The tone of this "Swinging 60's"-era movie is set within the first few minutes with its shots of the carefree title character played by Lynn Redgrave frolicking down the street to the backdrop of the Seekers' whistle-along, super-catchy title song the lyric of which in fact cleverly acts as a sort of commentary on proceedings and so informs much of the plot.
Georgy is the plainer, more homely sister to Charlotte Rampling's Meredith, a prettier and more glamorous but selfish and bitchy fun-seeker who's happy to share Georgy's flat with her madcap boyfriend Jos, played by Alan Bates, as well as generally using and abusing them both as she personifies the so-called modern girl. When she's not teaching music to young children, Georgy has to endure the withering disdain of her parents, both of whom are in service to James Mason's wealthy but unhappily married Northern businessman James Leamington, who, strongly supported in this by her toadying dad, Bill Owen, relentlessly pursues Georgy to the extent of offering her a "mistress contract" before his unloved, ailing wife conveniently dies, clearing the way for him to renew his attempted conquest of our heroine.
Things get even more complicated when Meredith gets pregnant (again!) to Jos, but this time, rather than have an abortion like twice before, is persuaded by Georgy and Jos to agree to marry Jos and have the baby against her better judgement for them all to cosily live together in the flat. But something happens on the way to baby heaven changing the relationship between the three young principals before winding up with an ending that manages to rope in the old lech Leamington too.
Quite racy for its time I'd imagine in its treatment of relationships and more specifically adultery, abortion and pre-marital sex, the film is enlivened by the enthusiastic playing of Redgrave, Bates, whose Y-fronts I never, ever want to see again and Rampling, in an unsympathetic role, supported by the experienced playing of seasoned character actors like Mason and Owen. Peppy and irreverent and with many scenes shot in and around London's Belsize Park district, the film can be seen perhaps as the feminine-viewpoint less-shiny side of the coin bearing Michael "Alfie" Caine's smiling face.
In the end, Georgy (and everyone else, come to that) sort of gets what she wants (a little bit) in an imperfect world, thus marking her out as not quite the soft touch she at first seems to be in a film which despite its black and white cinematography, showed an entertainingly lighter treatment of the kitchen-sink-drama style of film-making then holding away in British cinema.
Georgy is the plainer, more homely sister to Charlotte Rampling's Meredith, a prettier and more glamorous but selfish and bitchy fun-seeker who's happy to share Georgy's flat with her madcap boyfriend Jos, played by Alan Bates, as well as generally using and abusing them both as she personifies the so-called modern girl. When she's not teaching music to young children, Georgy has to endure the withering disdain of her parents, both of whom are in service to James Mason's wealthy but unhappily married Northern businessman James Leamington, who, strongly supported in this by her toadying dad, Bill Owen, relentlessly pursues Georgy to the extent of offering her a "mistress contract" before his unloved, ailing wife conveniently dies, clearing the way for him to renew his attempted conquest of our heroine.
Things get even more complicated when Meredith gets pregnant (again!) to Jos, but this time, rather than have an abortion like twice before, is persuaded by Georgy and Jos to agree to marry Jos and have the baby against her better judgement for them all to cosily live together in the flat. But something happens on the way to baby heaven changing the relationship between the three young principals before winding up with an ending that manages to rope in the old lech Leamington too.
Quite racy for its time I'd imagine in its treatment of relationships and more specifically adultery, abortion and pre-marital sex, the film is enlivened by the enthusiastic playing of Redgrave, Bates, whose Y-fronts I never, ever want to see again and Rampling, in an unsympathetic role, supported by the experienced playing of seasoned character actors like Mason and Owen. Peppy and irreverent and with many scenes shot in and around London's Belsize Park district, the film can be seen perhaps as the feminine-viewpoint less-shiny side of the coin bearing Michael "Alfie" Caine's smiling face.
In the end, Georgy (and everyone else, come to that) sort of gets what she wants (a little bit) in an imperfect world, thus marking her out as not quite the soft touch she at first seems to be in a film which despite its black and white cinematography, showed an entertainingly lighter treatment of the kitchen-sink-drama style of film-making then holding away in British cinema.