Monday, July 20, 2009

Alfie (1966)

Alfie tells the story of a young man who leads a promiscuous lifestyle until several life reversals make him rethink his purposes and goals in life. [wiki]

Nominated for 5 Oscars:

Best Picture
Best Actor: Michael Caine
Best Supporting Actress: Vivien Merchant
Best Adapted Screenplay
Best Original Song

Wow, wow, wow. I so didn’t expect this film to be THAT GOOD. Forgetting that the film is 95% crazy misogynistic, this is some serious piece of acting, directing & overall production. Sorry haters, but I didn’t feel offended at all. The screenplay is just brilliant and the decision to sometimes break the 4th wall (talk directly to the camera) fits perfectly the spirit of the film.

Now I really know why Michael Caine is considered one of the best actors of the last 40-50 years. His performance is excellent, making it one of the best male performances ever (really!); I’m not sure if it’s even his best one, as I find it hard to choose between this and his brilliance in Sleuth. I can't believe A Man for All Seasons (which I’ve seen) won all those Oscars and nothing for Alfie. The storytelling is excellently thought and the film is very captivating. Vivien Merchant gives a good Oscar nominated performance, but she’s just one of the many supporting actresses from the film.

My rating for the film: 9/10. What I would’ve done differently was probably change the last 5-10 minutes, not that it has a bad ending. A surprising, unpredictable film that should be considered a classic.

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