Goodbye Gemini

Infantile psychotic twins Jacki and Julian (Judy Geeson and Martin Potter) arrive in London, immediately arranging an accident for their grouchy landlady so that they can have the run of the place. The siblings then set about experiencing the swinging London party scene, where they meet louche rogue Clive (Alexis Kanner, sporting some impressive mutton-chops). After Clive is roughed up by a bookmaker to whom he owes £400, he tricks Julian into bed with a pair of transvestites, takes a few photos and proceeds to blackmail the young man. However, instead of getting cash for his troubles, Clive gets knifed in the neck instead.

As a child of the '70s, I have an affinity with films from that era, especially those set in the UK, but Goodbye Gemini was a tough one to endure. It's horrible, hippy nonsense that features hedonistic characters hard to sympathise with, atrocious dialogue, and incomprehensible behaviour from all involved. An incestuous relationship between the inseparable twins is hinted at, which adds an edginess to proceedings, the music is groovy, and there are a couple of outrageously camp homosexuals who are mildly amusing (one wears a bright pink shirt and uses the word 'ducky' a lot—you don't get much more '70s than that!), but there really is very little else worthy of mention.

This is a very decent movie directed by Alan Gibson, who would later become a second-rate Hammer director responsible for such dreck as "Dracula AD 1972" and "The Satanic Rites of Dracula". It features Judy Geeson, at the height of her loveliness, and Martin Potter, one of the pretty-boys from "Fellini's Satyricon", as a pair of seemingly innocent fraternal twins who come to London and are preyed upon by a crowd of jaded hedonists led by a guy named Clive (who sports flaming red mutton-chops and the strangest English accent I have ever heard).

Most of the movie resembles a more serious version of Pete Walker's "Cool It, Carol", and probably a more historically accurate one too as far as the Swinging London Era of the 1960's is concerned. The movie then veers into psycho territory, however. The twins have an unusually symbiotic relationship and display some psychopathic tendencies, like playing a nasty prank that causes their landlady to fall down the stairs. In the most memorable scene they dress up in bedsheets with only their eyes showing and challenge Clive to tell them apart. The childish game shockingly winds up with an ornamental sword going through one person's neck and everything unravels from there. Some may find the sheer pathos and the unresolved ambiguity of the end a little frustrating, but it makes for a memorable movie is nothing else.

I'd recommend this period because it is genuinely unique movie, but if you like films about Swinging London like "Blow Up" or "Cool It, Carol", or British psycho movies like "Peeping Tom" or "Twisted Nerve" this one should be especially enjoyable

Twins Jacki (Judy Geeson) and Julian (Martin Potter) arrive in swinging London and quickly fall in with the wrong crowd. Well, smarmy Clive (Alexis Kanner) to be more specific. Clive worms his way between the tight bond the twins have and, after he threatens to blackmail Julian, some killing goes down. This is a pretty minor horror-thriller as nothing really happens for the first 50 minutes. After that, it is a half hour of overwrought drama as Jacki runs from the law and gets help from an old guy. The film's biggest merit is probably the capturing the bars, folks and style of late 60s swinging London. Oh, and the hippest debt collector you will ever see. There is also some pretty snappy dialog and Kanner is really good as the would-be blackmailer.

Twins arrive in London on an overnight bus wearing matching fluorescent jackets and clutching a teddy-bear (always a sign of evil). They've not even unpacked their bags before they murder their new landlady and get invited to an inevitably swinging' party. Jacki (Judy Geeson) is the female half of the twins and looks lovely even in the aforementioned garment, which is more than can be said for Julian (Martin Potter). He's the possessive twin who swings both ways and whose love for his sister is less than wholesome. They attend a few parties, talk to their teddy and get mixed up with some menacing Earls Court transvestites, a liaison that leads to blackmail and murder.

There's nothing here that can really be called a narrative, it's more like someone thought a swinging London movie with a psycho tilt would be really groovy. However, the film is based upon Ask Agamemnon by Jenni Hall (no, I've never heard of it, either). Despite the wavering storyline it's a strangely compelling film with an admirable wildness. The cast are game, except Michael Redgrave who has the air of an actor unaccustomed to such material. The camera-work from Geoffrey Unsworth is as exceptional as ever, tut the psychotic tone is best summed up by The Peddlers funky theme song: ('when the world comes knocking') Tell The World We're Not In.

I'm beginning to develop a real aversion towards alleged cult-films that feature the words "...in swinging London..." in their synopsis. It seems like "swinging" is simply a poor excuse to bring forward insufferable lead characters, nonsensical and totally unrealistic storylines, and ridiculously random plot twists. "Goodbye Gemini" is one of the most disappointing movies I've ever seen, especially because it was coming from an adequate director (Alan Gibson of "The Satanic Rites of Dracula") and starring one of the most gorgeous actresses of British horror cinema (Judy Geeson of "10, Rillington Place" and "Fear in the Night").

Based on a book that I luckily haven't read - it's probably even ten times more boring than the film - the story revolves around twin siblings, Jacki and Julian, arriving in London. They are naïve, childish, and unnaturally obsessed with each other. Just because they are so 'otherworldly', annoying hippie Clive hopes to take advantage of them, but then the twins turn psychotic.

The first full hour of "Goodbye Gemini" is dull, irritating, and pointless. Then comes the one and only horror-highlight. And then the last half hour is terribly boring again, with a miserable climax.