Georgy Girl (1966)
Where do I start with Georgy Girl? There’s so much to love about this movie. It’s one of my favorite movies of all time, and for years, the name Georgina was at the top of my baby names list. In essence, it’s about a girl, who isn’t classically beautiful and who has very low self-esteem, learning who she is and what she wants out of life.
Lynn Redgrave, in an Oscar-nominated role, stars as Georgy. She puts so much into her character to make Georgy likable and accessible to the audience. A modern Georgy would undoubtedly have so much attitude it would be sickening, but Lynn’s attitude is almost farcical. She sasses Bill Owen, her father, but not because she has any real hatred or meanness in her heart; she’s just acting like a kid who feels ashamed that her parent isn’t proud of her. It’s tricky to play a late-coming-of-age character without the audience thinking you’re just enormously immature, and Lynn nails it. She’s curious, afraid, self-deprecating, hopeful, and gutsy. Obviously, this is a very personal film to me, and obviously I’m partial to Lynn Redgrave’s character rather than Charlotte Rampling’s. Those who favor the other side might not like the movie as much.
Charlotte Rampling plays Lynn’s roommate and pseudo-friend. She’s everything Lynn’s character isn’t: beautiful, thin, sexy, controlled, and calculating. She and her boyfriend Alan Bates are easy to hate, but since Lynn hasn’t grown into her own yet, she insists on hanging out with them and comparing herself to Charlotte. While it is very black-and-white about which is the good and bad girl, Charlotte is still written as a realistic character. There are people out there who are just as vile and heartless as she is.
James Mason, also in an Oscar-nominated role, steals the screen starting with the fantastic build-up to his entrance scene. In the original novel, James Mason’s character is written to be very large and unappealing, which is the largest change from the page to the screen. James, even though he has a few miles on him, is enormously appealing. He’s charming, witty, generous, patient, and above all, he appreciates Georgy in ways no one else does. He’s so fantastic in this movie, it’s impossible to dislike him, even though it’s obvious he wouldn’t have even been cast if it weren’t for Lolita. Only James Mason’s wonderfully imitative voice can deliver the lines with their full potential.
“She was a beautiful woman . . . beautiful, tolerant, civilized . . . and about as exciting as a half brick.”
“Lace! Lots of, you know, lace!”
"She's immature. . ."
And there’s my favorite, a quote so famous in my house, we say it almost as often as we say “James Mason” in his own accent: “I’m forty-nine. Notice that, not fifty.” Seriously, no one but James Mason can say “forty-nine” in such a quotable way.
Everyone knows I’m partial to older men, but it’s not my bias that adores James Mason in Georgy Girl. He’s incredibly charming, powerful, and observant; the sparks fly between him and Lynn so much that even a benign peck on the cheek feels like a master seduction.
Georgy Girl is a classic sixties comedy-drama, complete with awkward music, and a newfound focus on sex that ten years earlier wouldn’t have been shown on film. Pregnancy, abortion, premarital sex—only in 1966 could these topics be so tactfully treated. Any earlier and they’d have to be written out of the script; any later and they’d be treated more explicitly and without tact. Any remake of Georgy Girl would have several gratuitous sex scenes, when the lengthy kiss scenes in the 1966 film are clear enough for the plot’s purpose. Margaret Forster, authoress of the original novel, and Peter Nichols have written a timeless classic that doesn’t shy away from taboo topics and treats them with the gravity they deserve.
Whether you rent it because you’ve never heard of James Mason and are in the mood for a new celebrity boyfriend, or because you know what it’s like to feel and be treated like you’re ugly, or because you need inspiration to come out of your shell, you’ll be in for a wonderful movie night. Plus, you’ll get to see Lynn Redgrave doll up in full ‘60s splendor and belt, “It takes a whole lot of lovin’ just to keep this baby happy!” while dancing her way down the staircase.
DLM Warning: If you suffer from vertigo or dizzy spells, like my mom does, this movie might not your friend. When Alan Bates goes to the playground, the camera spins, and it will make you sick. In other words, “Don’t Look, Mom!”
Kiddy Warning: Obviously, you have control over your own children. However, due to some adult subject matter, I wouldn’t let my kids watch it until they're teenagers.
Want to watch it? Click here to watch it on ok.ru. And thanks "Clipper Davinci" for posting!
More James Mason movies here!
Be sure to check out Hot Toasty Rag's review of the novel Georgy Girl!
