Gay Best Friend: Malcolm in "Darling" (1965)

A series by Christopher James looking at the 'Gay Best Friend' trope

Not pictured: The waiter that Diana (Julie Christie) and Malcolm (Roland Curran) were checking out.How can one be truly breaking convention if the act of breaking away is itself a convention? This is the plight of Diana Scott, the role that earned Julie Christie an Oscar win for Best Actress. Diana uses her feminine wiles to rise to the top of the English fashion scene, creating scandal everywhere she goes. She breaks all the conventions of how a “good girl” of the 50s would behave. While this makes her exciting, what is behind her social climbing antics? Is her rebellion ushering in a new progressive wave, or is she just rebelling to rebel? If the case is the latter, why is that something people should respect, rather than jeer?

The tagline of Darling (1965) reads: “A powerful and bold motion picture...made by adults...with adults...for adults!” It’s amazing to see what was bold by 1965 standards. An English production, Darling fittingly feels like part French-New-Wave, part mainstream Hollywood. The topics of sex, abortion, homosexuality and the blanket “sin” of adult life hang over every scene, even if very little is explicit. This illustrates that the “gay best friend” trope, among others, was once considered shocking or bold. By the 1990s, as we've witnessed in this series, boldness gave way to the expected, as the trope became overused...

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The Best Costumes of 1965

by Cláudio Alves

Last month, before the 1938 Best Supporting Actress Smackdown, Nathaniel and I discussed what could have been the Costume Design Oscar lineup had the category existed back then. Now, before the '65 Smackdown, I return to the topic of costuming and the Academy Awards. This time, though, there are actual nominees to consider, both for black-and-white films and color pictures. Furthermore, we know some of the runners-up that came close to the nomination.

Before the reveal of my personal Best Costume Design ballot for 1965, let's examine AMPAS' choices…

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1965: The Swinging Sixties are in, and “Beach Party” films are on their way out

by Mark Brinkerhoff

The mid-‘60s were as stark and as seismic a cultural (and political) turning point as any, and few places was that more evident than on movie screens. Sure, many a cinephile and film historians will cite 1967 as the year of full-on revolutionary American cinema—when the Hollywood of old was overthrown from within—but seeds of this were planted in 1965, as old, quaint fads gave way to new, bold ideas.

For those of us old enough to remember, either first or secondhand, the phenomenon that was the American teenager can not be overestimated. From the ‘50s into at least the early ‘60s, “teenagers” became a novel, powerful consumer and cultural force...

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How had I never seen... "Doctor Zhivago"?

Every once in a while we ask Team Experience members to finally get around to a famous film they've been meaning to watch forever. Here's Christopher James...

I hate to say it, but when does one put on a three hour epic? The time never quite seems right, especially in a pre-quarantine world. That’s why David Lean’s epic extravaganzas had long been blind spots in my filmography. Both The Bridge on the River Kwai and Lawrence of Arabia become instant personal favorites after finally watching them for the first time in the past five years. Yet, somehow Doctor Zhivago (1965) always seemed just a bridge, or perilous train ride, too far. When I would think of it, I would picture the sets and costumes from stills. But was it worth sitting through over three hours of a movie just for, in the words of Aretha Franklin, “gowns, beautiful gowns”? Luckily, the epic is way more than just its trappings. As Team Experience gushed a few years back, there are so many memorable scenes and subplots in this involving romantic quartet.

To compliment Doctor Zhivago appropriately, one must go down each Oscar craft category one by one. It’s a technically stunning achievement that is beautiful, towering and simultaneously warm and cold all in the same breath...

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Vintage '65

by Nathaniel R

Year of the Julies: Andrews and Christie dominated both the Oscars and the box office

The Supporting Actress Smackdown 1965 Episode arrives on October 9th, so you have until October 8th to watch the four movies and vote on them. Let's talk context...

Great Big Box Office Hits: 1)The Sound of Music 2) Doctor Zhivago 3) Thunderball 4) Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines 5) The Great Race 6) That Darn Cat 7) Cat Ballou 8) What's New Pussycat? 9) Shenandoah 10) Von Ryan's Express

Oscar's Best Pictures: The Sound of Music  and Doctor Zhivago (10 noms / 5 wins each) led by the two Julies, battled it out at the Oscars The other Best Picture nominees were Ship of Fools (8 noms / 2 wins), Darling (5 noms / 3 wins) another Julie Christie vehicle, and A Thousand Clowns (4 noms / 1 win). But what would have been nominated if the Best Picture race were 10 wide...

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