On D List of Movie Reviews

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Darling (1965)

Rate: 5
Viewed: 9/13, 9/21

Darling
9/13: Julie Christie won the Oscar for her forgettable one-dimensional performance in Daahling.

It's a multifaceted director-driven picture. So, the credit goes to John Schlesinger who went on to make an even better film: Midnight Cowboy. Replace Julie Christie with another actress, and the results will still be the same, no matter what.

The point of Daaaahling isn't clear, but it paints a portrait of a fake dilettante who's a certified social climber. Offer her drugs, and she'll take them. Ask her to binge drink, and she'll do it. Engage her in S&M, and she'll not hesitate. Cast her in pornographic pictures, and she'll be ready. Induce her to abort the baby, and she'll be on the table. It doesn't matter as long as everybody else is doing the same thing.

All in all, If Julie Christie was thrown into the middle of the ocean, you'll hear her yell Daaaaaahling.

9/21: It's been eight years since I saw Darling, and I still feel nothing.

There's no growth. Julie Christie's character is not interesting. She comes and goes. Nothing much happens which seems to be done all in a month when in fact at least two years had passed. If I'm supposed to be envious or something, then how come Julie Christie is with three well-known gay actors: Dirk Bogarde, Laurence Harvey, and Roland Curram? That's not threatening for a social climber. In many ways, the film is the story of Grace Kelly, the über Hollywood whore who ended up as Princess of Monaco.

Director John Schlesinger regarded the film as one of his least favorites. I can see why. After Darling, he went on to make a box-office bomb, Far from the Madding Crowd which starred Julie Christie again, before moving on to Midnight Cowboy that made legends out of two actors.

All in all, despite the nice-looking photography, Darling never moves for the slightest bit, and Julie Christie can thank her beauty for undeservingly winning the Best Actress Oscar.