were members of the Royal Shakespeare Company (Waller, Howard, Church et al.) or stalwarts of British realist drama (Gladwin). Filming The film was shot on location at Belvedere Power Station (now demolished) which was located on the south side of the Thames near Erith, England. Interiors were completed at Shepperton Studios near London. Reception At the time Variety compared the film thematically with Charlie Chaplin's Modern Times but was critical of its "irritating air of improvisation" and described the storyline as "thin", albeit praising some of the off-beat situations as "very funny". Leslie Halliwell, in his Film Guide, was even more scathing, describing it pithily as a "weakly futuristic industrial fantasy which the author would probably claim to be about lack of communication. Bored audiences might have a similar view". Cultural references English indie rock band the Smiths covered the film's title song for the B-side of their 1987 single "Girlfriend in a Coma". Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr has stated in interviews that one of the main impetuses for his leaving the band was singer Morrissey's insistence on covering the song. In a 1992 issue of Record Collector, Marr stated, "'Work Is a Four Letter Word' I hated. That was the last straw, really. I didn't form a group to perform Cilla Black songs. That was it, really. I made a decision that I was going to get away on holiday. The only place I could think of was L.A. L.A. was the only place I knew where there'd be sunshine, so off I went. I never saw Morrissey again." Home media The film has never been released on home media. The film has rarely been seen on TV. References External links "Work is a Four Letter Word" at Allmovies.com 1968 films 1968 comedy films British comedy films Films shot at Pinewood Studios 1960s English-language films 1960s British films