The Knack ...and How to Get It
| The Knack …and How to Get It | |
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 Theatrical poster |
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| Directed by | Richard Lester |
| Produced by | Oscar Lewenstein |
| Written by | Charles Wood |
| Starring | Michael Crawford Rita Tushingham |
| Music by | John Barry |
| Cinematography | David Watkin |
| Editing by | Antony Gibbs |
| Distributed by | United Artists Corporation |
| Release date(s) | 3 June 1965 |
| Running time | 85 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
The Knack …and How to Get It is a 1965 British comedy film directed by Richard Lester based on the play by Ann Jellicoe. It won the Palme d'Or at the 1965 Cannes Film Festival[1] and was nominated for the Golden Bear at the 15th Berlin International Film Festival.[2]
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[edit] Plot
The film depicts the sexual competition between three roommates — the aggressive, womanizing drummer Tolen (Ray Brooks), the shy, paranoid schoolteacher Colin (Michael Crawford), and the neutral artist Tom (Donal Donnelly) — when a young woman from out of town, Nancy (Rita Tushingham), enters their London world.
[edit] Cast
- Rita Tushingham - Nancy Jones
- Ray Brooks - Tolen
- Michael Crawford - Colin
- Donal Donnelly - Tom
- John Bluthal - Angry Father
- Wensley Pithey - Teacher
- Timothy Bateson - Junkyard Owner
- Peter Copley - Picture Owner
- William Dexter - Dress Shop Owner
- Bruce Lacey - Surveyor's Asst.
- Dandy Nichols - Tom's Landlady
- Kenneth Farrington - Guardsman
[edit] History and reputation
Making the film immediately after working with The Beatles on A Hard Day’s Night and just before Help!, Lester made major changes to the play, adding his own touch through direct address, unexpected oddly-edited sequences, humorous subtitles, and a Greek chorus of disapproving members of "the older generation". Talking about the film in the 1980s, actor Ray Brooks said:
| “ | He’s a very visual man...They reckon that you could take any frame from Help, The Knack, and A Hard Day’s Night and you could put it on the cover of Time/Life. Everything was so beautifully shot."[3] | ” |
Lester himself makes a brief cameo as an annoyed bystander. John Barry contributed the jazzy score which features a memorable organ solo by Alan Haven. Charlotte Rampling, Jacqueline Bisset, and Jane Birkin all made their first cinematic appearances in the film as extras.
According to the Time Out Film Guide the movie is a "patchily funny but generally dated and embarrassing Swinging Sixties tale... A misogynistic basis for comedy, not redeemed by the moralistic and predictable ending."[4]
[edit] References
- ^ "Festival de Cannes: The Knack …and How to Get It". festival-cannes.com. http://www.festival-cannes.com/en/archives/ficheFilm/id/2888/year/1965.html. Retrieved 2009-03-04.
- ^ "IMDB.com: Awards for The Knack ...and How to Get It". imdb.com. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0059362/awards. Retrieved 2010-02-21.
- ^ Ray Brooks interview by Chris Hunt
- ^ John Pym (ed.) Time Out Film Guide 2009, London: Penguin, 2008, p.576
[edit] External links
- The Knack ...and How to Get It at the Internet Movie Database
- The Knack...and How to Get It at AllRovi
- The Knack ...and How to Get It at Rotten Tomatoes
- Cannes profile
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