In my continuing attempts to resurrect public memory of Rita Tushingham's fabulous films of the sixties, here is THE KNACK from 1965 (Dir: Richard Lester). It concerns a young man's irresistible charms and whether such a skill can be passed on. Rita plays Nancy, a waif on her own in mod London who meets up with the boys.
This was Tushingham's area of expertise, playing waifs. Not classically pretty, she used her ability to play spunky yet innocent girls to great avail.
For more forgotten films, please consult Todd Mason at Sweet Freedom.
19 comments:
Patti - Oh, this is a movie I've never seen. I'm going to have to look for it...
I liked this one a lot.
Good choice. No, Tushingham was never what you'd call pretty but she was (is) a good actress. And I love looking back at those scenes of "swinging London" in the mid-'60s.
Jeff M.
And Michael Crawford was very young there, long before his PHANTOM OF THE OPERA days.
Jeff M.
I wasn't sure if it was the same guy.
He was in several of those '60s movies - THE JOKERS, HOW I WON THE WAR, even HELLO DOLLY.
Jeff M.
"I, too, dig it."
You're so hip, Mr. Reviewer.
I keep seeing this pop up in my Netflix queue, so I may just have to check it out :)
Wonderful movie, one of my absolute favourites, from any decade. There's even a brief cameo from Charlotte Rampling in the water skiing sequence
Never even heard of this one.
I love it!
Should mention this is a Richard Lester film who made A Hard Days Night and Help
I certainly should have. I will add it in.
Interesting to remember that the Beatles emerged from this same pop culture explosion there in supposedly staid Old England...music, fashion, film, drama. Another film: DARLING, with Dirk Bogarde and Julie Christie.
DARLIING is exquisite.
You want to watch one of my favorite British (6 episode) series (we have the DVD): Frederic Ranphael's THE GLITTERING PRIZES, starring Tom Conti. One episode clearly deals with a fictional version of him writing the script for DARLING, for which he won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay.
Jeff M.
Netflix won't let us join but I'll check my library.
As I've mentioned before, funny as hell when I was eight or so...should really see it again.
It is from the title of this movie that The Knack ("My Sharona") got their band's name. One of their albums was even called "Get the Knack." Perhaps they are now best remembered for (sadly) knocking Disco decisively off the charts.
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