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Monday, April 20, 2020

NOTHING BUT THE BEST (1964)

Posing above his class & in over his head, Alan Bates is both irresistible force & object of affection as a fast-rising, thick-necked scoundrel at a British investment house. Out to make some room at the top, he's learning how to succeed in business from wealthy wastrel Denholm Eliot, hiding in the flat below, and how to succeed at romance & social climbing from Millicent Martin, delaying consummation from her comfortable position as daughter to Bates’ banker boss Harry Andrews. Property is theft, property management murder in the facile politics of this early work from director Clive Donner (who never quite found his groove) and scripter Frederic Raphael (whose next three were DARLING/’65; TWO FOR THE ROAD/’67 and FAR FROM THE MADDING CROWD/’67), given a posh glow from cinematographer Nicolas Roeg and tasty support from a cast of upper-crust Brit twits who make the easiest of marks. A real period curiosity, darkly comic and worth a look.

DOUBLE-BILL: Any of the Raphael titles listed above, especially TWO FOR THE ROAD. OR: See Bates’ spectacular range not only in MADDING CROWD, listed above, but also in his other film from ‘64, ZORBA THE GREEK/’64.

ATTENTION MUST BE PAID: Listen up to hear an uncredited Eleanor Bron making her mark with a single line at a wild party scene. Who else makes that delicious sound?

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