ALFIE: Blu-ray (Paramount, 1966) ViaVision Imprint

What’s it all about, Alfie? Sixties slickster, Michael Caine attempts to justify Alfie Elkins’ philosophies on life and love in director, Lewis Gilbert’s watershed social commentary on the emerging ‘angry young man’ in British cinema with Alfie (1966) a faithful adaptation of Bill Naughton’s 1963 play. For its time, this pic was fairly progressive, not the least in addressing its audaciously sex-charged anti-hero head on, backseat badinages, randy midnight rendezvous and callously driven urges to play the field with marrieds and singles alike – and STD’s unwanted pregnancies, and, even an abortion be damned.  Alfie is oft misinterpreted as a dark comedy or an homage to that certain swingin’ hipster in posh/mod London. But actually, it is far more an uncompromising meditation on that all-pervading malaise afflicting an entire vintage of ‘working class’ blokes whose sense of self-destructive entitlement in an age of shifting classist views marked a dead end for any young scrapper struggling to embrace the lifestyle. Yesterday’s put-together narcissist/today’s metrosexual? What with Caine’s cruelly charismatic cock of the walk, nonchalantly to refer to all women, either as ‘it’ or ‘birds’ (neither a flattering moniker) and even more indiscriminately cut a swath of battered hearts, using the fairer sex for fun or as furniture he can park his Waterloo Bridge-sized super ego (other appendages optional) for his own sexual gratification.  Alfie is the sort of fellow we should absolutely despise and furthermore, to immediately cause all the ‘red flags’ in the male/female romantic playbook to instantly combust into thirty-red neon caution signs, leaving women to reach in their handbags for the pepper spray.  So, it is saying a great deal about Michael Caine that, despite Alfie’s predilection for arbitrary sexual pleasure, Caine’s presence somehow manages to diffuse the contempt we might otherwise feel for his alter ego. In fact, the deeper Alfie migrates into this unfeasible and grievously bombastic gratification, the more we begin to empathize with him as a lost and arguably, emotionally fragile, frightened little boy trapped in a man’s body, but who has an awful lot of growing up to do.

After all, being ‘a player’ is a young man’s game. Ultimately, this is what puts a period to Alfie’s carousing – time – and the sudden revelation the parade of youth has since moved on without him. Charisma is a poor substitute for youth. After a failed attempt at playing weekend daddy to his young son, Malcolm, witnessing the heinous after effects of aborting another of his unwanted children by another woman, and, taking up with the stylish sexpot, Ruby (Shelley Winters) the female equivalent to Alfie, the years have decidedly begun to show – not so much in Caine’s always immaculately coiffed and put-together popinjay, but in his finely finessed careworn outlook on life in general, women in particular, and, the daunting task of actually having to face the uncertain future without even the prospect of future female companionship. All of the women into Alfie, with the exception of Winters’ noncommittal voluptuary, are pawns who romantically fall for his wit. One can definitely argue Caine’s sexual sadist is unapologetically frank about what he wants and expects from the women who play into his trap. So, where’s the blame? Or harm…especially if each knows the score and is willing to keep time within his pre-established rulebook? In a decade where many taboos were chipped away from Hollywood’s long-seated/self-governing code of censorship, Alfie was the first movie to be branded with a “suggested for mature audiences” classification by the MPAA, which only made the public want to see it more. Evidently, the character’s refreshing bluntness, and Caine and Gilbert’s remorseless dissemination of it, struck a chord.

Viewed today, it is impossible not to view Caine’s Alfie as an unreformed bastard – just the sort of glib and garrulous ‘bad boy’ women tend to fall for, believing they will be the ones to reform him. And it would have been so easy for Caine and Gilbert to craft a one-dimensional figure here, to be hated for his cheek, leaving the audience perfectly satisfied with the picture’s denouement – a slightly bewildered Alfie, alone on Waterloo Bridge at dusk, accidentally bumping into Siddie (Millicent Martin), the first gal/pal we witness him taking advantage of in the front seat of his steamed-up car. Only now, Siddie, wed to a fellow significantly older than she (John Cater) has seemingly repented…or rather, grown up, more interested in getting home to the man that she married instead of intermittently running off for a little play time with Alfie. And hence, Alfie, newly jilted by Ruby, whom he actually – desperately – loves, but has discovered unfaithful to him with a twenty-something guitarist, has an epiphany: life is not worth the living unless you can go home to someone who desires to share it – warts and all – with you.  This penultimate and sober awakening miraculously affects us as we observe Alfie strolling off into the distance with a stray mutt introduced to us in the very first scene, quietly observing Alfie and Siddie fogging up the mirrors of his car, but otherwise to have gone virtually unnoticed by Alfie until now.  The parallel and foreshadowing between the mutt and Alfie is established by Gilbert in the first moments as the scruffy outcast, past his prime, overlooked by a pair of frisky strays attempting to mate, wanders off alone. And thus, Caine remains the mutt of a man, arguably drained of his promiscuity, and entering his emeritus years as a randy playboy.

