Monday, September 17, 2012

Darling

A gorgeous, shallow woman goes from bored housewife to Italian princess, literally screwing her way through London high society to the top, and burning all her bridges along the way. Julie Christie is phenomenal in her Academy Award winning performance, delivering a spot-on portrayal of a complex, frustrating character. John Schlesinger's British New Wave film, which he also helped develop the story for, is unexpectedly inflammatory for its time and uniquely directed, giving life to a cold and ugly story. On top of Christie's whirlwind performance, she is given great support from Dick Bogarde and Laurence Harvey, playing two of her stepping stone lovers. "Darling" is an excellent example of a directorial vision in addition to a tour-de-force performance.