Cover from a VHS edition of O Lucky Man!
© Lindsay Anderson Collection,
University of Stirling
There are two screenings of Lindsay Anderson's 1973 film O Lucky Man! this month.
The Cinematek in Brussels has given the British writer Jonathon Coe a season of films called "Carte Blanche" with the freedom to programme twenty-five of his favourite films. On May 18 he has chosen O Lucky Man! (Le Meilleur des Mondes Possibles). In a companion interview for the magazine Agenda/Cinema, Jonathon Coe said: "if there is one film in this season that I hope people will come and see, it's O Lucky Man! I think it will change people's minds completely about the nature of British cinema. It has everything - politics, comedy, horror, and a use of music that is completely original, all done on an epic scale. It's one of the most ambitious and imaginative films ever made in the UK. Come and see for yourselves!"
Lindsay Anderson, Alan Price and Miroslav Ondricek on the set of O Lucky Man!
© Lindsay Anderson Collection, University of Stirling
The National Film Theatre at the British Film Institute Southbank, London, is screening O Lucky Man! in conjunction with an exhibition 'Radio Mania: An Abandoned Work' by Iain Forsyth & Jane Pollard. On the 27 May the artists have chosen a selection of work by fellow artist and filmmakers and have chosen to screen their favourite film, O Lucky Man!, after it. The film will be screened again on the 31 May.
One of my favorites and certainly Anderson's most expansive work. What I love about analyzing British cinema is how the directors and screenwriters of the time influenced each other.
ReplyDeleteThere really aren't very many people actively engaged in the craft, all told, and once you see a large number of films from any period, you begin to see the homages, references, and inspirations between one filmmakers. That's why the cinema in general is so interesting to me.