Our story begins with Alfie, a fine-looking Cockney chauffeur, self-absorbed and devil-may-care, indulging the sexual favors of married and single women alike. Siddie is the first ‘cast off’ in Alfie’s slick commitment-shy approach to sex. She’s married, but has become too clingy for his liking.  Besides, Alfie has a submissive single gal/pal, Gilda (Julie Foster) on the side. Problem: Gilda is pregnant with Alfie’s child. In her desperate attempts to hang on to Alfie, Gilda momentarily overlooks the ever-devoted Humphrey (Graham Stark) a double-decker bus attendant who really does carry the torch for her. At work, Alfie pilfers fuel from his employer to keep up with his seemingly fashionable lifestyle. In reality, Alfie is a ‘working class’ stiff whose slick exterior masks his deep-seeded anxiety to overcome this station in life. Alfie tries to get Gilda to skim a little off the top from her employer too. Instead, she elects to get another, better-paying job in a brewery to support their child, Malcolm Alfred, even after first lying to Alfie about the prospect of giving the boy up to a ‘rich’ but child-less couple to rear as their own.  Rather surprisingly, Alfie bonds with baby Malcolm and, over the next few years, embraces fatherhood. Alas, this newfound attachment does not extend to Gilda, from whom he repeatedly distances himself by having multiple affairs with more attractive ‘birds’ around town, including a dry cleaner (Pauline Boty) and bodybuilder’s gal/pal (Shirley Bassey).  During these fallow periods in their already anemic ‘relationship’, Humphrey remains a rock of stability Gilda can count on, and eventually, although she still harbors no genuine feelings for him, Gilda elects to wed Humphrey. He, in turn, immediately embraces rearing another man’s child as his own.

From a distance, Alfie observes their restrained happiness with a modicum of regret. This, however, is diffused when the self-centered Alfie has an X-ray of his lungs taken during a national health unit drive and is informed by the doctor (Eleanor Brom), he has tubercular shadows. Fearing death, Alfie retreats to a sanitarium in the country for treatment, where he promptly wastes no time fondling the nurses, but befriending fellow patient, Harry Clamacraft (Alfie Bass). This bro-mantic loyalty does not last long as Alfie cannot help but go after Harry’s frumpish wife, Lily (Vivien Merchant) with whom he has absolutely nothing in common, but preys upon, appealing to her weaknesses. Later, Alfie cruelly infers to Harry, still in hospital, that his old lady might have been disloyal – to set the ailing man off momentarily, but then, almost immediately to be calmed by Alfie, who does not go the extra mile to inform him of his affair with Lily. Indeed, Alfie possesses at least a shred of empathy for Harry, just enough to spare him the particulars. Returning to London with his vigor and health renewed, Alfie takes up ‘holiday photography’ to supplement his income and, in accosting the tourist trade, is introduced to Ruby who, at present is ‘out’ with a gentleman (Peter Graves), not her husband, yet exceedingly nervous about being seen publicly with her. Inveigling himself into Ruby’s good graces, Alfie manages to get her phone number and home address. In the meantime, Alfie returns to chauffeuring for a living, and, manages almost immediately to pick up a very young hitchhiker from Sheffield, Annie (Jane Asher) eager for a fresh start in the big city. Rather sadistically, Alfie wastes no time transforming this vibrant ingenue into his latest personal drudge.  Eventually, the lorry driver who originally offered Annie a ride into town, hunts Alfie down at a local pub and confronts him.  In the all-ensuing brawl that follows, Alfie is badly bruised on his cheek, returning to the apartment he shares with Annie to admonish her for her desperate dependency on him. Realizing what a fool she has been, Annie packs her bags and leaves.

