On A List of Movie Reviews
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Alfie (1966)
Rate:
8
Viewed:
3/14, 6/21
3/14:
What I expected from Alfie was an entertaining sex romp comedy, but it turns out to be a dark picture about a
professional lothario who treats women like flagstones.
Wonderfully played by Michael Caine in a role that shot him to international stardom, Alfie takes advantage of women for
certain tradeoffs such as a foot job, dry cleaning, a place to stay, etc., all for gratis by providing them ephemeral
happiness and sex. Along the way, he unintentionally impregnates two women before abandoning them and induces one
to have an abortion in his kitchen.
The picture may be repulsive and offensive, and believe me, I was. But Alfie was actually ahead of time,
predating Carnal Knowledge by a good five years. There are many salient points that
ring true today. It's a fascinating portrayal of how women are treated as mere sex objects.
Again, Michael Caine does a brilliant job by playing the unfeeling, emotionless lothario who only cares about himself and
his needs. He demeans women in a certain way by ordering them about and making criticisms how they should do things
the proper way. At the same time, he constantly refers them as "it," not "she."
While Alfie is doing all of that, I can see how the women have been reduced to nothing, losing their self-esteem
which makes Alfie for a depressing viewing. On the other hand, the narration is superb, and I love the writing which was
penned by Bill Naughton.
All in all, many will be offended by Alfie, but it has to be seen from a different perspective about the mistreatment
of the female sex.
6/21:
I'm still flabbergasted at the critics for thinking of Alfie as a comedy.
It's certainly not. Instead, Alfie is a dark, depressing film about a self-centered lothario. The more women Alfie
takes advantage of, the more degrading he becomes, choosing to view them as objects to serve his needs. Midway, he
starts to refer them as "it" as in "it's in love," "it washes them," and "it can cook, too."
There's no question Michael Caine is brilliant. Scoring the first Oscar nomination of his career, he's beautiful when
it comes to the delivery of the English language. Of course, Bill Naughton's Oscar-nominated screenplay is a major part of it.
He also makes a strong case against abortion after one casual sex encounter.
All in all, Alfie is the film that made Michael Caine an international star.