Alfie
Short description
Alfie is a British comedy-drama from 1966 about a Londoner who works as a chauffeur and devotes himself to casual romances with a string of women. He takes pride in his freedom and in the conquests he collects, until a series of setbacks forces him to reconsider what he wants from his life. Michael Caine plays the title role, with Shelley Winters as Ruby, Millicent Martin as Siddie, Julia Foster as Gilda, Jane Asher as Annie and Shirley Anne Field as Carla among the credited cast of twenty-one.
The film was directed by Lewis Gilbert, who also produced it, from a screenplay by Bill Naughton. It sits between Sink the Bismarck! and You Only Live Twice in the run of eleven features Gilbert directed, a filmography that later includes Educating Rita and Stepping Out. It was made in the United Kingdom by Paramount with Lewis Gilbert Productions and Sheldrake Films.
On IMDb the film holds a critics' rating of 8 out of 10 from twenty-nine reviews, while on TMDB it has a rating of 6.5 out of 10 from 240 votes, a gap that suggests the film was received more warmly by reviewers than by the general audience over the years.
What's left behind the scenes
- At the very last moment, Vivienne Merchant replaced actress Rachel Roberts in the role of Lily, who was unable to participate in filming due to her father's illness.
- Several famous actors, including Richard Harris, Laurence Harvey, James Booth, and Anthony Newley, turned down the lead role due to the taboo subject of abortion addressed in the film. Even Terence Stamp, who had played Alfie on Broadway, refused to play the character on screen. This gave the opportunity to his friend and then-roommate Michael Caine, for whom the role became a career breakthrough.
- During the filming of scenes with Michael Caine (who played the lead character, Alfie), his co-star Shelley Winters, playing Ruby, couldn't understand a word he said due to his strong accent. Caine spoke in Cockney, and his partner simply waited until his lips stopped moving before delivering her lines.
- Lewis Gilbert was struggling to find an actor for the lead role, as several well-known actors had turned down his offer. One day, Gilbert was chatting with editor Peter R. Hunt, who suggested an actor from a film he was currently editing. Without the studio's permission, Hunt showed Gilbert a cut of the detective film 'The Ipcress File' (1965), and Gilbert subsequently offered the leading role in his film to Michael Caine.
Auditions in India
Casting calls in USA
Castingi w Polsce
Кастинги в Україні
