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:

Revealing mistakes: In close shots Rebecca and her motorbike stay vertical even going around corners, revealing the fact that she was probably on a trailer being towed behind the camera.

Quotes:

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

Movie Connections:

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

Interesting as a period piece, not as a movie

First off, the video I saw claims to be the uncut version; this wasn't the heavily censored version released in North America (not that much of it would be cut today.)

The most interesting thing about this movie is how typical it is of the 60s - from the psychedelic effects to the long-winded talk about freedom.

It's also an hypocritical movie, in a way - while using nudity and strong sexual imagery, the film is a thinly-disguised attack on the 60s concept of freedom and "free love". This is a film that simultaneously tries to use the freedom ideal of the 60s and to criticize that ideal.

The director is best-known as a cinematographer, and it shows; while the film is very shallow in terms of plot and message, the cinematography is often brilliant.

Rating: worth seeing for historical reasons, not on its own merits.