Darling (1965)

A beautiful but amoral model sleeps her way to the top of the London fashion scene at the height of the Swinging Sixties.

Director:

John Schlesinger

Writers:

Frederic Raphael (screenplay), Frederic Raphael (idea)

Stars:

Julie Christie, Dirk Bogarde, Laurence Harvey

Won 3 Oscars. Another 15 wins & 8 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Julie Christie	...	Diana Scott
Laurence Harvey	...	Miles Brand
Dirk Bogarde	...	Robert Gold
José Luis de Vilallonga	...	Prince Cesare della Romita (as Jose Luis De Villalonga)
Roland Curram	...	Malcolm
Basil Henson	...	Alec Prosser-Jones
Helen Lindsay	...	Felicity Prosser-Jones
Carlo Palmucci	...	Curzio della Romita
Dante Posani	...	Gino
Umberto Raho	...	Palucci
Marika Rivera	...	Woman
Alex Scott	...	Sean Martin
Ernest Walder	...	Kurt
Brian Wilde	...	Willett
Pauline Yates	...	Estelle Gold

Storyline

Young, attractive and vivacious, model Diana Scott is firmly decided to become rich and famous as well. To succeed, she does not hesitate to take bold steps. After a while, she literally strikes gold: she meets Robert Gold, a well-known TV journalist, who not only introduces her into new social and professional circles, but also abandons his family to live with her. Diana seems to have happily combined success and love. However, in those roaring sixties, others are ready to offer her even more money, fame, and, seemingly, fun than Robert can...

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Plot Keywords:

model | journalist | british | commercial | princess | 

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Taglines:

A powerful and bold motion picture...made by adults...with adults...for adults!

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

TV-MA

Details

Official Sites:

MGM

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

3 August 1965 (USA)

Also Known As:

Darling - A Que Amou Demais

Filming Locations:

40-41 Wimpole Street, Marylebone, London, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

£400,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Joseph Janni Production, Vic Films Productions, Appia Films Ltd.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

128 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The first film role of James Cossins.

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Goofs

The singing lady in the final scene is clearly wired up and most likely wearing a microphone under her dress.

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Quotes

Robert Gold: Now Mr Southgate, you have the reputation of being something of a lone wolf. Is this a protest against the establishment?
Matthew Southgate: It is true, I have always preferred to be a mouse that walked by itself rather than a member of a group of literary lions; always licking each other, washing each other behind the ears. And biting each other. And as you know, they're behind bars, in a cultural zoo.

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Connections

Referenced in 'Doctor Zhivago': The Making of a Russian Epic (1995)

User Reviews

One of the very best

I find this movie unique. If you have read of, or can remember the mid-1960s, you know that the character Julie Christie plays was absolutely the one adored by everyone- by all who considered themselves "in" and "trendy" and "modern". And she is completely taken apart by this movie.

I can think of only one other movie at any time in any language that so thoroughly demolishes the pretensions of the very people whom the smart set aspired to be at the time the movie was coming out. Amazingly that movie was 'Alfie', that came out about that same year. (A movie like La Dolce Vita is in a different mode - the people are the new meretricious post-war haute bourgeois class - a frequent target through history, and in that way, like The Ice Storm or Interiors or American Beauty as an attack on such values).

Virtually all "serious satires" take on targets that the "chattering classes" consider suspect - the hidebound, the hypocritical, the "authority figures" whom youth wish to overturn. Not this one. Astonishingly, in the midst of mod London, the very middle of the swinging 60s, you get a movie that looks at its non-committal "live for the moment" hedonistic experimentation and blasts its moral character with a cannon.

This just doesn't happen in movies - compare say, "If" or "O Lucky Man" or say, "Network" (to name three I like), and you'll see the targets as the familiar powers that be - from school to television. But Julie Christie's character is what people thought was new and wonderful - and its superficiality is blown to bits.

It's as if a movie now were to look at a poor black woman raising a child alone - and blast her for any behavior that contributed to this state. It just won't be done - the sympathies are all running FOR that character. So were the sympathies for the Julie Christie character in that time - and the movie is very very brave in running so utterly against the current.

I just love the movie - it's a step up from Schlesinger's earlier ones -the script is superb, the performances are excellent without exception. (Lawrence Harvey is particularly good - but of course it's Christie's movie).

Do see it. It's also full of wonderfully imaginative touches - such as the ending scene.