Georgy Girl

Last updated

Georgy Girl
Georgy girl.jpg
Promotional film poster
Directed by Silvio Narizzano
Written by Margaret Forster
Peter Nichols
Based onGeorgy Girl
by Margaret Forster
Produced byRobert A. Goldston
Otto Plaschkes
Starring James Mason
Alan Bates
Lynn Redgrave
Charlotte Rampling
Cinematography Kenneth Higgins
Edited by John Bloom
Music by Alexander Faris
Color process Black and white
Production
company
Everglades Productions
Distributed by Columbia Pictures
Release dates
  • 17 October 1966 (1966-10-17)(USA)
  • 21 October 1966 (1966-10-21)(UK)
Running time
99 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
Budget$400,000 [1]
Box office$16.8 million [2]

Georgy Girl is a 1966 British black-and-white romantic comedy film directed by Silvio Narizzano and starring Lynn Redgrave, Alan Bates, Charlotte Rampling, James Mason, and Rachel Kempson (Redgrave's mother). [3] It was written by Margaret Forster and Peter Nichols based on the 1965 novel Georgy Girl by Forster. The film tells the story of a virginal young woman in 1960s Swinging London, who is faced with a dilemma when she is pursued by her father's older employer and the young lover of her promiscuous, pregnant flatmate. Grossing $16.8 million, Georgy Girl was a box-office success, and it also spawned a hit theme song.

Contents

Plot

Georgina "Georgy" Parkin is a 22-year-old Londoner who has musical talent, is well-educated, and has an engaging, unpretentious character. She has an inventive imagination and loves children. At the same time, she believes herself to be plain and overweight, dresses haphazardly, and is incredibly naïve on the subjects of love and flirtation, having never had a boyfriend. Her parents are live-in employees of businessman James Leamington, who is in a loveless, childless marriage with the sickly Ellen.

Leamington watched Georgy grow up and treated her as if he were her second father, but as she has become a young woman, his feelings for her have become more than fatherly. On his 49th birthday, Leamington offers her a legal contract, proposing to supply her with the luxuries of life in return for becoming his mistress. Georgy sidesteps his proposal.

Her flatmate is the beautiful Meredith, who is a violinist in an orchestra. While she is out on dates with other men, Georgy entertains her boyfriend Jos Jones, on whom she has developed a crush.

When Meredith discovers that she is pregnant by Jos, they decide to get married, even though she tells him that she has previously aborted two of his children and only wants to marry because she is "bored". After the wedding, Jos moves in with Meredith and Georgy, becomes disillusioned with Meredith, and finds himself attracted to Georgy. Meanwhile, although she uses Leamington's interest in her to convince him to buy several expensive items for the baby, and Ellen dies suddenly, Georgy does not sign Leamington's contract.

In the midst of an argument with Meredith over her cavalier attitude to her pregnancy, Jos kisses Georgy and tells her that he loves her. Georgy flees the apartment, and Jos follows her into the streets of London, shouting his love for her. The two return to the flat, where they have sex, after which Peggy, a neighbor, tells Jos that Meredith has gone into labour, and he and Georgy go to the hospital.

Although Georgy feels guilty, she continues her affair with Jos while Meredith is in the hospital. Meredith has no interest in her daughter, Sara, and has tired of Jos, so she announces that she plans to put the child up for adoption. When Georgy sees Sara, she is smitten.

Georgy and Jos bring Sara back to the flat. It quickly becomes clear that Georgy cares more for the baby than for Jos, and their relationship ends when Jos tires of a father's responsibilities and abandons Georgy and his baby. Now that Georgy is the sole caregiver of a child to whom she has no blood ties, Social Services wishes to remove Sara from her care.

Leamington has been following the developments in Georgy's life. When he mentions modifying his contract to accommodate the recent changes, Georgy, seeing an opportunity to keep Sara, gets him to propose marriage. As the newlyweds are chauffeured away from the church on their wedding day, Georgy ignores Leamington, devoting all of her attention to Sara.

Cast

Production

Cashbox advertisement for the title song (November 26, 1966) Georgy Girl - When the Stars Begin to Fall - Cash Box ad 1966.jpg
Cashbox advertisement for the title song (November 26, 1966)

Locations

Several of the film's scenes were filmed in north London, in Belsize Park and Little Venice, notably outside a canalside house on Maida Avenue.[ citation needed ]

Title song

The title song, written by Tom Springfield and Jim Dale, was recorded by Australian band The Seekers. A single release of the song (with different lyrics) topped the singles chart in Australia, and was a top 10 hit in both the UK (#3) and the U.S. (#2 for two weeks). It was the 56th biggest British hit of 1967, [4] and the 57th biggest American hit of 1967. [5] The song became a gold record, and it was nominated for the 1966 Academy Award for Best Music, Original Song. [6]

