Darling
Directed by John Schlesinger
Written by Frederic Raphael
UK/1965
Joseph Janni Productions/Vic Film Productions/Appia Films Ltd.
First viewing/YouTube rental
[box] Diana Scott: My friends seemed to get on very well with your friends.
Robert Gold: Because your friends are so pretty.
Diana Scott: And your’s so intelligent.[/box]
Now why in the hell is this fantastic film not on The List? Goes immediately on my Favorite New-to-Me Movies of 2018 List.
Diana Scott (Julie Christie) has been told since infancy that she is just darling. She’s got it all – beauty, sex appeal, charm, and social skills. But there’s an emptiness where empathy and conscience ought to be. Obviously, such a person is cut out to be a fashion model or celebrity – maybe both.
The story follows Diana’s highly successful career and the fate of the men -a journalist (Dirk Bogarde) and producer (Laurence Harvey) – she spends time with on the way up.
Darling would make a great triple bill with La Dolce Vita and Blow-Up as another dark critique of the Swinging Sixties and popular culture. Christie is simply fantastic. She has to play quite a range and her expressive face tells us what she is feeling (or not). The men are her equals. Loved all the irony. Adored the ending! Highly recommended.
Darling won Academy Awards in the categories of Best Actress; Best Writing, Story and Screenplay – Written Directly for the Screen; and Best Art Direction-Set Direction, Black-and-White. It was nominated in the categories of Best Picture and Best Director.
