Main Cast: Tony Tanner, Millicent Martin, Millicent Martin, Millicent Martin, Millicent Martin, Leila Croft, Neil Hawley
Release Year: 1966
Country: US/UK
Run Time: 98 minutes
Plot
The Anthony Newley/Leslie Bricusse London and Broadway musical hit Stop the World, I Want to Get Off is given literal treatment in this filmization. Newley stars as Littlechap, whose allegorical rise to success is countered by the instability of his private life. Like the play, the film is staged impressionistically, with Newley decked out in mime makeup and periodically stopping the action to address the audience, and with all the women in his life -- German, American and "Typically English" -- played by a single actress (Millicent Martin, taking over from the stage version's Anna Quayle). In Wizard of Oz fashion, the play itself is lensed in color, while the brief prologue, showing the actors preparing for their performance, is in black-and-white. The production includes such standards (and perennial audition pieces) as What Kind of Fool Am I? and Gonna Build a Mountain. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Review
Some material from non-cinematic media presents unique problems when attempting to transfer it to the screen. Such is the case with Stop the World, I Want to Get Off, a smash-hit Broadway and London musical that is severely stagebound. Indeed, part of its conceit is that "the world is a stage" (or more accurately, it seems, a circus), and the piece is filled with moments that are extremely theatrical -- such as when the lead character periodically yells, "Stop the world!" and then proceeds to deliver a monologue directly to the audience. Philip Saville's solution to these challenges was to film the movie as a stage play, complete with shots of the orchestra leader and the conductor. (His concept for the show-halting monologues was to film them in black-and-white, while the rest of the film is in color.) The material, though terribly dated and occasionally arch, calls for a more imaginative treatment; as a result, much of the film is on the flat side. However, most viewers will put up with the staginess to enjoy the immensely popular score. Tony Tanner does very well with the difficult leading role, and Millicent Martin displays admirable versatility in her multiple parts. Creators Anthony Newley and Leslie Bricusse would later write the songs for Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide
Graham Lyons - Fatherin-Law; Georgina Allen - Performer; Sandra Burville; Vivyen Dunbar; Margaret Frost; Liz Gold; Marion Horton; Kay Korda; Judith McGilligan; Julie Pitcher; Heather Simms; Carlotta Barrow; Pamela Hart; Ann Holloway
Credit
Kiki Byrne - Costume Designer, Gina Fratini - Costume Designer, Philip Saville - Director, Jim Sibley - Editor, Al Ham - Musical Direction/Supervision, George Claff - Makeup, Sean Kenny - Production Designer, Oswald Morris - Cinematographer, Bill Sargent - Producer, Alan Bergman - Screenwriter, Marilyn Bergman - Screenwriter, Leslie Bricusse - Screenwriter, Anthony Newley - Screenwriter, David Donalbe - Screenwriter, Leslie Bricusse - Play Author, Anthony Newley - Play Author
