Wonderwall (1968)

User Rating:

5.3/10   

Director:

Joe Massot

Writers:

Gérard Brach (story)
G. Cabrera Infante (screenplay)

Release Date:

12 January 1969 (UK)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

...LET YOUR MIND WONDER...

Plot:

The eccentric professor Collins lives completely secluded in his chaotic apartment. When the model Penny moves in next to him...

Plot Keywords:

Surrealism | Voyeurism | Independent Film

Cast

Jack MacGowran	...	Prof. Oscar Collins
Jane Birkin	...	Penny Lane
Irene Handl	...	Mrs. Peurofoy
Richard Wattis	...	Perkins
Iain Quarrier	...	Young Man
Beatrix Lehmann	...	Mother
Brian Walsh	...	Photographer
Sean Lynch	...	Riley
Bee Duffell	...	Mrs. Charmer
Noel Trevarthen	...	Policeman
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Suki Potier	...	Girl at party

Also Known As:

Wonderwall: The Movie (UK) (promotional title)

Runtime:

92 min | Germany:85 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Certification:

UK:15 (1998) | UK:AA (1970)

Filming Locations:

Twickenham Film Studios, St Margarets, Twickenham, Middlesex, England, UK

Company:

Alan Clore Films

Trivia:

Virtually all the soundtrack music was instrumental, with only occasional voices (and those slowed down, or in a foreign language). One lyrical song, "In The First Place", was recorded but not submitted; George Harrison didn't think it would suit Joe Massot. Harrison was mistaken, as it turned out; when the record turned up as the movie was being restored, Massot happily added it to the soundtrack, and a single was belatedly issued. Harrison was pleased to see the record come out, having learned that former Remo Four member Colin Manley was suffering from cancer, and the royalty payments would help with his bills. (Manley died in April 1999.)

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Out (1982)

Soundtrack:

Wonderwall to be Here

A wonderful little film, if you can find it.

Well, I just saw a restored print of this at the Screening room. It is a marvelous piece, light and yet moving, filled with wonderful visuals, a great performance by Jack McGowran and a marvelous (and unfortunately out-of-print) score by everyone's favorite Beatle, George. The synopsis above just doesn't do justice to the film. Yes, it's about a daffy old guy who peers in on a lovely young woman living next door, but there's nothing creepy or pathetic about it. In fact, he's actually quite a bit a of a dashing and romantic figure in his own detached, weird way. One of the most notable things about the film is the art direction, done by the band/art collective The Fool. An obscure folk group (sort of a lesser Incredible String Band) they made the most of what was most likely a thin budget by pouring every ounce of energy into creating two amazing sets for the adjacent apartments of the old man and the young model. They are, without a doubt, two of the coolest looking places to live I have ever seen in a movie (I would give my eye-teeth to live in either one of those flats) and they form as much of a part of the main characters as the portrayal by the actors themselves. The old scientist lives in Celtic-Medieval warren, inspired by Pre-Raphaelite design, and the young model lives in a mod Sixties psychedelic/glam environment suffused with overtones of 20's/30's nostalgia. Both apartments then are filled with a yearning for the past and so, the old man becomes no more of a romanticist than the girl, despite his age. He is actually quite dashing in his cape and tuxedo when engaging in some of his later escapades, like some bandit out of a Fantomas picture. No, this movie isn't about a pathetic old guy lusting after a lithe young thing. It's about a few other things more interesting and perhaps more touching, but you'll have to find out for yourself. In any case it's a nice little treat worth finding, if you can.