Watch The Boy Friend For Free

Redundant and unnecessary.

I'll tell you why so serious

When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

The Great Beast of British cinema ,the eccentrics' eccentric,the mavericks' maverick,Michael Winner with visual flair....whatever your opinion of Mr K.Russell he should be regarded as more than just a purveyor of "Ken Russell Films" In "The Boyfriend" he ventured far outside what may be considered his comfort zone and came up with what maybe considered the best British musical film ever made - although that maybe unintentionally damning it with faint praise. It parades his usual flamboyance without being rococo,his flair for mixing visual images with music and his ability - when he cares enough about a project - to get his cast to act out of their skins. In the 1950s Sandy Wilson,along with Julian Slade put provincial bums on seats in London theatres with tuneful,carefree shows and revues. Frothy and gay they might have been but we lapped them up. Leave the theatre,walk along the Embankment to a Hot Pie Stall,mingle with a few "real cockneys" then hurry back to Victoria to catch the midnight train, flushed with our own daring. The sort of people - in short - Mr Russell hated. He got his own back fifteen years later by deflowering our beloved"The Girlfriend" and many older theatregoers never forgave him for it. But he turned her into a smart,snazzy,funny,brash and entertaining film that will make you leave the cinema happier than when you went in. And to me that's the primary object of any film. Life's depressing enough without paying good money to get even more depressed....right?

This film has never looked or sounded better than on the newly-released blu ray. Twiggy makes an enchanting screen debut in a totally unique contribution to the musical. The slim story tells of a run down theater troupe putting on a production of THE BOY FRIEND. Assistant Stage Manager Polly Brown (Twiggy) has to go on in place of the injured star (A marvelous, unbilled Glenda Jackson). This means Polly will have to play love scenes with a leading man she has had a mad crush on. (Christopher Gable). The house is near empty, and the star won't be missed too much, but wait! A Mr. DeThrill has arrived to scout out the performance! This gives director Ken Russell the chance to show us some stunning dream numbers which pay homage to early Hollywood musicals like SHOW OF SHOWS, (1929), FLYING DOWN TO RIO, (1933), and in particular, the work of Busby Berkeley. This is a totally unique show, but one that is worth warming up to.

It's not very well known that there are several versions of this movie available, from 109 to 135 minutes. The DVD version is the shortest, and excludes a few of the most extravagant numbers, while the director's cut has all of the musical sequences. The full theatrical version of the film is an unapologetic mix of reality and fantasy - some of it wonderful, some other segments not fully successful. But the film has a buoyant energy, thanks to the delightful musical numbers. The DVD version eschews the wilder fantasy sequences in favor of a more realistic approach. It seems to lack a certain energy. I'd rate the shortened, DVD version of the movie maybe 6/10 - a real disappointment. I'd rate the full-length, theatrical version of the movie 9/10. If you can, see the movie. Don't bother with the DVD.

THE BOY FRIEND is simultaneously a parody of, and a tribute to, the musicals of the thirties. When the star of a cheesy English musical hall play is injured, the assistant stage manager, Polly Browne, has to take her place. And of course, the great Hollywood director Cedil B. de Thrill is in the audience talent scouting, Polly is in love with the male lead (something everyone but him knows), the musical's director is rewriting the show as he goes, and one of the cast is intent on sabotaging everyone else to get noticed by de Thrill.Periodically, we get brilliantly done big stage numbers based on the great 1930s screen musicals of Busby Berkeley, all done absolutely perfectly.The cast is marvelous. Whether playing it straight or deliberately overacting every note is perfect.For lovers of musicals, this is a must.