Wonderwall Details

[Highly rated reviewer]

Pathetic!

I'd heard a lot about this film when it first came out back in the 60s, so was looking forward to finally seeing it. What a let-down! For a start, we see a lot of Jane Birkin semi-clad, but she manages to keep it 'decent' for the entire film. As for Jack McGowran... I wonder if, somewhere in the UK, there's a secret 'School of Over-Acting'? If so, for sure, he's one of the graduates. (His performance reminded me a bit of Terry Gillam's 'Brazil' - also a potentially interesting film, similarly destroyed by over-acting).

No Wonder - There's A Wall, Though

1968 psychedelic curiosity which gave its name to the Noel Gallagher song. it has a soundtrack by Beatle George Harrison, Jane Birkin appears in a state of undress. Reading that, you want to rent it right now, don't you?

Well don't. For a start, its main star is this middle-aged absent-minded professor/scientist (He mixes up his colleague's names when he leaves the lab at the end of the day tee hee!). In his gloomy old attic apartment one evening examining something under a microscope he hears jarring Indian music (reminding you why Lennon and McCartney didn't allow George the keys to the studio too often). Then he spots a hole in the wall thru to the next apartment and espies Jane Birkin showing her bare legs and other groovy goings-on.

That's it really, though he drills more holes in the wall to allow his peeping tom activities full reign over the parties and phony groovy scene next door. He's a pathetic character, like a teen getting hold of a porn DVD for the first time. It goes on like this, occupying the same world as Bedazzled, but without the fun of Pete and Dud (not saying that film was a barrel of laughs, mind); English character actors Richard Wattis and Irene Handle pop up but rather than heightening the exoticism, they made me feel uncomfortably racist about the Indian music ('Ooh knock us up a curry love!'). I guess it's all a year out of date too, 1968 was differerent drugs and generally a whole lot less groovy.

After 20 minutes I really felt I should be doing something else. There was just something bleak and twee and pointless about this movie.

Some of the later far out Harrison music is okay, but you can see why the Beatles thought Magical Mystery Tour would be a smash if this sort of thing could earn a release.