The Wild Affair

Nancy Kwan is to be married in a few days, whereupon she will become a housewife. She's a good girl in the early phases of the Swinging Sixties, and she wonders what she is missing.

It's a pleasant and, in the end, rather normative effort, mostly distinguished for its efforts to make a real star of Miss Kwan (who is still alive and working), with lots of cinematic leering efforts of the men to get in a one-night stand with the lovely actress while the getting is good. In the end it is pleasant, if not particularly distinguished.

Some of the casting is rather interesting, with Bessie Love playing Miss Kwan's mother, Bud Flanagan as the building's door man, and Terry-Thomas as her boss -- sans mustache and gap-toothed grin.

Welcome to The Wild Affair, also known as Nancy Kwan cuts her hair and still looks adorable. In this very 1960s movie, Nancy stars as a regular Jane who works in an office and faces immediate retirement upon her marriage. But, as many regular Janes in 1965 felt, she's not sure she wants to close up her social life and stay barefoot in the kitchen. This movie feels a bit like a time capsule, with the fashions, hairstyles, and type of party - but also with the attitudes that were new in the sixties and have paved the way to modern feminists' views decades later.

Nancy is just adorable in this movie. If you loved her as much as I did in The World of Suzie Wong and were disappointed that the rest of her career petered out, rent thus one to get one last great glimpse of her sweetness. In this movie, she hasn't yet been typecast as a bodacious babe who never has to act. She has worries, conflicted emotions, and an actual character to flesh out.

If you liked the feel of The Party, where the entire movie takes place in one evening, you'll like this one. When Nancy says goodbye at the office, you can tell she doesn't mean it. She stays for the party and juggles unwanted attentions from her boss, carefree attitudes from her coworkers, and the steadfast love of her fiancé. What will she decide? Will she stay a career woman, or will she settle down and get married - or is there a middle ground? Watch this time capsule to find out.

A strange combination of sixties sophistication and slapstick comedy exemplified on one hand by Nancy Kwan's conversations with her reflection, her Vidal Sassoon haircut (described by Victor Spinetti as "the vampire look") and Mary Quant outfits, the stylish black & white photography and the frequent sex talk and on the other by her leering male admirers and the Christmas party in which the sprinklers go off.

Betty Marsden, Gladys Morgan and Victor Spinetti give particularly attractive performances in supporting roles, while the film's three biggest mysteries are how Bessie Love & Paul Curran managed to produce a daughter that looked like Miss Kwan, why Terry-Thomas (who receives guest star billing) hasn't got his moustache and why Bud Flanagan is playing the small part of a doorman.

I am ashamed to admit that the work of the lovely Nancy Kwan had previously passed me by, but after seeing this delightful film I will check out her other films

This had all the necessary ingredients of a good easy watching distraction. Nancy was delightful in the main part, naturally charming, easy on the eye and with great expression and timing She was ably supported by a number of British stalwarts; including a slightly subdued Terry Thomas, Jimmy Logan and even a cameo from Frank Thornton But it's Betty Marsden who steals the show with a beautiful and touching performance.

Great scenes of a swinging sixties London and I just about old enough to remember this kind of Christmas party! ( which we're always a mixture of fun and sadness, as perfectly illustrated in this film )

Thoroughly recommended viewing.

With only days before her marriage "Marjorie Lee" (Nancy Kwan) is an attractive 20-year-old woman who works as a lowly secretary at a marketing company in London. With only a few days before getting married she goes to the office one last time before settling down as a housewife. As it so happens this final day for her at work also includes the annual Christmas Party that afternoon as well. Realizing that this is their last opportunity-and in some cases aided by alcohol-several men decide to take a chance at possibly having a one-night stand with her while there is still time. On that note it should be mentioned that Marjorie has an alter-ego named "Sandra" who isn't nearly as inhibited and as a result their chances may have more success than they realize. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that I was somewhat disappointed with this movie overall. For starters, although Nancy Kwan put on a splendid performance, it seemed like her Asian qualities were being deliberately muted which, in my opinion, negates a valuable quality about her. Further, as a supposed comedy there really wasn't much humor here either. Likewise, the plot consisted of one hurried scene after another which gave the entire movie a rather odd and uncoordinated effect as well. In short, while this certainly wasn't a terrible movie by any means, it wasn't a particularly good film either and I have rated it accordingly. Slightly below average.