Reception

Box office

The film was successful at the box office. By 1967, it had earned an estimated $7 million in the United States and $6 million in other countries. [7] By the end of 1967, it had earned $7,330,000 in North America in rentals accruing to the distributors. [8]

Critical reception

Bosley Crowther wrote in the New York Times: "Georgy Girl is a striking example of what could only be achieved with a uniquely right performer in the crucial rule. ... The screenplay is generously spangled with truly wonderful throwaway lines, delicious plot surprises and lovely quirks of character." [9]

Variety wrote: "Miss Redgrave has a pushover of a part, and never misses a trick to get that extra yock, whether it's her first passionate encounter with Alan Bates or her fielding of Mason's amorous overtures. She's consistently on target, and hits the bullseye all along the line. Mason adeptly displays that wealth is an important factor in getting one's girl. Bates makes a breezy lover and husband, though the scene in which he pursues his quarry through London, stripping on the way, is rather way out, Charlotte Rampling is fine as the attractive, bitchy flat mate, Bill Owen and Rachel Kempson [ sic ] add effective contributions as the parents. A lively score, brisk editing and excellent lensing, contribute to a well-made commercial picture." [10]

British film critic Leslie Halliwell said: "Frantic black farce which seemed determined to shock, but has a few good scenes once you get attuned to the mood. A censorship milestone." [11]

The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote of the film: "Another swinging London story filled with people running through London late at night, dancing madly in the rain, and visiting deserted children's playgrounds to ride on the roundabouts. In style a poor imitation of various 'new wave' exercises, it has a slick line in repartee which amuses at first until its shallowness becomes apparent. The continual jokes about Georgy's size, for example, tend to pall after numerous repetitions. Nor does the film have much continuity. It proceeds in triangular jerks from scene to scene, linked tenuously and loudly by continuous snatches of music to keep the action going. The potentially excellent cast and the promising comedienne talent of Lynn Redgrave can do little in the face of such opposition from both script and direction." [12]

The Radio Times Guide to Films gave the film four stars out of five, writing: "At the time a sexual showstopper, this can now be seen as an unconscious parody of Swinging Sixties chic. It is saved from mere shock novelty by Lynn Redgrave's performance as the dowdy girl pursued by older employer James Mason, who finds her own identity looking after the illegitimate baby of flatmate Charlotte Rampling. Former TV director Silvio Narizzano piles on the tricks of cinematic trendiness, but it's the acting that stabilises the story into something memorable from a boringly self-conscious era." [13]

Awards and nominations

AwardCategoryNominee(s)ResultRef.
Academy Awards Best Actress Lynn Redgrave Nominated [6]
Best Supporting Actor James Mason Nominated
Best Cinematography – Black-and-White Kenneth Higgins Nominated
Best Song "Georgy Girl"
Music by Tom Springfield;
Lyrics by Jim Dale 		Nominated
Berlin International Film Festival Golden Bear Silvio Narizzano Nominated
OCIC AwardWon
British Academy Film Awards Best British Film Nominated [14]
Best British Actress Lynn RedgraveNominated
Best Art Direction – Black-and-White Tony WoollardNominated
Best Cinematography – Black-and-White Kenneth HigginsNominated
Directors Guild of America Awards Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures Silvio NarizzanoNominated [15]
Golden Globe Awards Best English-Language Foreign Film Nominated [16]
Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy Alan Bates Nominated
Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy Lynn RedgraveWon
Best Original Song – Motion Picture "Georgy Girl"
Music by Tom Springfield;
Lyrics by Jim Dale		Nominated
Most Promising Newcomer – Male Alan BatesNominated
Most Promising Newcomer – Female Lynn RedgraveNominated
Kansas City Film Critics Circle AwardsBest ActressWon [a] [17]
Laurel Awards Top DramaNominated
Top Song"Georgy Girl"
Music by Tom Springfield;
Lyrics by Jim Dale		Nominated
National Board of Review Awards Top Ten Films 6th Place [18]
New York Film Critics Circle Awards Best Actress Lynn RedgraveWon [b] [19]

Adaptations in other media

The film was the basis for an unsuccessful[ citation needed ] 1970 Broadway musical titled Georgy.

