Julie Christie's miracle year of 1965 (she was also in Doctor Zhivago) was capped by a best-actress Oscar® for this sardonic take on Swinging London. Looking about as gorgeous as women get, Christie ascends the ladder of social success, trampling everybody in her path--an ascent that allows writer Frederic Raphael and director John Schlesinger to slash away at the morally bankrupt world that would enable such a person to triumph. Cynics might suggest that Schlesinger's approach, rife with the experiments of New Wave filmmaking, is nearly as empty and showy as the world it describes... which may be why this movie seems more dated than, say, Richard Lester's films from the '60s. Still, with Christie getting generous and suave support from two of the top British stars of the day, Dirk Bogarde and Laurence Harvey, Darling remains a watchable missive from a volatile era. --Robert Horton
2.
During the height of the swinging 1960s, John Schlesinger's DARLING was one of the rare critiques of the frivolous behavior that characterized British films of the time. This black-and-white movie features a terrific cast led by Julie Christie in perhaps her greatest performance. The superficiality of her character makes a satirical statement about the vapid qualities of the era's youth audience.
DARLING is a stern satire that depicts the social climb of Diana Scott (Christie), a young woman who drifts from man to man on her way to stardom in the worlds of modeling and acting. First, as her teenage marriage crumbles, Diana falls hard for television interviewer Robert (Dirk Bogarde). She leaves her husband and moves in with him only to meet the smooth Miles (Laurence Harvey), who knows all the right people in the film industry. But Miles is merely another stepping stone as Diana climbs in and out of bed on her way to the top, creating a life that bores her even more than the existence she originally sought to escape.
3.
Married woman seeks career advancement through series of lovers. Much-acclaimed at time of release. Well-crafted drama is sordid enough to appeal to soap fans; impressive performances also please acting aficionados.
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