Last week we watched 'Charlie Bubbles', a 1967 British film starring Albert Finney, Liza Minnelli, Billie Whitelaw, Colin Blakely, and written by Shelagh Delaney. Finney also directed. The producer was the actor Michael Medwin, who with Finney had founded the production company 'Memorial Enterprises' in 1965.* Well, what's not to like? you may think. As you can see it has all the ingredients for success - strong cast, talented script writer. You would be, however, be wrong. The result is decidedly flat-footed. Finney plays the eponymous hero, a successful novelist, who - accompanied by his secretary (Minnelli) - goes on a picaresque journey back to his roots in the North. (North of England that is.) Not as bad as the adaptation of Iris Murdoch's 'A Severed Head' I reviewed in 2024 - 'Charlie Bubbles' has its moments, after all - but still a dud.
* Memorial Enterprises not only produced 'Charlie Bubbles'. They were also responsible for, amongst others, 'A Day in the Life of Joe Egg', 'Privilege', and 'If....'. they also produced a stage play: Julian Mitchell's 'Another Country' in 1981.
No comments:
Post a Comment