In 1992, it was dramatised in 6 parts for BBC Radio 4 by Joe Dunlop. [20]

In 2013, it was adapted for BBC Radio 4 by Rhiannon Tise. [21]

Notes

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vanessa Redgrave</span> British actress (born 1937)

Dame Vanessa Redgrave is an English actress. In her career spanning over six decades, she has garnered numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, a Tony Award, two Primetime Emmy Awards and an Olivier Award, making her one of the few performers to achieve the Triple Crown of Acting. She has also received various honorary awards, including the BAFTA Fellowship Award, the Golden Lion Honorary Award, and an induction into the American Theatre Hall of Fame.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Redgrave</span> English actor (1908–1985)

Sir Michael Scudamore Redgrave was an English actor and filmmaker. Beginning his career in theatre, he first appeared in the West End in 1937. He made his film debut in Alfred Hitchcock's The Lady Vanishes in 1938.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lynn Redgrave</span> British-American actress (1943–2010)

Lynn Rachel Redgrave was a British-American actress. She won two Golden Globe Awards during her career.

<i>Morgan – A Suitable Case for Treatment</i> 1966 British film by Karel Reisz

Morgan – A Suitable Case for Treatment is a 1966 British comedy film directed by Karel Reisz and starring David Warner, Vanessa Redgrave, and Robert Stephens, with Irene Handl and Bernard Bresslaw. It was made by British Lion and produced by Leon Clore from a screenplay by David Mercer, adapted from his BBC television play A Suitable Case for Treatment (1962), in which the leading role was played by Ian Hendry. A film poster for the film is prominently shown in High-Rise (2015).

<i>Women in Love</i> (film) 1969 British film directed by Ken Russell

Women in Love is a 1969 British romantic drama film directed by Ken Russell and starring Alan Bates, Oliver Reed, Glenda Jackson, and Jennie Linden. The film was adapted by Larry Kramer from D.H. Lawrence's 1920 novel Women in Love. It was the first film to be released by Brandywine Productions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Margaret Forster</span> English novelist and biographer (1938–2016)

Margaret Forster was an English novelist, biographer, memoirist, historian and critic, best known for the 1965 novel Georgy Girl, made into a successful film of the same name, which inspired a hit song by The Seekers. Other successes were a 2003 novel, Diary of an Ordinary Woman, biographies of Daphne du Maurier and Elizabeth Barrett Browning, and her memoirs Hidden Lives and Precious Lives.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rachel Kempson</span> British actress (1910–2003)

Rachel, Lady Redgrave, known primarily by her birth name Rachel Kempson, was an English actress. She married Sir Michael Redgrave, and was the matriarch of the famous acting dynasty.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charlotte Rampling</span> English actress (born 1946)

Tessa Charlotte Rampling is an English actress. An icon of the Swinging Sixties, she began her career as a model. She was cast in the role of Meredith in the 1966 film Georgy Girl, which starred Lynn Redgrave. She soon began making French and Italian arthouse films, notably Luchino Visconti's The Damned (1969) and Liliana Cavani's The Night Porter (1974). She went on to star in many European and English-language films, including Stardust Memories (1980), The Verdict (1982), Long Live Life (1984), and The Wings of the Dove (1997). In the 2000s, she became the muse of French director François Ozon, appearing in several of his films, notably Swimming Pool (2003) and Young & Beautiful (2013). On television, she is known for her role as Dr. Evelyn Vogel in Dexter (2013).

<i>Prick Up Your Ears</i> 1987 British film

Prick Up Your Ears is a 1987 British film, directed by Stephen Frears, about the playwright Joe Orton and his lover Kenneth Halliwell. The screenplay was written by Alan Bennett, based on the 1978 biography by John Lahr. The film stars Gary Oldman as Orton, Alfred Molina as Halliwell, Wallace Shawn as Lahr, and Vanessa Redgrave as Peggy Ramsay.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Natasha Richardson</span> British actress (1963–2009)

Natasha Jane Richardson was a British and American actress. A member of the Redgrave family, Richardson was the daughter of actress Vanessa Redgrave and director/producer Tony Richardson and the granddaughter of Michael Redgrave and Rachel Kempson. Richardson met future husband, Liam Neeson, in 1991 while filming Shining Through.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joely Richardson</span> British actress (born 1965)

Joely Kim Richardson is a British actress. She is notable for her roles as Julia McNamara in the FX drama series Nip/Tuck (2003–2010) and Katherine Parr in the Showtime series The Tudors (2010). Her credits include 101 Dalmatians (1996), Event Horizon (1997), The Patriot (2000), Return to Me (2000), Anonymous (2011), the Hollywood film adaptation of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011), Endless Love (2014), Red Sparrow (2018), The Turning (2020), The Sandman (2022), Little Bone Lodge (2023) and The Gentlemen (2024).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barbara Parkins</span> Canadian actress

Barbara Parkins is a Canadian-American former actress, singer, dancer and photographer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Corin Redgrave</span> English actor (1939–2010)

Corin William Redgrave was an English actor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">39th Academy Awards</span> Award ceremony for films of 1966

The 39th Academy Awards, honoring the best in film for 1966, were held on April 10, 1967, hosted by Bob Hope at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium in Santa Monica, California.

