Saturday, October 24, 2020

Movie review - "Alfie Darling" (1975) * (warning: spoilers)

 I can see the appeal of this project for Nat Cohen who ran EMI Films - a low budget sex comedy with high title recognition. There's no Michael Caine; instead we have Alan Price, who I had to google: he was in The Animals and tried an acting career.

If you're an Alan Price fan you might like this. I found him awkward and not very good. I liked that he wasn't a pretty boy but he got on my nerves.

He occasionally talks to the camera, was sleazy rather than charming, but the material doesn't help him. He's a real sex pest. He stalks Jill Townsend and harrasses her. Of course she falls for him even though she's high class and they have nothing in common. When she turns down his marriage proposal he threatens to kill her. I think this is meant to be romantic. She dies in a plane crash that kills 200 people. I think we're meant to care.

This film offended me. The opening scene had Alfie in the back of a truck with a topless woman. I'm sure they pitched it to Cohen as a modern day Confessions film. They should have done that. But there's actually not that much sex and nudity.

Joan Collins sparks things up as Alfie's older lover. She goes topless.

The odd interesting bit like Alfie's mate marrying a black woman and the wedding having a raggae band.A black Alfie would have made this worth making. Not price.

You'll vaguely recognise the cast.

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