I just finished watching 'Alfie' with Michael Caine, one of my favourite movie stars, in the genuine sense of the word - i.e. someone with such a magnetic personality that you become obsessed with them against your will. e.g. Ben Kingsley isn't a movie star, he's an actor, while Michael Caine isn't really an actor (zero range) but he IS a movie star.
Anyway, 'Alfie' is about a hansome chap, who, due to a combination of looks & confidence, is able to have sex with lots of beautiful (& also homely) women. Hurray, you might say - but Alfie's life is as empty & desperate as yours or mine, perhaps even more!
Unfortunately, Alfie is a nasty, misogynist, extremely limited comedy that has gained its status because of the absolute magetism of its star, as well as its novel (for the times) themes and its clever technique of addressing the camera directly.
It's amazing, though, how tame it is compared to Hollywood films of the 40s. All 60s films are like this: hey folks, suddenly we're allowed to talk about issues! Let's talk about smoking dope and having sex with the next-door neigbour!
Of course, the problem with the above is that it dates really fast. The concerns of the central 60s Hollywood films (even The Graduate, which plays like a quaint, frivolous actor's showcase these days (a whole generation-defining film about having sex with the hot older neighbour? Wow, what a profound statement!). In this day and age, who cares? In contrast, 40s films noir are the closest thing that we 20th century moderns have to Macbeth (and I mean that seriously, not 'hey kids, I'm gonna be cool be comparing movies to Shakespeare!') It's only when a medium takes its subject matter seriously that the audience can become completely immersed in the work. The director of Alfie may have done so, but that doesn't mean that we have to.
What's it all about?
Sex, according to you, Alfie.
Who cares, according to the rest of us.
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