Near the end of one summer, the leader of the group, Tinker, a strolling photographer, aims to conquer a fashion model from a well-to-do family, but he finds himself unexpectedly falling in love.

In a very class-conscious film his accent places him firmly in the "U" category, while the script puts him several pegs lower: this plays havoc with the action, and we can never really believe in, let alone feel sympathy for, this rather unattractive Don Juan of the beaches.

The direction sacrifices credibility for ostentatious images – witness the shot in which Tinker appears on the cliff, a masculine virility symbol, the sun streaming between his legs, or the Fellini-like bonfire party on the beach.

This quaint period romp provides a mirror of those not-so-innocent times, elegantly photographed in black-and-white by cinematographer Nicolas Roeg and oozing early 1960s charm from Peter Draper's clever screenplay.

The young, talented cast is headed by Oliver Reed, Jane Merrow, Barbara Ferris and Julia Foster, and watch closely for director Michael Winner in shot on the platform as the train arrives at Torquay.