Only Two Can Play (1962) on Netflix
John Lewis, a poorly paid librarian in a Welsh valleys town, is bored with his job and his wife. Liz, a councillor's wife, sets her sights on him.
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- IMDb6.5/101,578 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes83%
Trailer
Plot summary
John Lewis works as a librarian in a Welsh valleys town. The pay is poor and the job leaves him frustrated, and he is restless in his marriage to Jean. He also writes drama criticism on the side. When a better paid post comes vacant, he hesitates, and Jean presses him to apply for it. Lewis then meets Liz, a designer with the local amateur dramatic company whose husband is a local councillor. She says she will put in a word for him with her husband about the position, and lets him know that she is drawn to him. He does not resist for long, and the two begin an affair in the town.
Cast
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Did you know?!Facts and trivia about Only Two Can Play (1962)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- MI5 agents shadowed Mai Zetterling while Only Two Can Play was filmed largely in and around Swansea, the model for the novel's setting of Aberdarcy, because she was suspected of Communist sympathies. Crowds of supporters and demonstrators watched the filming.
- Sidney Gilliat said Peter Sellers was difficult during filming: the star disliked Virginia Maskell's performance and wanted her replaced by a genuine Welsh actor, and Gilliat had to involve John Boulting to quieten the situation down.
- Only Two Can Play was released with an X certificate, the first the British Board of Film Censors ever gave to a comedy, despite the film including only a brief glimpse of nudity.