<i>Smashing Time</i> 1967 British film by Desmond Davis

Smashing Time is a 1967 British satirical comedy film directed by Desmond Davis starring Rita Tushingham and Lynn Redgrave. It is a satire on the 1960s media-influenced phenomenon of Swinging London. It was written by George Melly.

<i>Georgy</i> (musical) Musical

Georgy is a musical with a book by Tom Mankiewicz, lyrics by Carole Bayer Sager, and music by George Fischoff. The story is based on the Margaret Forster novel Georgy Girl and the subsequent 1966 film adaptation,

Silvio Narizzano was a Canadian film and television director, who lived and worked primarily in the United Kingdom. He is best known for directing the acclaimed 1966 comedy-drama film Georgy Girl, which is considered a classic of the Swinging London era. He was also a prolific director of television dramas.

<i>Loot</i> (1970 film) 1970 British film by Silvio Narizzano

Loot is a 1970 British comedy film directed by Silvio Narizzano starring Richard Attenborough, Lee Remick, Hywel Bennett, Milo O'Shea and Roy Holder. The screenplay was by Ray Galton and Alan Simpson based on the 1965 play Loot by Joe Orton. It was entered into the 1971 Cannes Film Festival.

<i>Blue</i> (1968 film) 1968 film by Silvio Narizzano

Blue is a 1968 American Western film directed by Silvio Narizzano and starring Terence Stamp, Joanna Pettet, Karl Malden, Ricardo Montalbán, and Stathis Giallelis. The film was made in Panavision anamorphic and released by Paramount Pictures on May 10, 1968.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charlotte Rampling filmography</span>

English actress Charlotte Rampling began her acting career in 1965. She has appeared in more than 110 films. Her film roles include Georgy Girl (1966), The Damned (1969), Henry VIII and His Six Wives (1972), The Night Porter (1974), Farewell, My Lovely (1975), Stardust Memories (1980), The Verdict (1982), Angel Heart (1987), DOAThe Duchess (2008), 45 Years (2015), and Hannah (2017). She has also made television appearances, which include Dexter, Restless, Broadchurch and London Spy.

References

  1. ↑ Box Office Information for Georgy Girl. IMDb. Retrieved 16 April 2012.
  2. ↑ "Georgy Girl, Box Office Information". The Numbers. the-numbers.com. Retrieved 16 April 2012.
  3. ↑ "Georgy Girl". British Film Institute Collections Search. Retrieved 3 February 2024.
  4. ↑ "Top 100 1967 - UK Music Charts". www.uk-charts.top-source.info.
  5. ↑ "Top 100 Hits of 1967/Top 100 Songs of 1967". www.musicoutfitters.com.
  6. 1 2 "The 39th Academy Awards (1967) Nominees and Winners". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences . Retrieved 4 September 2011.
  7. ↑ Alexander Walker Hollywood, England, Stein and Day, 1974 p.310
  8. ↑ "Big Rental Films of 1967", Variety, 3 January 1968 p 25
  9. ↑ Crowther, Bosley (6 November 1966). "'Georgy Girl' Is Puddin' and Pie: That 'Georgy Girl'". The New York Times . p. 1. Retrieved 3 February 2024– via ProQuest.
  10. ↑ "Georgy Girl". Variety . 243 (8): 6. 13 July 1966 – via ProQuest.
  11. ↑ Halliwell, Leslie (1989). Halliwell's Film Guide (7th ed.). London: Paladin. p. 396. ISBN   0586088946.
  12. ↑ "Georgy Girl". The Monthly Film Bulletin . 33 (384): 185. 1 January 1966 – via ProQuest.
  13. ↑ Radio Times Guide to Films (18th ed.). London: Immediate Media Company. 2017. p. 359. ISBN   9780992936440.
  14. ↑ "BAFTA Awards: Film in 1967". British Academy Film Awards . Retrieved 2 March 2024.
  15. ↑ "19th Annual DGA Awards". Directors Guild of America Awards . Retrieved 2 March 2024.
  16. ↑ "Georgy Girl". Golden Globe Awards . Retrieved 2 March 2024.
  17. ↑ "KCFCC Award Winners – 1966-69". Kansas City Film Critics Circle. Retrieved 2 March 2024.
  18. ↑ "1966 Award Winners". National Board of Review . Retrieved 2 March 2024.
  19. ↑ "1966 New York Film Critics Circle Awards". New York Film Critics Circle . Retrieved 2 March 2024.
  20. ↑ "Georgy Girl". BBC Programme Index. Retrieved 8 September 2024.
  21. ↑ "Georgy Girl Episode 1 of 5" . Retrieved 29 August 2013.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.