Stiff Upper Lips is a broad parody of British period films, especially the lavish Merchant-Ivory productions of the 'eighties and early 'nineties. Although it specifically targets A Room with a View, Chariots of Fire, Maurice, A Passage to India, and many other films, in a more general way Stiff Upper Lips satirises popular perceptions of certain Edwardian traits: propriety, sexual repression, xenophobia, and class snobbery.
Acting
Peter Ustinov's magnificently unhinged Horace Wiggins
Writing
Ruthless precision in parodying period-film clichés
Director
Gary Sinyor
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Released at peak Merchant-Ivory dominance; the parody felt almost too timely, which may explain its commercial struggles.
The film's specific target—A Room with a View's 1985 success—means younger audiences often miss half the jokes entirely.
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