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 ****

Alan Bates' eccentric performance outshines in this interesting and whimsical film. It is certainly an odd mix of drama and comedy as Bates never seems to act seriously around what essentially is a perverse story with cutting moments, particularly Charlotte Rampling's performance in the hospital after her baby is born. Redgrave is perfect as the dowdy and shy Georgie - like her description in the book, she appears plain but strangely attractive. Mason again appears as the downtrodden anti-hero, never quite getting what he wants at the end of the film - in this respect he always seems typecast. There's always something I like about these B/W 1960's films with their gritty London location filming and this one is no exception.

It was wonderfully interesting reading the reviews; even the ones I disagree with. All the performances are wonderful and as for the Seekers title song it will always give me goose bumps. I think its this movie that really introduced Alan Bates, at any rate I certainly sat up and noticed. I love his performance in this film. He is a rogue that you cannot help but fall in love with. I love the way the film opens especially the pulse of a London that has sadly long gone. Lyn Redgraves big production number is a real hoot and I agree with the comments about James Mason. What a gifted actor he was. Bates is however the real reason why I love the movie. I confess I had an enormous crush on Bates in this role and that scene when you see his bum as he gets out of the bath well, enough said. Lyn Redgrave, James Mason and the remarkable Rampling are all marvelous.

Georgy Girl is an amazing film that's was in the front of a new wave of more realistic, unblinking films by the Brits. The film doesn't flinch when depicting or talking about accidental pregnancy, abortion, mothers not interested in their babies. They're just a part of life, nothing to moralize about or to spotlight as big drama. Imagine any film from the U.S. in the mid 1960s taking on these issues at all, much less in the matter-of-fact way that Georgy Girl does. Georgy Girl and Darling strike me as two mid-60's British films that herald a new age--greater reality; women's freedom to choose partners and to define their romantic and sexual connections in their own way. Another very modern aspect of the film is the absence of any person taking the moral high ground; every character is on their own, and depicted irreverently, with warts, but also warmly.