The Boy Friend
Directed by	Ken Russell
Written by	Ken Russell
Produced by	Ken Russell Harry Benn
Starring	Twiggy Christopher Gable Max Adrian Tommy Tune Brian Murphy Barbara Windsor Vladek Sheybal
Cinematography	David Watkin
Edited by	Michael Bradsell
Music by	Peter Maxwell Davies
Production company	Russflix
Distributed by	MGM-EMI (UK), Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (US)
Release dates	16 December 1971 (1971-12-16) (New York, US) (Premiere)
Running time	137 minutes (original) 109 mins (US)
Countries	United Kingdom United States
Language	English
Budget	$3 million[1] or $2.3 million[2]

The Boy Friend is a 1971 British-American musical comedy film directed by Ken Russell and starring Twiggy, Christopher Gable, Tommy Tune, and Max Adrian with an uncredited appearance by Glenda Jackson.^[3] It is an adaptation of the musical The Boy Friend by Sandy Wilson. It was released on DVD on April 12, 2011.

The plot exists on three levels.

First there is the frame story, where, in the south of England in the 1920s, a struggling theatrical troupe is performing a musical about romantic intrigues at a finishing school for young women in the south of France. As well as weathering ongoing backstage dramas, and audiences that are smaller in number than the cast, two extra stressors arrive: a famous Hollywood film producer turns up to see the show, and Polly, the mousy assistant stage manager, is forced to go on when the leading lady breaks a leg. As Polly struggles to keep her cool while acting opposite the male lead who she secretly loves, the rest of the company backstab each other as they try to impress the impresario.

Next there is the musical itself. Four of the girls at the school are very forward and acquire boy friends, but Polly is shy and has nobody to take her to the carnival masked ball that night. Tony, a messenger boy from a dress shop, brings her a costume and the two young people are struck with each other. They meet again in the afternoon and reach an understanding, she pretending to be only a secretary, so as not to seem above him socially. He comes to the ball and, when unmasked, is recognised as a peer's son. So Tony and Polly are both rich and can marry openly.

Thirdly, there are extensive fantasy sequences in the film, during which the characters' dreams and hopes are enacted in music and dance without words.

The musical made its debut in 1954 and had been a notable success, helping make a star of Julie Andrews. MGM bought the film rights in 1957.^[4] However a film was not made for many years.

Ken Russell was friends with the model Twiggy, who wanted to get into films. She had seen a revival of The Boyfriend and suggested that Russell direct her in a film version. Russell says he told a journalist as a joke that he was doing it, and MGM contacted him saying they had the rights. They decided to actually do the film. "Honestly that's how it all came about," said Russell.^[5]

Dan Ireland thought Russell was motivated to make the film in response to the controversy of The Devils (1971).^[1] Russell admitted he did it "to prove to people I'm not totally deranged. I love the innocence and charm of musicals."^[5]

Twiggy had been the most famous model in the world but had retired from that for 18 months before the film.^[6]

Her boyfriend and manager, Justin de Villeneuve, acted as producer. "Justin swears she can do anything," said Sandy Wilson before filming began, "and I would think he's probably right."^[7]

"I know The Boyfriend will be one of the greatest musicals of all time," said Russell. "I only have 24 girls instead of 300 but the Busby Berkely musical numbers and dream sequences will knock you out. I'm directing it like a tacky stage play in the provinces that is being visited by a big Hollywood director. You see the big fantasies as he visualises them in his head. It will be fantastic!"^[5]

The male lead was Christopher Gable, who later recalled. "Twiggy was just great; she may be skinny but she's tough. The musical itself was not enjoyable. By a musical's very nature, one has to be relentlessly cheery, the kind of person who always smiles, and, therefore, always dances. After four months, you don't feel like it."^[8]

Filming took place over eighteen weeks, finishing in September 1971.^[9]

During filming Russell said the film was "supposed to be a holiday after The Devils - just entertainment. It's turned out to be the hardest picture I've ever made."^[9]

"His main problem is containing himself," said associate producer Harry Benn. "He has so many ideas going through that brain of his, his problem - and ours - is to contain himself."^[9]

De Villeneuve wanted to star Twiggy and Tommy Tune in a follow up, Gotta Sing, Gotta Dance, but the film was never made.^[6]

Head of MGM James Aubrey ordered 25 minutes be removed from the movie for its US release.^[1] Michael Laughlin, director of the film Chandler which was also cut by Aubrey, claimed Russell said he was going to Los Angeles to "murder Jim Aubrey". Russell denied this, saying he said he was going to Los Angeles to murder Rex Reed (a columnist who had been critical of Russell), and pointing out he was making his next film, Savage Messiah, for MGM. He said if Aubrey wanted to cut the film that was his prerogative.^[10]

Among the material cut for the US release was:

• two songs, "It's Nicer in Nice" and "The You-Don't-Want-to-Play-With-Me Blues,"
• a seven-minute sequence where the character played by Twiggy imagines the entire cast in a bacchanal, and
• a running gag involving the wife (Anna Jameson) of a two-timing actor.^[11]

Russell later claimed he should have cut the film "during the script stage but, determined to be faithful to the original show, I kept in everything! It was left to MGM, who financed the film, to do the job for me. A gorilla in boxing gloves wielding a pair of garden shears could have done a better job."^[12]

In January 1972 the Los Angeles Times reported the film was "raking in big grosses already in New York and LA."^[10] Russell however later said the film was "a flop".^[12]

Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times wrote, "Even when he’s not deliberately doing Berkeley takeoffs, (Ken Russell's) camera is so joyless that it undermines every scene".^[13]

Roger Greenspun wrote in The New York Times: "I am surprised to find that it is rather greatly to my taste; partly because it is often as witty as it is elaborate, partly because it works its variations on the fully recognizable and still quite wonderful Sandy Wilson words and music, and partly because it is supported by a charming and energetic cast".^[14]

Sandy Wilson said in a 1994 interview that he disliked the film. "I recognise some of the tunes. If it made a star out of Twiggy, well . . . But she's faded out long since. To give Russell his due, it didn't belong on the screen at all."^[15]

Russell later wrote of the film:

Despite the big Busby Berkeley routines, the novelty value of the

stage show, the great singing and dancing by the cast... plus the brilliant designs of Shirley Kingdon and Tony Walton, the film was a flop. The acting

was too broad, the gags too laboured and the pacing too slow. I should have cut it during the script stage, but, determined to be faithful to the original show, I kept in EVERYTHING!^[12]

The National Board of Review voted Ken Russell best director, and Twiggy won 2 Golden Globe Awards as best newcomer and best actress (musical/comedy).

The film was also nominated for the Academy Award for Best Music, Adaptation and Original Song Score, losing to Fiddler on the Roof.

In 1987 a version of the film was released with the 25 minutes cut out put back in. The Los Angeles Times called this version "a delight, one of the high points of Russell's extravagantly uneven career. But truth to tell, it does seem a bit lengthy."^[11]

• List of American films of 1971

• The Boy Friend at IMDb