Lynn Redgrave, in an Oscar-nominated role, stars as Georgy. She puts so much into her character to make Georgy likable and accessible to the audience. A modern Georgy would undoubtedly have so much attitude it would be sickening, but Lynn’s attitude is almost farcical. She sasses Bill Owen, her father, but not because she has any real hatred or meanness in her heart; she’s just acting like a kid who feels ashamed that her parent isn’t proud of her. It’s tricky to play a late-coming-of-age character without the audience thinking you’re just enormously immature, and Lynn nails it. She’s curious, afraid, self-deprecating, hopeful, and gutsy. Obviously, this is a very personal film to me, and obviously I’m partial to Lynn Redgrave’s character rather than Charlotte Rampling’s. Those who favor the other side might not like the movie as much.
Charlotte Rampling plays Lynn’s roommate and pseudo-friend. She’s everything Lynn’s character isn’t: beautiful, thin, sexy, controlled, and calculating. She and her boyfriend Alan Bates are easy to hate, but since Lynn hasn’t grown into her own yet, she insists on hanging out with them and comparing herself to Charlotte. While it is very black-and-white about which is the good and bad girl, Charlotte is still written as a realistic character. There are people out there who are just as vile and heartless as she is.
James Mason, also in an Oscar-nominated role, steals the screen starting with the fantastic build-up to his entrance scene. In the original novel, James Mason’s character is written to be very large and unappealing, which is the largest change from the page to the screen. James, even though he has a few miles on him, is enormously appealing. He’s charming, witty, generous, patient, and above all, he appreciates Georgy in ways no one else does. He’s so fantastic in this movie, it’s impossible to dislike him, even though it’s obvious he wouldn’t have even been cast if it weren’t for Lolita. Only James Mason’s wonderfully imitative voice can deliver the lines with their full potential.
“She was a beautiful woman . . . beautiful, tolerant, civilized . . . and about as exciting as a half brick.”
“Lace! Lots of, you know, lace!”
"She's immature. . ."
And there’s my favorite, a quote so famous in my house, we say it almost as often as we say “James Mason” in his own accent: “I’m forty-nine. Notice that, not fifty.” Seriously, no one but James Mason can say “forty-nine” in such a quotable way.
Everyone knows I’m partial to older men, but it’s not my bias that adores James Mason in Georgy Girl. He’s incredibly charming, powerful, and observant; the sparks fly between him and Lynn so much that even a benign peck on the cheek feels like a master seduction.
Georgy Girl is a classic sixties comedy-drama, complete with awkward music, and a newfound focus on sex that ten years earlier wouldn’t have been shown on film. Pregnancy, abortion, premarital sex—only in 1966 could these topics be so tactfully treated. Any earlier and they’d have to be written out of the script; any later and they’d be treated more explicitly and without tact. Any remake of Georgy Girl would have several gratuitous sex scenes, when the lengthy kiss scenes in the 1966 film are clear enough for the plot’s purpose. Margaret Forster, authoress of the original novel, and Peter Nichols have written a timeless classic that doesn’t shy away from taboo topics and treats them with the gravity they deserve.
Whether you rent it because you’ve never heard of James Mason and are in the mood for a new celebrity boyfriend, or because you know what it’s like to feel and be treated like you’re ugly, or because you need inspiration to come out of your shell, you’ll be in for a wonderful movie night. Plus, you’ll get to see Lynn Redgrave doll up in full ‘60s splendor and belt, “It takes a whole lot of lovin’ just to keep this baby happy!” while dancing her way down the staircase.
DLM Warning: If you suffer from vertigo or dizzy spells, like my mom does, this movie might not your friend. When Alan Bates goes to the playground, the camera spins, and it will make you sick. In other words, “Don’t Look, Mom!”
Kiddy Warning: Obviously, you have control over your own children. However, due to some adult subject matter, I wouldn’t let my kids watch it until they're teenagers.
Want to watch it? Click here to watch it on ok.ru. And thanks "Clipper Davinci" for posting!
More James Mason movies here!
Be sure to check out Hot Toasty Rag's review of the novel Georgy Girl!
Hot Toasty Rag Awards:
Best Supporting Actor of 1966: James Mason
Hot Toasty Rag Nominations:
Best Picture
Best Actress: Lynn Redgrave
Best Comedic Screenplay
Best Original Song: "Georgy Girl"