Menu

The Short and Curlies

A short comedy about the romance between a young woman and a man who communicates only through jokes and humour. The story is told as a series of very short vignettes between her and the man and her and her doting mother, a hairdresser...

  • United Kingdom
  • 1987, 18 min
  • Director: Mike Leigh
  • Director of photography: Roger Pratt
  • Editor: Jon Gregory
  • Screenplay: Mike Leigh
  • Music: Rachel Portman
  • Cast: Alison Steadman, Sylvestra Le Touzel, David Thewlis, Wendy Nottingham
  • Contacts: Park Circus Group
  • Producer: Victor Glynn
  • Production: Portman Productions, Channel 4 Television Corporation


Mike Leigh

Mike Leigh (1943, Great Britain) is a scriptwriter, playwright and director. He started his career as a playwright and theater director and later moved to TV and feature films. His short films, The Shorts and Curlies (1987) and A Sense of History (1992), were nominated for BAFTA. His other films including Naked (1993), Secrets and Lies (1996), Topsy-Turvy (1999), All or Nothing (2002), Vera Drake (2004) and Happy-go-Lucky (2008) have received many awards including BAFTA, Oscar nominations and an award from Cannes.