The Boy Friend (1971) 145m. Ken Russell's delirious, hilarious, visually dazzling version of Sandy Wilson's stage play is his one film that most critics agree to approve of. It's at once a homage to and send up of old Hollywood musicals (especially those by Busby Berkeley): an ingenue is thrown into the spotlight when the star performer calls in sick; a romance blossoms between the two leading players; a movie mogul happens to be talent-spotting during that very performance (this idea was based on Russell's own experience of viewing the stage production). It also has the backstage intrigues of all other 30s-40s musicals, only the major difference is that Russell allows them to spill onstage as well. He piles levels upon levels – it is as a backstage-plot-within-the-play-within-the film that we, the movie audience (and not the audience in the movie) are supposed to view Russell's film. In Russell's version, the plot of the play serves no other purpose than to parallel his own storyline unwinding behind the scenes – he is not interested in a straightforward film adaptation of the play (it would be impossibly vapid) but a specifically cinematic reworking of the show's many musical numbers. The amount of musical set-pieces in this film (especially if you've seen the full-length version) totals more than any other I can think of in a film of this type. Russell, who has always liked choreographing his imagination to music, at last has the chance to indulge himself for all he's worth (not that anything's really stopped him before). Scene by scene, we are treated to one flamboyant setup after another – they are obviously well beyond the capabilities of the run-down theater staging the play, but fit in seamlessly with the film's several fantasy sequences, which is the main point of this, and indeed all of the musicals it acknowledges, i.e. to provide escape into a colorful world of happy endings. THE BOY FRIEND is probably best known as the debut for 60s model Twiggy, who had never acted or sung before but was assured by Russell that she would be perfect for the role. She pulls off her part effortlessly and is ably supported by an excellent, high-spirited cast (who were obviously tuned in to Russell's wavelength). Having seen both versions of this film (one cut is 25 minutes shorter) I would question the inclusion of the Bacchanalia fantasy and a couple of the less stagy songs. Wilson's stage follow-up was the relatively unknown 'Divorce Me, Darling'. Watch out for cinema screenings in revival houses – this one really has to be seen in widescreen Panavision. Its cast includes Russell regulars Christopher Gable and Max Adrian. [email]sburridge@hotmail.com[/email]