The Boy Friend in 35mm

The Boy Friend in 35mm

Selected by the Costume Designers Branch.

Selected by the Costume Designers Branch.

Sandy Wilson’s 1953 stage musical The Boy Friend paid homage to the frothy early days of musical theater, and Ken Russell’s stylish film version brought his own distinctively eccentric vision to the material. Iconic fashion model Twiggy made a charming ingenue in her first leading film role, supported by a droll cast including Broadway legend Tommy Tune and an uncredited appearance by Oscar winner Glenda Jackson. The film’s witty and eye-popping costumes were created by two-time Oscar nominee Shirley Russell (Agatha, Reds), a valued collaborator on such Russell classics as Women in Love (1969) and Tommy (1975).

DIRECTED/WRITTEN BY: Ken Russell. WITH: Twiggy, Christopher Gable, Max Adrian, Bryan Pringle. 1971. 135 min. UK. Color. Scope. English. Rated G. 35mm. Print courtesy of the BFI National Archive.

Academy Museum film programming generously funded by the Richard Roth Foundation. 

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