THE BOYFRIEND

Palace Cinemas across the country are presenting a British Film Festival in November. As well as showing new films, these Festivals often do retrospectives and in the case, Ken Russell’s The Boyfriend, originally released in 1971 is on show. Susan, a musical lover, was eager to see it and I, a Ken Russell fan from the days of The Music Lover and Women in Love, joined her along with a friend, Fiona, visiting from Melbourne. I thought I’d seen it but I’d clearly only seen a live stage version. This film, over two hours long, is…..and I’m hard pressed to find the right word but here goes: demented. Fiona and Susan loved but I just sat there shaking my head at the ridiculous over-the-top Busby Berkeley-ness of it all. At what seemed like 10 minutes intervals, Russell would move into a dream sequence including people moving in wheelchairs filmed from above making patterns, elves and toadstools, people in Roman togas running over bridges. Bonkers. Twiggy, the female star, was just wide eyed and passive most of the time, sighing after her lost love. Valadek Sheybal who was in Women in Love plays a one dimensional Hollywood producer and even the wonderful Glenda Jackson makes an odd uncredited experience.

 

Roger Ebert, the film critic for the Chicago Sun-Times when the show was first released hated it: https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-boy-friend-1972 although the LA Times was a little kinder when a new uncut version (the one we saw ) was released in 1987: https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1987-06-19-ca-4877-story.html

 In some ways, I’m glad I saw it but it’s never going to be on my must watch again list.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

VALE INDIGO

Image
Today, we sent our companion of nearly 17 years, Indigo, across the rainbox bridge. That's a phrase a friend uses when you have to say goodbye to a pet. With the help of a gentle vet, we put Indigo to sleep.  She's been an indoor cat all her life and apart from a couple of weeks, most of it has been spent within the confines of the Pink House. We knew that it was going to be a risk disrupting the life of a cat who in human terms was in her 80s. She's had more homes in the last couple of months than in her entire life. First there was Glenlyon Rd, then a 4 hour flight to Perth, a short stay in South Fremantle, a longer stay in Loch St and 10 days in the Furbaby Retreat while Susan and I were at the Port Fairy Folk Festival. We were open to the fact that she might not survive the transition and even said so to the vet when we went for her "Fit to Fly" certificate. But it's one thing to say it and another to face up to it. The lovely owner of the Furbaby Retreat ...
Read more

FARWELL TO THE PINK HOUSE

Image
Susan and I decided to say 'goodbye' to 14 Ward Grove, Pascoe Vale South by sharing the moment with friends. Although the house was full of packed boxes, we invited people over to say farewell...and take a momento. We both made bold decisions about art and craft that had been part of our lives for years. For example, I'd had a Gustav Klimt print hanging on various bedroom walls since the 1970s. A tea pot I'd bought from a ceramist in Canberra last century. A Boda vase that I'd been given. There were smaller pieces from ceramic pots to glassware, vases, both antique and modern, knick knacks from all over the world, and even hats. And in contemplating a new home, we needed to leave some space for new acquisitions. This was a clean out where we knew each piece was going to bring pleasure to someone else and so it was much easier to let it go. Debora, Glenda, Jesse, Murray & Loretta Kath, Susan & Julie Gemma, Pam, Dale & David
Read more

CHECKING THE IDEA

Image
In July 2024, on my return from a (wonderful) couple of months in Europe, I called into Perth to check the validity of my spreadsheets. Was it possible to buy a home with all the requirements that Susan and I needed for a home: - a pool - 3 to 4 bedrooms (so Sebastian & our Eastern States friends could come to visit)  - 2 living areas (because we have such different tastes in television) - single story (Susan in particular is over stairs) - close to a good beach...and to Perth friends. I enlisted my real estate researcher friend Stephanie and we drove all over the city looking at suburbs - north as far as Gwelup and south as far as Hamilton Hill. What had looked good on paper was starting to look dodgy because the Perth real estate market took off in 2024. By the end of the year prices had increased by 25% while the Melbourne market had sunk by 5%. What we could afford was looking further and further away from ideal locations. However, traipsing around the town with Stephanie w...
Read more