Review of The Boy Friend (1971) by James G — 16 Aug 2007
Ken Russell makes a good old-fashioned musical. That's right, showtunes and a boy-meets-girl love story, based on the corny but fun musical The Boy Friend. It still has Russell's trademark cine-literate layers, with a deliberate nod towards 42nd Street and homages to Busby Berkeley, the story on stage paralleling events backstage (a la Kiss Me Kate), and a Bachhanalian fantasy scene which is more akin to Russell's familiar 'decadent' style.
It's an excellent cast of many of his regular actors. Twiggy is the nominal star, but for me this film is all about Antonia Ellis, a backstabbing vamp who (appropriately) steals every scene in which she appears.
It's a real oddity, very quaint (something of an anachronism when it was made), but enjoyable and interesting to watch Russell's repetory show a lighter side (several actors can also be seen in The Devils which came out just prior to TBF).
It has to be noted that Twiggy is excellent in this, her first acting/singing role, the camera loves her, she has an unaffected naturalness appropriate for the role, and carries a tune sweetly. Shamefully unavailable on DVD like many of Russell's classic major studio movies.
This review of The Boy Friend (1971) was written by James G on 16 Aug 2007.
The Boy Friend has generally received positive reviews.
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