Review of I'll Never Forget What's'isname (1967) by Stuart K — 07 Apr 2009

Everyone always associates Michael Winner with making bad films. However, here is one exception to the rule. A dark satire on the alienation of modern life and the manipulation of advertising, it also has a very good cast as well, all giving good performances.

It has advertising executive Andrew Quint (Oliver Reed) resigning from his job for advertising mogul Jonathan Lute (Orson Welles), Quint is bored with being a success, he wants to go in the opposite direction, back to the simple life, he also leaves his wife and child, and he leaves his three mistresses as well.

So, he returns to a small magazine he used to work for before he became a success. He falls for the magazine's writer Georgina Elben (Carol White) and they begin a small romance, but nothing is simple, and Quint finds that he cannot escape his successful life so easily, especially when Jonathan Lute buys out the magazine.

It is a little seen film, and it may be one of the few good films Winner has made, and it is an indictment of the manipulation of big business and how simpler lives than those with successful, busy lives can be even more difficult.

It does have a very dark edge, although there is a black sense of humour in it's veins. Oh, and it allegedly the first film to have the 'f' word in it, uttered by Marianne Faithfull.