I'LL NEVER FORGET WHAT’S'ISNAME

UK, 1968, 97 minutes, Colour.
Orson Welles, Oliver Reed, Carol White, Harry Andrews, Michael Hordern, Wendy Craig, Norman Rodway, Marianne Faithfull, Frank Finlay, Ann Lynn, Edward Fox, Basil Dignam, Mark Burns.
Directed by Michael Winner.

I’ll Never Forget What’s’isname is a film of the Swinging 60s, as the Swinging 60s were coming to an end. It has the paraphernalia of the era – even in psychedelic dreams. However, the setting is not only swinging London but peaceful academic Cambridge.

The film focuses on the crisis of Andrew Quint, in the advertising agency. He is played by Oliver Reed. Orson Welles, larger than life, is his boss. When Andrew Quint reappraises his life, he has to go back to his origins, examine the nature of his job and its artificiality, also look at his various relationships with women.

The film has a very strong cast – some veterans as well as some at the beginning of their careers.

The film is humorous, sometimes witty (he is a one-ulcer man in a two-ulcer job!). The film was directed by Michael Winner who was a brash young director of the 1960s with such films as The System, The Jokers, Hannibal Brooks (all with Oliver Reed). He was then to go to Hollywood and make a succession of films with Charles Bronson, The Mechanic, Chato’s Land and, especially, Death Wish. While he continued to make films, in the 1990s he became something of a celebrity in the United Kingdom, generally appearing, outlandishly, on television commercials, writing columns in papers – and living off past glories.

1. The meaning and significance of the title, its ironic tone, an indication of themes?

2. The film as a product of Britain in the mid-sixties, the look and atmosphere and feel of England at the time? Use of colour, music, flash photography, swift editing and playing tricks with editing? The techniques of the film within the film? commercial photography and the satire?

3. The atmosphere of London, swinging London, commercialized London? The type of society that lives there and works there? The contrast with the atmosphere of Cambridge? The look, traditions, the beauty of Cambridge? The irony of Slater and his commercial living there?

4. What kind of society was presented in the film? How critical was the film of this kind of society, how judgmental? Its comments on themes of power, control, dishonesty, wealth, relationships, superficiality, Jonathan's comments on waste?

5. The immediate impact of Andrew during the credits, his axe, his chopping his desk to pieces? What did this signify? A symbol of what he was trying to do all the time? His ability to do this, his growing inability to do it? What was the nature of his crisis, his search? The kind of man who needed to go back to origins to see what had happened to him? His wanting to understand the past, discard so much of the present, the attempts to try again? His initiatives? His weaknesses? The fact that he was so often controlled, especially by Jonathan, Louise, his own weaknesses? The significance of Louise's final comment about all the trouble to cross the street? How significant in summing up Andrew and his crisis and search?

6. The character of Andrew, his strengths, weaknesses? His age, role as a husband, father, the skill and genius in his work, his wealth, his ambitions? His relationship with his mistresses and his weakness? His relationship with his friends, for example Nicholas and Carla, his relationship with his enemies, especially Maccabee?

7. The character of Louise, her reflections on her marriage and her youth, her attitudes towards Andrew, support of him, love for him? Her role as a mother? The lack of success in their marriage, her work, her friends? Her return at the end?

8. What was revealed about Andrew in his relationship with Josie, the type that she was, for example with noise? His leaving her? The relationship with Susanna, meeting her at the station, his attacking her during the filming of the commercial, him seeing her off at the party, with her husband?

9. The relationship between Andrew and Nicholas and Carla? What did these two represent, the past and achievement in Andrew's life, the worthwhileness of not compromising? The irony of Carla's attraction for Andrew and her resentment? Nicholas and his irresponsibility, poor running of the magazine, selling it, being full of self-pity and causing Georgina's death? Their impact on Andrew's life? The values of London and England that they represented?

10. What did Georgina mean to Andrew? The fact that he saw her first at work, her work for the magazine, the sequences of shopping, the party, returning to the school, her supporting him with his injuries, allowing him to be in her home, tenderness and love, their fight? The irony that this was the background to her death? The significance of his throwing the tape with the cup into the river at the end? What possibilities did Georgina have for Andrew's crisis and search?

11. The portrait of big business in Jonathan, Orson Welles and his size, his sardonic remarks? The unscrupulous man of empire and ambition, the cynical attitude towards the world? His hold over Andrew, his taunts, buying, the magazine and controlling Andrew, wanting him to win?

12. How important was the return to the school, the satire on England in the doddery headmaster, his lack of recognition of names, his speech and the school song? His role in Andrew's fantasies and dreams, especially at the carnival? The socializing, snobbery, the supposed backbone of England? The humiliation of Eldridge's chase and the hunt? The violence and savagery of the hunt? Its place in Andrew's memories and dreams? Maccabee and his bullying and hurting of Andrew? A repetition of his early years?

13. The role of Andrew's memories and dreams, sexuality, being hurt? The significance of the chaplain's words, Andrew's listening and laughing? Their recapitulation in his commercial?

14. The visit to Cambridge and its romantic attitude, the cynicism of Slater and his attitudes, the sardonic attitude towards commercialism even within academic traditions?

15. What was the purpose of the commercial, its content, the ordinary advertising comments, its presentation of all the people in Andrew's life, in particular situations, what did it reveal about them? How was Andrew looking at them, using them? Their uttering of the truth, in contrast with the commercial style? The irony of people's acclaim, and his winning of the trophy? Jonathan's satisfaction and cynicism? Andrew's disappointment? What did it reveal to him about his own life?

16. Why did he fight Maccabee? Why did he defy Jonathan? Why did he throw the trophy away, and Georgina's words? The fact that Louise came back for him?

17. How telling and understanding of man, his identity, crises, the individual and modern society?