Review of The Loved One (1965) by Robert C — 12 May 2011

I'm really sorry that BAM's Hal Ashby retrospective is structured one film per day, because this is one I'd like to revisit after having digested it for 48 hours or so.

Honestly, I had no idea what I was in for. It seemed at first glance a British comedy of manners, yet by the end turned out to be one of the most twisted films I've seen this side of early John Waters (indeed, Edith Massey's character in Pink Flamingos HAD to have been influenced by Rod Steiger's character's mother). Ashby's contributions were limited to the editing room, yet I can see why this film was chosen for this retrospective; it veritably reeks of Ashby, both in terms of his virtuosic cutting and the influence it clearly had on his sensibilities as a director. The treatment of the female lead was more than a little discomforting, but I believe that was by design; I squirmed right on cue.

Some great cameos (Liberace had me dying), the pace built slowly but brilliantly (again, I had no idea the sheer level of mayhem was in store based on the earliest moments of the film, yet the shifts in tone were virtually invisible), and perhaps the best instance I've seen of casting a prestigious Shakespearean actor as little more than a McGuffin. This is definitely one I want to revisit soon.