The Boy Friend

Director: Ken Russell Ken Russell

Overview

In this parody of the Busby Berkeley film musicals of the 1930s, based on a play by Sandy Wilson, fashion model Twiggy plays an aspiring musical comedy star, working as stage manager. She is transformed into a star when the leading lady twists her ankle seconds before show time.

Product Details

Release Date:	05/27/2011
UPC:	0883316331095
Original Release:	1971
Rating:	G
Source:	Warner Archives
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Stereo]
Language:	English
Time:	2:16:00

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Twiggy	Polly Browne
Christopher Gable	Tony Brockhurst
Antonia Ellis	Maisie
Moyra Fraser	Madame Dubonnet
Max Adrian	Max Mandeville/Lord Hubert Brockhurst
Bryan Pringle	Percy Parkhill/Percy Browne
Catherine Wilmer	Lady Brockhurst
Murray Melvin	Alphonse
Georgina Hale	Fay
Sally Bryant	Nancy
Vladek Sheybal	De Thrill
Tommy Tune	Tommy
Glenda Jackson	Rita
Caryl Little	Dulcie
Graham Armitage	Michael
Brian Murphy	Peter
Ann Jameson	Mrs. Peter
Robert LaBassiere	Chauffeur
Barbara Windsor	Hortense
Peter Greenwell	Pianist,Composer
Catherine Willmer	Catherine
Peter Davies	Conductor

Technical Credits

Ken Russell

Ken Russell	Director,Producer,Screenwriter
Harry Benn	Producer
Brian Simmons	Sound/Sound Designer
Maurice Askew	Sound/Sound Designer

Editorial Reviews

The Boy Friend is perhaps the most audience-friendly of Ken Russell's 1970s films; it is certainly the least intimidating and the most intentionally silly. It's also one of the more interesting adaptations of a stage musical, using the framework of a seedy troupe presenting The Boy Friend and a famous Hollywood impresario imagining the work's film potential to supplement the original's coy spoofing. For a while, this works well, but by the midpoint, repetition sets in, especially in terms of the actors trying to upstage each other and of the ingenue's on-stage role replicating her off-stage situation. That said, Russell and his choreographic team's work in the "film visualization" numbers is truly impressive, creating fascinating visuals -- Busby Berkeley-esque kaleidoscopes of human figures, bizarre elfin imagery, a dazzling playing-card symmetricon, an oversized record player -- that linger long after the last frame. The editing is also sharp, and the overall physical design is wonderfully evocative. The cast includes the usual range of Russell grotesqueries, although toned down and played more effectively for comedy. He also has in Twiggy a leading lady of genuine softness and appeal; her talent -- especially her singing -- may be limited, but she projects a believable and winning innocence. Christopher Gable and Tommy Tune are on hand to provide some real dancing, and Antonia Ellis is a bitchy delight. Best of all is Glenda Jackson in what amounts to a cameo, making an indelible impression with her four or five minutes of screen time. The Boy Friend eventually runs out of steam, but its dizzying visual highlights make up for that.