Como Conquistar as Mulheres

Having seen most of Michael Caine's work before, it was a pleasant surprise to see one of his first films. You can tell that it is one of his early roles and was not made with a large budget, but, as a good film should portray, it is quite clearly the quality of the script and the acting that outshines the sets and other superfluous aspects.

Caine's character is inherently unlikeable, but, he exudes such a strong charisma that one warms to him gradually. The films choice of supporting actress is also well done as they are controlled by Caine's character, but not upstaged.

The ending, for me is the key point in liking Caine's character, as without spoiling the film, the final scene, set against the Thames at night, is an outstanding piece of writing and direction.

Alfie is an excellent introduction to Michael Caine's work and, for all its flaws, it remains an outstanding film.

This movie has long been one of my favorites. It is one of the few quintessentially "60's" movies, using filming methods that were quite unusual at the time (the direct dialogue between the main character and the audience, for example). While its style is clearly confined to that era, and England in particular, its subject matter is profoundly universal.

The subjects of love and devotion, or more accurately their opposites, philandering and infidelity, are treated with a unique sensitivity in the script. Michael Caine is at once both lovable and detestable, perfectly characterizing the age-old dynamic between the need for love and the need for physical pleasure. But this is not a feel-good movie, it is a movie that explores the difficult decisions that confront a person as they mature in both life and love, and it conveys the basic feelings that are present in all human beings, regardless of outward appearances.

I would recommend this as a thought-provoking exploration of human nature.

This is a seriously good comedy. Michael Caine is delightfully saucy as the title character. He ought to seem a cad, and at times he is, but he takes his lumps too, and takes them in stride. The supporting cast is very effective, with especially excellent performances by Jane Asher, Shelley Winters and Millicent Martin. The camera work is also notable, and London serves as an effective backdrop. Definitely worth a look, and a reminder Michael Caine was as good then as he is now.

I have just managed to pick this film up on DVD for a bargain price for what is a classic in any era. The way the film is shot, Caine's acting and the music score just draw you in to Alfie's tale. The film does not hide from the grim consequences of Alfie's selfish life but at the end of it you feel sorry for him as his life is really empty as a result. A Film with a message & Caine is mesmerising in the lead role. Great soundtrack from Jazzman Sonny Rollins & the end theme by Burt Bacharach (and sung by Cher) is a classic ballad that leaves you in deep though after what you have seen ...

Michael Caine plays Alfie, a hipster swinger in 1960s London whose attitudes and actions we abhor even as we warm to the twinkle in his eye.

Caine plays the role just right. The movie would go nowhere if he wasn't able to make us understand what about Alfie attracts women despite his treatment of them. The film has noble ambitions, and explores some pretty dark (and for the time, edgy) terrain, when Alfie's antics catch up with him and he leaves one of his conquests (played quietly by Vivien Merchant) in the hands of a sleazy abortionist. The look on Caine's face when he returns to his apartment and sees the aborted fetus, visual confirmation of his callous disregard, was enough on its own to earn him the Oscar nomination he received for this film.

Much of the marketing for "Alfie" positions it as a gay romp through the swinging 60s, but it's actually quite a bitter little pill to swallow, and it leaves a bad taste in the mouth.

With Shelley Winters as a blowsy American who's as good at playing Alfie as he is her.

Grade: B+