O Lucky Man! (1973) has been overlooked for decades, though luckily nowadays it is becoming more appreciated for the lost classic it is. The movie is a bizarre odyssey through 1970s Britain, with the innocent every man Mick Travis serving as a sort of Adam stumbling outside of paradise (note how often he is shown munching on apples). His adventures are black comic, grotesquely sexual, and even frightening, yet in the end, in the face of massive disillusionment with the human race, Mick reaches a sort of enlightenment in what may be the most cautiously optimistic ending in cinematic history.
Lindsay Anderson's direction is marvelous, combining the classical epic, musical, and in some cases silent cinema to create an entirely unique movie experience. Malcolm McDowell (who also co-wrote the script) is just perfection as Mick Travis, innocent and idealistic but never one note or dull. For me, both the villainous Alex Delarge of A Clockwork Orange (1971) and Mick Travis in O Lucky Man! are his finest moments as an actor. I wish that someday he'll get one last chance to play a similarly fantastic role. Alan Price's music is very early 1970s and catchy. His music acts as a sort of Greek chorus for Mick's adventures.
O Lucky Man! is a spiritual sequel to Anderson's 1968 movie If...., which explored the rebellion of the 1960s counterculture. O Lucky Man! is more about the 1970s, of course, and I think it a far more interesting picture, though If.... still remains a great favorite of mine. The 1970s was one of the greatest decades for movie-making worldwide, and if you love this decade, then you owe it to yourself to see O Lucky Man!
Lindsay Anderson's direction is marvelous, combining the classical epic, musical, and in some cases silent cinema to create an entirely unique movie experience. Malcolm McDowell (who also co-wrote the script) is just perfection as Mick Travis, innocent and idealistic but never one note or dull. For me, both the villainous Alex Delarge of A Clockwork Orange (1971) and Mick Travis in O Lucky Man! are his finest moments as an actor. I wish that someday he'll get one last chance to play a similarly fantastic role. Alan Price's music is very early 1970s and catchy. His music acts as a sort of Greek chorus for Mick's adventures.
O Lucky Man! is a spiritual sequel to Anderson's 1968 movie If...., which explored the rebellion of the 1960s counterculture. O Lucky Man! is more about the 1970s, of course, and I think it a far more interesting picture, though If.... still remains a great favorite of mine. The 1970s was one of the greatest decades for movie-making worldwide, and if you love this decade, then you owe it to yourself to see O Lucky Man!