Alfie

Plot

Michael Caine's first starring role was a foray into dramatic irony, scripted by Bill Naughton from his novel and play. Alfie (Caine) is a charming, rogueish Cockney who cannot get his fill of women. He uses them without shame or malice, jumping from one promiscuous female's bed to another without much thought or feeling. Of course, Alfie's not as carefree as he would have the audience -- to whom he often speaks directly -- think: he treats his pregnant, common-law wife, Gilda (Julia Foster), quite shabbily, and has an affair with a married woman (Vivien Merchant) that leaves her pregnant, for which Alfie arranges an abortion. In the end, Alfie never finds lasting meaning or pleasure but remains an unrepentant, if low-class, Don Juan. Caine was Oscar-nominated for his performance. ~ Don Kaye, Rovi

Review

Lewis Gilbert's Alfie made quite a splash upon release in 1966, garnering good reviews and six Academy Award nominations. While the film has a certain visual flair and a soundtrack by jazz great Sonny Rollins, many viewers will find the film out of date and sexist. This English film is still enlightening to watch because of Michael Caine's portrait of Alfie (his first starring roll), a self-centered, fun-loving English chap who, because of his harsh treatment of women, is mostly unsympathetic. He attempts to win the viewer's sympathy nonetheless, with the novel technique of addressing the camera directly. Of course, much of his folly is meant to be ironic; at some point, Gilbert seems to suggest, sexual conquests are unfulfilling. While Alfie does pay a price for his indulgences, he never changes and never develops a lasting relationship. Alfie represents the rare '60s film that attempts to examine the consequences of the sexual revolution, candidly covering the subjects of pregnancy and abortion. Gilbert also directed several James Bond films, and he renewed his association with Michael Caine for 1983's Educating Rita. ~ Ronnie D. Lankford, Jr., Rovi

Cast

• Michael Caine - Alfie
• Shelley Winters - Ruby
• Millicent Martin - Siddie
• Julia Foster - Gilda
• Jane Asher - Annie

Shirley Ann Field - Carla; Vivien Merchant - Lily; Eleanor Bron - Woman Doctor; Denholm Elliott - Mr. Smith, abortionist; Alfie Bass - Harry; Graham Stark - Humphrey; Murray Melvin - Nat; Sydney Tafler - Frank; Julia Asher; Virginia Wetherell; Peter Graves

Credit

Lewis Gilbert - Director, Thelma Connell - Editor, Burt Bacharach - Composer (Music Score), Hal David - Composer (Music Score), Sonny Rollins - Composer (Music Score), Peter Mullins - Production Designer, Otto Heller - Cinematographer, Lewis Gilbert - Producer, Bill Naughton - Screenwriter, Bill Naughton - Play Author

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