Permissive is a 1970 British exploitation drama film directed by Lindsay Shonteff, written by Jeremy Craig Dryden, and starring Maggie Stride, Gay Singleton and Gilbert Wynne. The film depicts a young girl's progress through the rock music groupie subculture of the time.
Synopsis
Suzy (Maggie Stride) arrives in London with nowhere to stay. She meets a friend, Fiona (Gay Singleton), a groupie who has settled into a relationship with Lee (Alan Gorrie), bass player and singer with the band Forever More. At first Suzy is just one of many girls who follow the groups and make themselves sexually available to musicians and their hangers-on (a type represented by Forever More's road manager Jimmy, played by Gilbert Wynne). When the band go on tour she is left behind. For some time she lives on the streets with Pogo (Robert D'Aubigny, credited as "Robert Daubigny"), a gentle hippie drifter who is eventually killed in a road accident.
After the accident Suzy meets Fiona again. She becomes accepted as part of Forever More's entourage, and develops the glamorous style and hard attitude of an experienced groupie. She makes a play for Lee and ousts Fiona from her status as his 'old lady.' In the final scene, the band are about to leave their hotel when Suzy finds Fiona in the bathroom with her wrists slashed. She walks out, abandoning her former friend.
Cast
Maggie Stride as Suzy
Gay Singleton as Fiona
Gilbert Wynne as Jimi
Alan Gorrie as Lee, Forever More
Stuart Francis as Kip, Forever More
Mick Travis as Mick, Forever More
Onnie Mair as Onnie, Forever More
Debbie Bowen as Lacy
Robert Daubigny as Pogo
Titus Groan as Themselves
Stuart Cowell as Nick, Titus Groan
Nicola Austine as Coral
Nicole Yearne as Groupie
Suzy Randall as Groupie
Juliet Adams as Groupie
Linda Dean as Groupie
Greta Nelson as Groupie
Maria Vasilou as Groupie
Sussana East as Groupie
Cathy Howard as Groupie
Samantha Bond as Groupie
Maria Frost as Groupie
Louisa Livingstone as Groupie
Madeleine Collinson as Groupie
Mary Collins as Groupie
John Allen as Roadie
Eric Simpson as Roadie
Joyce Crossley as Woman
C. Reeves as Technician
Bill Hibbert as Policeman
N. Tathan as Policeman
Production
Forever More were a genuine performing band, although the band members play characters other than themselves in the film. Songs from the soundtrack appear on their album Yours – Forever More. Alan Gorrie went on to commercial success as a member of the Average White Band.
The cult folk band Comus provided the film's opening title theme and other incidental music and songs.
Also featured were Titus Groan.
Release
Home media
Permissive was released on DVD and Blu-ray in the UK as part of the BFI's Flipside series on 25 January 2010. The disc also includes the feature film Bread (directed by Stanley Long, 1971) and the short 'Ave You Got a Male Assistant Please Miss? (Graham Jones, Jon Astley, 1973).