The Boy Friend (1971)

Director:

Ken Russell

Writers:

Ken Russell (screenplay)
Sandy Wilson (musical)

Release Date:

31 March 1972 (Finland)

Genre:

Comedy | Musical | Romance

Tagline:

EMI-MGM Presents The Return Of Entertainment

Plot:

The assistant stage manager of a small-time theatrical company (Polly Browne) is forced to understudy...

Plot Keywords:

1920s | Fantasy Sequence | Based On Stage Musical | Backstage | Spoof

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 3 wins & 3 nominations

Cast

Twiggy	...	Polly Browne
Christopher Gable	...	Tony Brockhurst
Max Adrian	...	Max Mandeville aka Mr. Max / Lord Hubert Brockhurst
Bryan Pringle	...	Percy Parkhill / Percy Browne
Murray Melvin	...	Alphonse
Moyra Fraser	...	Moyra Parkhill / Madame Dubonnet
Georgina Hale	...	Fay
Sally Bryant	...	Nancy
Vladek Sheybal	...	De Thrill
Tommy Tune	...	Tommy
Brian Murphy	...	Peter
Graham Armitage	...	Michael
Antonia Ellis	...	Maisie
Caryl Little	...	Dulcie
Anne Jameson	...	Mrs. Peter (as Ann Jameson)

Also Known As:

The Boyfriend (USA) (alternative spelling)

Runtime:

137 min | UK:125 min (short UK version) | UK:140 min (director's cut) | USA:109 min (US version) | USA:138 min (TCM print)

Country:

UK | USA

Language:

English | French

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

UK:U | Australia:G | Finland:S | Sweden:Btl | USA:G

Filming Locations:

Elstree Studios, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, England, UK

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

The theatre used in this film was The New Theatre Royal in Portsmouth. This is not the same theatre in which Ken Russell filmed the Pinball Wizard sequence in Tommy (1975), which was filmed at the Kings Theatre in Southsea. Both theatres are still very much active.

Quotes:

Polly Browne: [singing] We want to have, we plot to have, for it's so dreary not to have that certain thing called "The Boyfriend".

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Mrs Palfrey at The Claremont (2005)

Soundtrack:

Fancy Forgetting

Absolutely Brilliant

I'm delighted to read of people discovering and praising this film right through to the present, and I'm both amused and appalled by those who find this film somehow terrible. Since I first saw it in 1971, I've always considered it an absolutely brilliant tour de force; how many musicals in the last 40 years have matched its unique energy and visual inventiveness? Sure, it kind of ransacks the original Sandy Wilson musical, but I think a conventional, strictly faithful film version would not have worked as well. This one has a streak of genius throughout, thanks to director Ken Russell, cast and crew. Twiggy is the charming heart of the film; kind of like an Alice in Wonderland amid all the colorful backstage madness. She emotionally anchors the film with her vulnerability. Practically every scene has a memorable flourish, and it's consistently witty. So few musicals capture this kind of spirit. It's a shame it isn't on DVD, but maybe there's hope for Blu-Ray? Ignore the naysayers. Try and catch it on TCM.