman (1975)". [[AllMovie]].
9. "The Romantic Englishwoman".