Die romantische Engländerin (1975)

Die romantische Engländerin: Directed by Joseph Losey. With Glenda Jackson, Michael Caine, Helmut Berger, Michael Lonsdale. A marriage crisis between a writer and his wife leads her to flee to Germany and eventually return with another man, through whom the writer is going to overcome his writer’s block.

“From the filmu0026#39;s title and credits, I had assumed it would be a hysterical melodrama but, in general, I was pleasantly surprised by the result! As expected from this director, itu0026#39;s a stylish film but not an easy one: in fact, itu0026#39;s been likened to Alain Resnaisu0026#39; LAST YEAR AT MARIENBAD (1961) – though itu0026#39;s not quite that mystifying! u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eStill, the plot does blur the confines which separate fact from fiction, especially in the way novelist/screenwriter Michael Caine bases the affair between a man and a woman who meet while on holiday in a foreign city – and which we see enacted from time to time – on the one he suspects went on between his wife (Glenda Jackson) and a young German gigolo (Helmut Berger) in Baden-Baden. The latter, however, is not as naïve and innocuous as he seems to be; apart from being a crook, when invited by Caine to England, he insinuates himself into the coupleu0026#39;s household: charming the nanny who takes care of their child, intriguing the apprehensive Caine (playing a character named Lewis Fielding, whereupon Berger presents himself as an admirer citing u0026quot;Tom Jonesu0026quot; as his favorite novel – actually written by Henry Fielding!) but who still makes him his secretary, while Jackson is annoyed and evidently uncomfortable with the whole tension-filled set-up.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe three stars are excellent, but Caineu0026#39;s character is especially interesting; curiously enough, when presented with the idea for his script, he finds it boring and proposes to change it into a suspenser but, after realizing that the drama held greater resonance for him than he had anticipated, he is unaware of the parallel thriller subplot wherein Berger falls foul of his criminal associates (led by the smooth Michel Lonsdale)! The cast also features Reneu0026#39; Kolldehoff (as Caineu0026#39;s extravagant producer), Nathalie Delon (severely underused, despite her u0026quot;Guest Artistu0026quot; credit) and Kate Nelligan (as a gossipmonger friend of the Fieldings).u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe script by Tom Stoppard and Thomas Wiseman (from the latteru0026#39;s novel) is actually very funny, particularly Caineu0026#39;s explosive put-down of Nelligan on her very first appearance (though when Jackson eventually leaves him for Berger, she goes to see how heu0026#39;s doing and they make up), a society dinner in which Caine ends up drunk and Delon is mistaken for a hooker and, again, Caineu0026#39;s close encounter with gangster Lonsdale. Here, Losey also does some interesting things with his camera (Gerry Fisher was the cinematographer) and Richard Hartleyu0026#39;s score is notable, too.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eIu0026#39;ve only watched this and MR. KLEIN (1976) from Loseyu0026#39;s final period (1972-85), during which there were evident signs of decline; even if overlong and emerging, ultimately, as a lesser work, the film is more enjoyable – and rewarding – than could be gleaned from a mere reading of its synopsis…”