Wonderwall (1968)

So much average

A Disappointing Continuation

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

In the 1968 psychedelic curiosity "Wonderwall," we meet Collins, an absentminded microbiologist at the Metropolitan Water Board (played by Jack MacGowran) who has spent the better part of his life observing interesting and colorful objects through a small hole (test slides through a microscope). His life gets turned around one day when he discovers some new, even more colorful specimens to ponder: the swinging models and hippies who live, work and party in his next-door flat...and who he can now spy on, thanks to a small aperture in his moldering apartment. Known primarily today for George Harrison's psych rock and droning-raga soundtrack, "Wonderwall" is a souvenir of swinging London that should just manage to please modern viewers...even those who are not lysergically enhanced. Every one of Collins' numerous fantasy episodes, and every glimpse into that apartment next door, is like a peek into a psychedelic, color-saturated wonderland. Whether Collins' neighbors are engaged in a photo shoot, a pot party or a bout of lovemaking, director Joe Massot mines psychedelic gold, and costume designer Jocelyn Rickards decks one and all in retina-pleasing finery. Jane Birkin here plays a mod model who is the chief object of Collins' obsessed fantasies; yes, she HAD played another model just two years before, in Antonioni's "Blow-up." "Wonderwall" may bring to mind bits of other films, such as "Peeping Tom" and 1985's "Brazil," mixed in with some Monty Python and even the front cover of Spirit's classic 1970 album "12 Dreams of Dr. Sardonicus." It drags at times, and even this director's cut, shorn of a dozen or so minutes of previous footage, feels a bit padded. Still, I found it, for the most part, a colorful way to spend 73 minutes. As the always pithy Michael Weldon puts it, in my beloved "Psychotronic Video Guide," "it's good for the 'swinging London' fashions and the music." Blotter is optional.

Wonderwall is certainly a period piece from 1968. The plot concerns a lonely old college professor,played by Jack McGowan, who periodically spies on his attractive,young fashion model,played by Jane Berkin (star of many a French film),thru a hole in the wall. The professor starts to drill more holes in his wall,so he can view her from various perspectives. The film earns it's kudos from it's production values,it's use of colour (the professor's flat is a dreary,colourless one,while the model's flat is a burst of psychedelic colours). This little seen film fared poorly in the U.K. & even worse in the U.S.,before it was promptly forgotten in the dustbin of ignored films. Pity....it would have made for a most fitting addition to the rank of midnight movies in the early to mid 1970's. One didn't have to partake of various mind expanding drugs to enjoy this odd little film, but it sure didn't hurt. The film's director was Joe Massot,who would be more recognized nearly a decade later as the co-director of 'Led Zepplin:The Song Remains The Same' (he directed the "fantasy" sequences featuring the members of Led Zepplin,as well as their then manager,Peter Grant, that for some managed to pad the film out way beyond it's two hour,plus running time). The most notable aspect of this film is the musical score,which was composed by George Harrison,who wanted it to sound as much anti Beatle as possible (and succeeded). A brand new print of this forgotten film was re-discovered a few years back,restored with a punchy sounding soundtrack & re-released. Worth seeking out. No MPAA rating here,but contains a bit of peek-a-boo nudity & adult situations which could have earned it an 'R' rating back in 1968

Any movie that is defended with the idea that it can only be enjoyed by viewing after taking drugs... well, c'mon, you know it's got to be pretty bad. And this is bad, no mistake about it. Sure, it's very colorful, and for the drug-inclined it's an eye-popping visual "overdose" of nostalgic psychedelia...But at the the heart of this foolish fruity farrago is an offensive story of a geeky middle-aged man obsessing pervertedly over a pretty young woman living next door -- that obsession fueled by non-stop Peeping Tom activity. This sick invasion of privacy is treated as an excitable, joyous, comical diversion. It leads the geek professor to wild flights of fancy and lunatic dreams, giving us plenty of bizarre sequences filmed in full 60's psychedelic-meets-Richard Lester glory. But, wacky comedy-wise, it's weak tea in comparison to Lester's 'The Knack' or 'Help!' And considering the obvious Lester-Beatles influence (including the actor playing Birkin's boyfriend having a distinct Liverpudlian accent) it's no surprise that George Harrison provides the score.Too bad that the score is awful. Whole scenes go by with virtually no dialogue, thus a catchy pop score from Harrison would be welcome, and add to the nostalgic value of the film beyond the psychedelia. Unfortunately we get the Shankar-sauce sitar-period Harrison. Only those finding a nostalgic trip from Indian music that sounds like the wailing of out-of-tune violins (or worse, the sound of a cat trapped inside bagpipes) will be pleased. Otherwise, it's an ear-offending slog.And otherwise, filmically, you get a frantic but professional performance from Jack Macgowran, a lot of eye-catching shots of pretty cult-figure Jane Birkin, and a few comic bits that work.

Well, I just saw a restored print of this at the Screening room. It is a marvelous piece, light and yet moving, filled with wonderful visuals, a great performance by Jack McGowran and a marvelous (and unfortunately out-of-print) score by everyone's favorite Beatle, George. The synopsis above just doesn't do justice to the film. Yes, it's about a daffy old guy who peers in on a lovely young woman living next door, but there's nothing creepy or pathetic about it. In fact, he's actually quite a bit a of a dashing and romantic figure in his own detached, weird way. One of the most notable things about the film is the art direction, done by the band/art collective The Fool. An obscure folk group (sort of a lesser Incredible String Band) they made the most of what was most likely a thin budget by pouring every ounce of energy into creating two amazing sets for the adjacent apartments of the old man and the young model. They are, without a doubt, two of the coolest looking places to live I have ever seen in a movie (I would give my eye-teeth to live in either one of those flats) and they form as much of a part of the main characters as the portrayal by the actors themselves. The old scientist lives in Celtic-Medieval warren, inspired by Pre-Raphaelite design, and the young model lives in a mod Sixties psychedelic/glam environment suffused with overtones of 20's/30's nostalgia. Both apartments then are filled with a yearning for the past and so, the old man becomes no more of a romanticist than the girl, despite his age. He is actually quite dashing in his cape and tuxedo when engaging in some of his later escapades, like some bandit out of a Fantomas picture. No, this movie isn't about a pathetic old guy lusting after a lithe young thing. It's about a few other things more interesting and perhaps more touching, but you'll have to find out for yourself. In any case it's a nice little treat worth finding, if you can.