The Knack ...and How to Get It | |
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Theatrical poster
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Directed by | Richard Lester |
Produced by | Oscar Lewenstein |
Written by | Charles Wood |
Starring |
Rita Tushingham Ray Brooks Michael Crawford Donal Donnelly |
Music by | John Barry |
Cinematography | David Watkin |
Edited by | Antony Gibbs |
Production
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Distributed by | United Artists Corporation |
Release date
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3 June 1965 |
Running time
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85 minutes |
Country | United Kingdom |
Language | English |
Budget | $364,000 |
Box office | $2.5 million (US) |
The Knack ...and How to Get It is a 1965 British comedy film directed by Richard Lester based on the play by Ann Jellicoe. It won the Palme d'Or at the 1965 Cannes Film Festival and was nominated for the Golden Bear at the 15th Berlin International Film Festival. It received the Grand Prix of the Belgian Film Critics Association.
The film depicts the sexual competition among three roommates — the aggressive, womanizing drummer Tolen (Ray Brooks), the shy, paranoid schoolteacher Colin (Michael Crawford), and the artist Tom (Donal Donnelly) — when a young woman from out of town, Nancy (Rita Tushingham), enters their London world.
Making the film immediately after working with The Beatles on A Hard Day's Night and just before Help!, Lester made major changes to the play, adding his own touch through direct address, unexpected oddly-edited sequences, humorous subtitles, and a Greek chorus of disapproving members of "the older generation." Talking about the film in the 1980s, actor Ray Brooks said:
Lester himself makes a brief cameo as an annoyed bystander. John Barry contributed the jazzy score, which features a memorable organ solo by Alan Haven. Jane Birkin, Charlotte Rampling, and Jacqueline Bisset all made their first cinematic appearances in the film as extras, together with Top of the Pops disc girl Samantha Juste.