Not long thereafter, Lily reveals to Alfie she is carrying his child. Mutually agreeing it would be unwise to have the baby, Alfie arranges for a back-room abortionist (Denholm Elliott) to put an end to the pregnancy. But during the procedure, Alfie takes a nervous stroll around the block, witnessing Humphrey and Gilda with his son at the baptismal of their first child together. Hurrying back to his apartment, Alfie is traumatized to tears by the sight of his aborted fetus. Afterward, Alfie decides he has had enough of the single life and, having fallen for the voluptuous and wealthy Ruby, now aggressively pursues her. Too bad for Alfie, Ruby is not interested in having a full-time man around the house. She is attracted to a very young guitar-player. When Alfie arrives at Ruby’s apartment she admonishes him for his suspicions, but then informs him of her lack of feelings for him. Observing the naked guitarist patiently smoking a cigarette in Ruby’s bed, Alfie inquires why Ruby – a woman well into her middle-age – should seek companionship with this boy. When Ruby casually informs Alfie, her decision is solely based on the boy’s youth, Alfie suddenly realizes how similarly aligned his shallow intensions towards women have been. With no options left, he sheepishly departs Ruby’s apartment, confronting the audience with “What’s it all about?” before surmising, life is not worth a moment’s concern without someone to share it. Well, what do you know? Alfie – too little/too late – has finally grown up.

Capped off by an Oscar-nominated title tune, written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David, sung under the end credits by Cher (and to be endlessly covered by every major recording artist thereafter), Alfie was a box office sleeper, a surprise to Paramount, the state’s-side distributor. Unusual for its time, the movie opens with no main titles after the Paramount logo, except the word ‘Alfie’ as Michael Caine’s titular hero emerges from his steamed-up car to address the audience for the first time, espousing sharp-tongued jeremiads about women. Director, Lewis Gilbert and his cameraman, Otto Heller shot much of Alfie on location, immensely to add to the immediacy and reality of the piece, even as Caine’s performance is otherwise highly theatrical, doing everything to remind us of the original stagecraft. On stage, Alfie Elkins had been played by another rising star in the British new wave, Terence Stamp who was unavailable to reprise his role herein, despite Gilbert’s strong desire to cast him. Reportedly Stamp either refused to play the part, or was insidiously goaded by his flat mate – Michael Caine – to reconsider. Stamp’s loss, but definitely Caine’s gain, as Alfie immediately established him as the mid-60’s most amiable ‘go-to’ for playing glib, and occasionally nasty, but always immaculately attired anti-heroes. Many of the ‘big stars’ in British cinema then, having come from the lower caste, yet eager to assuage their past to their fan base, refused to partake. But Caine, always mindful of his own proletariat upbringing, saw no such shame in playing to its strengths as this disreputable scamp. As such, his Alfie is never anything less than genuine, occasionally audacious, but always, totally compelling to watch.  

What’s this all about?!? Alfie arrives on Blu-ray from Aussie indie label, ViaVision and their boutique label, ‘Imprint’, but in a rather disheartening 1080p transfer supplied by Paramount.  Really?!? For such a huge film of its generation, this one doesn’t even rate a new 4K scan from an original camera negative?!? No, this transfer is, instead, decades’ old, riddled with grotesque amounts of image instability, severe gate weave, wan colors and lots of age-related dirt and scratches to distract. Film grain never looks indigenous to its source, but instead, toggles between nonexistent to artificially boosted levels, looking gritty rather than indigenous to its source. Contrast is adequate. But fine details are wanting. There are also edge effects intermittently scattered throughout. The 2.0 LPCM and/or 5.1 DTS audio choices here are adequate, though just, and occasionally sound quite strident. Paramount’s shortsightedness in farming out deep catalog to ViaVision – basically, to use the label as a dumping ground for movies they have no desire to market themselves, much less apply the necessary due diligence to restore and remaster, is, frankly, appalling. Alfie was a watershed moment in British cinema that became a huge hit on both sides of the Atlantic and deserves far better than what it has received herein.  ViaVision has packed this lackluster feature with lots of goodies, including a second Blu-ray housing David Batty’s 2017 documentary on the sixties’ cultural revolution in London – My Generation. This is a fabulous glimpse into the world Michael Caine and his contemporaries inhabited for a brief wrinkle in time. On Alfie, we also get a new audio commentary from Jo Botting and Melanie Williams, as well as two video essays, the first from Kat Ellinger, and another from Matthew Sweet.  Both Ellinger and Sweet have valid points to make. Cumulatively, their contributions total just under 50 minutes. There is also an archival interview with Lewis Gilbert from 1995 and ‘Breaking the Mold’ – a 1994 documentary on Michael Caine’s rise to prominence, plus, a theatrical trailer. Bottom line: while the extras are nice to have, more should have been done to ready the original film elements of the feature film for this Blu-ray release. Snazzy packaging and extras aside, Alfie looks careworn and dated – not the way I would have wanted to experience Alfie again, or especially, if this were my first time!

FILM RATING (out of 5 – 5 being the best)

4

VIDEO/AUDIO

3

EXTRAS

5+