Georgy Girl

Georgina Parkin is a little bit naive, and she wears innocent heart, front and back, and on her sleeve, she's intelligent and bright, quite self-conscious of her plight, not particularly forthright, don't deserve what she receives; has a father plus a father figure who, at 49 (looks a lot older if you ask me) wants 22, to attend to, all the things his wife's unable, to spread out upon the table, let him consume and deplume the ingénue. Now Georgy shares a flat with Meredith, she has a fella name of Jos she spends time with, although it's reasonable to say, she likes to vary where she plays, a promiscuous, and wild type of miss. But it's quite tricky when you fancy your mates lover, that is, until he plays his cards and you discover, that there could just be a maybe, even though girlfriend's with a baby, in a complicated tale, someone will suffer.

An of its time story that doesn't age quite as well as some 60s dramas, although the performances are great and from some rather talented actors who went on to much greater things.

Marvelous film, an extension of the British kitchen-sink dramas from earlier in the decade (but with a friskier spirit), "Georgy Girl" introduced audiences to Vanessa Redgrave's kid sister, Lynn (in an Oscar-nominated performance). She's plain and frumpy Georgina, a too-tall, kissless clown and nursery school teacher who plays second-fiddle to her more beautiful flat-mate--and who also harbors a crush on her pal's sexy boyfriend in the bargain. While dodging the advances of her father's wealthy employer, Georgina acts as nursemaid to her pregnant roommate, never dreaming of the circumstances to follow. From Margaret Forster's novel, which she co-adapted with Peter Nichols, the film is visually alive, stylish and skittering about with "free and easy" abandon, yet with moral choices and a sobering heart at its center. Redgrave is nothing short of fabulous; her "Georgy" is often slumped over sulking, an easy mark with little sense of humor (she's either completely inflexible or terribly over-eager). The clever, enticing writing is spread about for everyone to share in--so much so that the supporting characters nearly upstage our heroine (whose moods tend to be exasperating near the end): Charlotte Rampling is excellent as pregnant Meredith (who gets the film's most viciously funny lines); Alan Bates is terrific as her devilish lover; while Oscar-nominated James Mason is too comfortably cast as the older man with an eye for Georgy (he isn't able to offer anything fresh here). Delightful comedy-drama from director Silvio Narizzano, one of the few from this era not to use 'mod' touches to set the time and place. *** from ****

I watched this movie mostly for Lynn Redgrave, expecting nothing more than an old, light-hearted British comedy. It was better than I expected; "Georgy Girl" is a lovely, bittersweet dramedy clearly inspired by American screwball comedies of the 30's and the French New Wave that was burning in the 60's (to see how much the Nouvelle Vague aesthetics influenced British cinema, check the also remarkable "Two for the Road", with Albert Finney and Audrey Hepburn).

Redgrave, fantastic as usual, plays Georgy, a scatter-brained working-class virgin with a golden heart. She shares a flat with a selfish, cold bitch (Charlotte Rampling), who gets pregnant of Jos (Alan Bates), and the three of them eventually move together; but things get complicated as Georgy is courted by Jos and James (James Mason), a much older man, at the same time.

Bates (is it just me, or does he look like Jean-Paul Belmondo - one of the greatest Nouvelle Vague icons because of Godard's "Breathless" - in this?), Rampling and Mason are all great in their respective parts, but this is Redgrave's show all the way. Her anti-heroine is sweet and memorable, somewhat similar to Toni Collette's Muriel Heslop (from "Muriel's Wedding"), some sort of a British, less patient and clumsier Amélie Poulain (Audrey Tautou). Georgy singing "Whole Lotta Woman" is a classic scene. Lynn's performance alone would make this movie worth seeing, but she's not the only good thing about it, just the core. 10/10.

Overall, I recommend this flick. I particularly liked the character of Georgy ...the way she tries to cover up any vulnerability with wit/ spunk..she MAKES the movie. But I can't help be bummed at the ending. Rationally, I approve of the ending, but find it disappointing at the same time..... It was more sensible,plausible and had more integrity than if they'd kept Georgy & Jos together...but...but... James Mason creeped me out through the whole movie (I mean, he watched her grow up..the old lecher!) and Alan Bates was soo ADORABLE (yes, he was selfish & immature too, I KNOW. He had potential for change??Maybe??) I supposed I'm just biased, Alan Bates (Alan Bates of the late '60s & '70s that is)being up there on my list of unconventional crushes.

Reviews seem to miss the real theme of this film, which is about the voyage of self-discovery of a person who feels out of sync with her world and tries to define, or redefine, her own true self. This theme has a strange attraction for me -- I identify with Georgy's search, I think, because of my own feelings of misalignment with the world or alienation. Unfortunately, as a male, it seems that the principal characters in films addressing this theme with sensitivity are invariably women. Perhaps in our society men are expected not to have such uncertainties about themselves or to suppress them, so no films are made. Two other films I enjoyed because of their similar themes are "Muriel's Wedding" and "Thelma and Louise". If you like, you can tell me I'm reading far more into this film than was ever intended, reminiscent of Mark Twain's famous warning. But you won't convince me! Alan