1960s drama film romance film melodrama Free Cinema and the British New Wave

Darling

1965 · United Kingdom · 128 min

Director: John Schlesinger
Screenplay: John Schlesinger, Frederic Raphael, Joseph Janni
Producer: Joseph Janni
Music: John Dankworth
Cinematography: Kenneth Higgins
Editing: Jim Clark

Awards: Academy Award for Best Writing, Original Screenplay; Academy Award for Best Actress; BAFTA Award for Best British Screenplay; National Board of Review Award for Best Actress; National Board of Review: Top Ten Films; Golden Globe Award for Best English-Language Foreign Film… · 11 nominations

What the critics say

68 % Rotten Tomatoes positive reviews

Cast

Peter Bayliss

José Luis de Vilallonga

Umberto Raho

James Cossins

Marika Rivera

Hugo Dyson

Trevor Bowen

Jean Claudio

Patrick Guillemin

Alex Scott

What it is about

Diana Scott is a young London model who, bored with a life she finds monotonous, wants above all success and notoriety. After meeting Robert Gold, a cultured and reserved television director, she starts moving through the circles of fashion, advertising and art in the British capital. The film follows her ambitions and contradictions in a world where glamour coexists with superficiality and personal emptiness.

How it was made

The screenplay by Frederic Raphael, written together with Schlesinger and producer Joseph Janni, drew in part on the exploits of actress Beth Rogan, as has been reported. Shirley MacLaine was at one point set for the lead role before being replaced by Julie Christie. Shooting ran from August to December 1964 in London, Paris and Rome, with interiors at Shepperton Studios. Kenneth Higgins handled the photography and John Dankworth composed the score. Budget figures vary between sources, but they hover around 300,000 to 400,000 pounds.

Reception and legacy

The film was warmly received on its 1965 release and won three Academy Awards: Best Actress for Julie Christie, Best Original Screenplay and Best Costume Design in black and white. It also took four BAFTA Awards and was nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars. Over time its reputation became more contested. Some critics saw it as an influential portrait of its era, while others faulted its cynical tone and pretentious style. Today it is remembered mainly as a critical look at Swinging London and as the film that gave Christie her international standing.