Alfie

Alfie Information

Alfie is a 1966 British film directed by Lewis Gilbert, starring Michael Caine. It is an adaptation by Bill Naughton of his own novel and play of the same name. The film was released by Paramount Pictures.

Alfie tells the story of a womanizing young man (Caine) who leads a self-centered life, purely for his own enjoyment, until events force him to question his uncaring behaviour and his aloneness. He cheats on numerous women, and despite his charm towards women, he treats them with disrespect and refers to them as "it", using them for sex and for domestic purposes. Alfie frequently breaks the fourth wall by speaking directly to the camera narrating and justifying his actions. His words often contrast with or totally contradict his actions.

Alfie was the first film to receive the "suggested for mature audiences" classification by the Motion Picture Association of America in the United States which evolved into today's PG rating.

The film was followed by Alfie Darling in 1975, with Alan Price replacing Caine in the title role; in 2004 a remake was released, starring Jude Law in the title role.

Synopsis

The film begins with Alfie Elkins (Caine) ending a relationship with a married woman, Siddie (Millicent Martin), and getting the woman from another of his affairs, Gilda (Julia Foster), pregnant. The film then follows his life for a few years, documenting events that lead to the character's emotional growth, starting with the birth of his son.

Alfie has a health check in case of hereditary diseases, but his inability to commit to the child's mother leads to her marrying a bus conductor (Graham Stark). The health check reveals Alfie has tubercular shadows on his lungs, and this, combined with being banned from seeing his son, leads him to have a brief mental breakdown.

Alfie then spends time in a convalescent home, where he meets Harry (Alfie Bass), who confronts him about his delusion that he is doing no harm, and Harry's wife (Vivien Merchant), whom he gets pregnant in a one-night stand. Later on in the film, the ensuing abortion is a turning point for the character, and the only time other than his passing out/breakdown where he exhibits real emotion"?breaking down in tears at the sight of the aborted foetus.

In the meantime, he meets Ruby (Shelley Winters), who is an older, voluptuous, affluent and promiscuous American, while freelancing taking holiday photos of tourists near the Tower of London. Later, as a car-hire chauffeur, he picks up a young hitchhiker, Annie (Jane Asher) from Sheffield, looking to make a fresh start in London, who moves in with him. She proves preoccupied with a love left behind, scrubbing Alfie's floor, doing his laundry, and preparing his meals to compensate. He grows resentful of the relationship and drives her out with an angry outburst, later regretting it.

Near the film's close, Alfie decides to change his non-committal ways and settle down, albeit with the rich Ruby. The day he chooses to suggest this to her, he finds a younger man in her bed, leaving him disheartened at the film's end and wondering "What's it all about? You know what I mean."

The film is unusual in that it has no opening credits and the end credits feature photos of the principal actors, as well as of the main technical crew, including director Lewis Gilbert and cameraman Otto Heller.

Music

See Alfie (album) for more information

The original British film soundtrack featured jazz saxophonist Sonny Rollins with local musicians. The released album featured Rollins, but with other musicians. The title song, "Alfie", was written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David, and was a hit for Cilla Black, Cher, Madeline Eastman, and Dionne Warwick. Numerous jazz musicians have covered it and it has become a jazz standard.

Awards and recognition

The film won the Special Jury Prize at the 1966 Cannes Film Festival. It was also nominated for several Academy Awards including Best Actor in a Leading Role (Michael Caine), Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Vivien Merchant), Best Song (Burt Bacharach and Hal David for "Alfie") (a UK hit record for Cilla Black, but performed by Millicent Martin in the original UK release and Cher in the American print of the movie), Best Picture and Best Writing (Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium).

It was the second-most popular film at the British box office in 1966, after Thunderball.

In 2004 the magazine Total Film named it the 48th greatest British film of all time.

Cast

Michael Caine as Alfred "Alfie" Elkins
Shelley Winters as Ruby
Millicent Martin as Siddie
Julia Foster as Gilda
Jane Asher as Annie
Shirley Anne Field as Carla
Vivien Merchant as Lily
Eleanor Bron as The Doctor
Denholm Elliott as The Abortionist
Alfie Bass as Harry Clamacraft
Graham Stark as Humphrey
Murray Melvin as Nat
Sydney Tafler as Frank

Remake

See Alfie (2004 film) for more information The film was remade in 2004 in an updated version starring Jude Law.

References in popular culture

Much dialogue from the film was sampled by the band Carter USM for their 1991 album 30 Something.

The LP, "Nino Tempo's Rock 'N Roll Beach Party" (1956 Liberty Records ? LRP3023) can be seen hanging in Alfie's apartment in several key scenes.

New York post-hardcore band Polar Bear Club references "Alfie Elkins '66" in their song "Drifting Thing" off their 2009 release Chasing Hamburg.

The soundtrack to Austin Powers in Goldmember (in which Michael Caine appears) contains a song entitled "Alfie (What's it All About Austin)". This song is a cover of the title song of the movie, with all occurrences of "Alfie" replaced with "Austin".

The film inspired The Divine Comedy's Becoming More Like Alfie, which samples its opening dialogue in its introduction.