Die Abenteuer des Joseph Andrews

By the late seventies Tony Richardson was a greatly diminished figure when he and Woodfall again joined forces to attempt to rekindle the magic of his Oscar-winning triumph of the early sixties by returning once more to Henry Fielding.

Peter Bull and Hugh Griffith repeat their roles but overall it completely lacks the vigour and pace that made the original film seem so refreshing; while John Addison's score isn't a patch on his earlier work.

Ann-Margret cuts an impressive figure as Lady Booby but compared to Albert Finney baby-faced Peter Firth in the title role is just a hole in the screen.

This sumptuous 18th Century romp is both bawdy and beautiful (sometimes simultaneously). From powdered wigs and fluttered fans to farmyard frolics there is fast paced farce. But it is Ann Margaret who commands attention - the white-faced period make-up accentuates her expression whether of predatory interest in a fresh faced youth or flashes of anger and frustration when her designs and desires are thwarted. I'm not sure any of her actress contemporaries could summon up that amount of power in a single look.

Richardson once again brings humour to history (the traffic jam of horse-drawn carriages is neat and funny). Even the demise of Ann-Margaret's elderly gouty husband ("taking the waters" at Bath in England) combines beauty with dark humour.

One curious inexplicable failing are the opening titles - firstly in the dreadfully monotonous and repetitive song sung in thoroughly undistinguished fashion by Jim Dale and the flat, lifeless and pointless visuals appearing behind the titles. Those who have seen the dazzling title sequence to his "Charge of the Light Brigade" will be especially struck by difference. In this latter case the titles had been farmed out to an animator who regarded it as his best - and hardest - work. What a shame Richardson did not do the same here.

Overall a classic even if flawed.

"Joseph Andrews" would be just another comical period piece if it were not for the fantastic performace of Ann-Margret who's comical timing is never off once. Her accent is flawless and she looks terrific as always! A-M makes "Joseph Andrews" the classic it should be.

Rather difficult what Tony Richardson was trying to achieve other than replicating the success of Tom Jones. The problem is that this an incoherent mess and trying to keep track of what is going on becomes impossible.

Funny, I never could get into Tom Jones. That it won Best Picture is a wonder to me. I just found it messy, badly filmed and edited and mostly incomprehensible. Joseph Andrews, however, is a different matter; I laughed heartily and found the whole thing to be what Tom Jones failed to be: a genuinely entertaining bawdy riot. How this film is so lowly rated mystifies me. Everything seems right, especially Ann Margaret who acts her skirt off (literally), and Peter Firth at least looks young and desirable, unlike Albert Finny who always looked too old to be romping around in the woods making a goose of himself. Such a shame this film isn't better known and more often shown.