West End Jungle

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West End Jungle is a 1961 British drama-documentary directed by Arnold Louis Miller. It stars Andria Lawrence and Vicki Woolf, with narration by David Gell, and looks at prostitution and the effects of the Street Offences Act 1959 in London’s Soho. The film shows that even after streets were supposedly cleaned up, prostitution continued in the West End and asks what happened to the so-called oldest profession in Britain.

The film was banned by Labour peer Lord Morrison, then president of the British Board of Film Censors, who said it would bring London into disrepute. Its style is sensational, echoing lurid pulp fiction, and it contains warnings about the dangers of involvement in sex work.

Much of the filming takes place at night, giving Soho a smoky, neon-lit feel. The cast includes friends and family of the crew, including the director’s uncle Nat Mills. The production was by Searchlight and distributed by Miracle Films, with music by De Wolfe.

Reception at the time noted that the film is factual and well-organised, though it employs actors to heighten its outrage. It presents a clear point: demand exists, so supply will continue. The tone is moral, critical of the men who fund these places and sympathetic to the women drawn into a degrading life. One notable scene shows a lonely man visiting a “photographic model” in a depressing setting.