O 'Boyfriend' (O Namoradinho)

"The Boy Friend" is an exciting adaptation of Sandy Wilson's stage-born play which Ken Russell has elevated into the status of a grand musical.Although Mr. Russell's excesses have worked/failed in other productions (I still adore "The Music Lovers", this one has a complete menu that satisfies this viewer. Top-notch cast (Twiggy, Tommy Tune and others and elevates the viewer into a three world dimmension: the actual show, the backstage goings on and Mr. Russe's projection into the Busby Berekely world of film going. Visuals are splendid. JuST A WONDERFUL FILM!!

Russell's homage to the twenties has aged better than most of his films because the tone is so right. The orchestration is period-perfect, and the costumes (by Russell's then-wife, Shirley) are astounding. Likewise the amazing sets echo the designs of Clarice Cliff, Lucy Atwell and a host of others. Twiggy is that rare star, a model who made a great transition to film, and she's supported by a Who's Who cast of English performers, especially bad girl Antonia Ellis, who went on to star in the British stage version of 'Chicago'. To cap it all, the film works on three distinct levels, the backstage musical, the onstage drama and the fantasy version. Some lines have even become catchphrases. Sandy Wilson, the original show's author, wrote a sequel called 'Divorce Me, Darling', which parodied the thirties. Some prints are shown without the 'Woodland Pastoral' dance sequence.

Twiggy (modeling phenomenon of '60's swinging London) showed a surprising capacity for acting, singing and dancing as an understudy thrown into subbing for an injured star in a run-down production of .... the Boy Friend. The realistic depiction of a touring production on the skids contrasts with the Hollywood-extravaganza version of the show as seen in the imagination of a Hollywood director sitting in the audience. Wonderful performances from Tommy Tune and Glenda Jackson (small hobble-on as the injured star). The film is sweet and not frequently seen.

This film has never looked or sounded better than on the newly-released blu ray. Twiggy makes an enchanting screen debut in a totally unique contribution to the musical. The slim story tells of a run down theater troupe putting on a production of THE BOY FRIEND. Assistant Stage Manager Polly Brown (Twiggy) has to go on in place of the injured star (A marvelous, unbilled Glenda Jackson). This means Polly will have to play love scenes with a leading man she has had a mad crush on. (Christopher Gable). The house is near empty, and the star won't be missed too much, but wait! A Mr. DeThrill has arrived to scout out the performance! This gives director Ken Russell the chance to show us some stunning dream numbers which pay homage to early Hollywood musicals like SHOW OF SHOWS, (1929), FLYING DOWN TO RIO, (1933), and in particular, the work of Busby Berkeley. This is a totally unique show, but one that is worth warming up to.

Interesting how the user reviews have shifted from the first entries which mostly HATE this film through to the current ones which mostly seem to LOVE it. That's some kind of cultural progress and sophistication at least.... Personally it's one of my favorite Russell films and I especially love the brilliant orchestrations by Peter Maxwell Davies. BOYFRIEND will reportedly be screened in Sept. by the American Cinematheque in Los Angeles. Russell has been in LA over the past month and I recently saw him at a screening of WOMEN IN LOVE and THE MUSIC LOVERS at the Aero in Santa Monica. Richard Chamberlain was also at the MUSIC LOVERS screening. So can't wait to see THE BOYFRIEND on the big WIDE screen again at last. I seem to remember that at the original first-run screening in NYC the fantasy sequences were all in stereo. Hope they manage to get that print at the Cinematheque.