The Girl on a Motorcycle (1968)

Director:

Jack Cardiff

Writers:

André Pieyre de Mandiargues (novel)
Ronald Duncan (screenplay)

Release Date:

June 1968 (France)

Genre:

Romance

Tagline:

The film sensation of the year!

Plot:

A married woman leaves her husband and zooms off on her motorcycle to see her lover.

Plot Keywords:

Motorcycle | Motorcycle Crash | Breasts | Motorcycle Death | Nudity

Cast

Alain Delon	...	Daniel
Marianne Faithfull	...	Rebecca
Roger Mutton	...	Raymond
Marius Goring	...	Rebecca's Father
Catherine Jourdan	...	Catherine
Jean Leduc	...	Jean
Jacques Marin	...	Pump Attendant
André Maranne	...	French Superintendent
Bari Jonson	...	French Customs Officer
Arnold Diamond	...	French Customs Officer
John G. Heller	...	German Customs Officer
Marika Rivera	...	German Waitress
Richard Blake	...	1st Student
Chris Williams	...	2nd Student
Colin West	...	3rd Student

Also Known As:

Girl on a Motorcycle (UK) (poster title (DVD title)) (USA) (alternative spelling)
La motocyclette (France)
Naked Under Leather (USA) (reissue title)

Runtime:

91 min

Country:

UK | France

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Singapore:M18 | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Canada:PA (Manitoba) | Australia:MA (DVD rating) | Australia:M (original rating) | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:R (cut version) (1969) | USA:X (1968) | West Germany:18

Filming Locations:

France

Company:

Adel Productions

Trivia:

Marianne Faithfull's gift motorcycle is a Harley Davidson; Alain Delon rides a 750cc Norton Atlas.

Goofs:

Continuity: In one of the first scenes, the shifting heard is that of a close-ratio gearbox. In the rest of the film, the shift pattern heard is that of a conventional gearbox.

Quotes:

Rebecca: Rebellion is the only thing that keeps you alive!

Movie Connections:

Featured in Harley-Davidson: The American Motorcycle (1993)

Too lackluster be very enjoyable.

Marianne Faithful plays a bored housewife, who decides to leave her husband, and ride a motorcycle throughout the European countryside. She'd been having a steamy affair with a handsome, virile man, who she considers way more exciting than her milquetoast spouse. So, she takes off with her paramour to find herself, and lead what she hopes is a more fulfilling life.

It was unusual for a young woman to take to the road by herself, back in the 60s. So in this way, this film was unique in it's day. It does have an overabundance of psychedelic special effects, throughout the course of the movie. This was customary for many 60s films, but it was overdone here, and had a distracting effect that was irritating.

Marianne Faithful looks ravishing in her full-body leather biker gear. She has a good-looking, but rather wan face. I thought a more robust-looking actress, who could project a more fiery temperament than Marianne, would've been more appropriate in the lead role. Marianne just seemed too ethereal, to be a rebellious biker gal.

The movie has a snazzy concept. But, it also has a lackluster quality, that ruins the overall premise of the plot. The pace of the film, is far too slow and boring, for a film about a devil-may-care girl biker. If you're a Marianne Faithful fan, you may enjoy this movie, in spite of its lugubrious quality.