From the press release: "Jack MacGowran plays Oscar Collins, an eccentric butterfly scientist who becomes obsessed with his neighbour, Penny Lane ( Birkin) after discovering a secret peephole in the wall between their flats. Penny is a young and beautiful fashion model, who spends her days in her rainbow painted pop apartment smoking dope, cavorting around in various states of undress and making love to her sexy boyfriends. Collins is soon overcome by his delusional fantasies about her, and repeatedly loses himself in trippy musical daydreams." The film also includes an appearance by Anita Pallenberg (Candy, Barbarella, Performance). Notable credits include Cinematographer Harry Waxman (The Wicker Man, The Pink Panther Strike Again, and The Family Way- w soundtrack by Paul McCartney), Production Designer Assheton Gorton (The Bed-Sitting Room, Get Carter, and The Magic Christian- starring Ringo Starr), and Costume Designer Jocelyn Rickards (From Russia With Love, The Knack…and How To Get It, and Blow-Up). Movie trailer below:
Spy Vibers will recognize the stars of the film from their iconic performances in the 1960s. Jack MacGowran appeared in The Fearless Vampire Killers (Polanski/1967), How I Won the War (Lester/1967), and in episodes of Danger Man, Secret Agent, The Avengers, and The Champions. Jane Birkin has been featured often on Spy Vibe. In addition to her relationships with James Bond composer John Barry and French composer/actor Serge Gainsbourg, Birkin had a successful career as a model and singer. She appeared in The Knack…and How to Get It (Lester/1965) and Blow-Up (Antonioni/1966). One of my fave Birkin releases is her 2006 arrangement of Bryan Ferry's In Every Dream Home a Heartache. Image below of Jack MacGowran in The Avengers ("The Winged Avenger") from Mrs. Peel We're Needed.
Wonderwall provides an interesting window into the world of 1967-1968, which began to highlight counter-culture and psychedelic pop fantasies in the context of youth, the arts, and society. This was the era of Barbarella, The Monkees Head, Magical Mystery Tour, Easy Rider, Yellow Submarine, Tonite Let's All Make Love in London, Girl On a Motorcycle, 2001 A Space Odyssey, Planet of the Apes, Rosemary's Baby, The Party, and Danger Diabolik. There was definitely something in the water! Shout Factory will release Wonderwall on March 25th. Amazon pre-order page here. George Harrison's soundtrack album is currently out of print. The band Oasis often mined 1960s Fab culture for inspiration. They released their gorgeous mega-hit Wonderwall in 1995. Spy Vibe's review of the 1968 Exhibit here. Spy Vibe posts about the satire boom in England in the 1960s: UK Satire Boom, UK Satire/Surrealism Peter Sellers to John Lennon, The Prisoner Fallout.
Recent Spy Vibe posts: David Bowie at 67, Kevin Dart talks Ringo & Powerpuff Girls, Sherlock Exhibit, Fu Manchu history panel, Andy Warhol box set, Six-Million Dollar Man, Striped Light Nude, Buckminster Fuller, Dylan at Newport, Jane and Serge, The Goldfinger Variations, Mod Tales Interview, Pete Seeger nominated for Grammy,Kraftwerk returns to US, Beatles BBC on Fresh Air, Steranko S.H.I.E.L.D. Artist Editions, David Tennant's Ian Fleming audio books, Atomic Art, Modern Architecture LP, Julius Shulman, Shane Glines Batman, The Prisoner and Captain Scarlet, Diego Fortunato and Verner Panton, Saturday Morning Cartoons, Assassination Bureau on DVD, new Young Bond series, new Hercule Poirot novel, Early Beatles image archive, Julie Newmar, Erno Goldfinger, Hitchcock tribute.
Recent Ian Fleming posts on Spy Vibe: Ian Fleming Letters, Erno Goldfinger, Ian Fleming Music Series links: Noel Coward, Whispering Jack Smith, Hawaiian Guitar, Joe Fingers Carr, new Ian Fleming Catalog, Jon Gilbert interview, Double 007 Designs, Bond audio book reissues, discovery of one of Ian Fleming's WWII Commandos, James Bond book covers, Ian Fleming's Playboy interview for Kindle, Spy Vibe's discovery of a rare Ian Fleming serialization, rare View to a Kill, Fleming's Royal gold typewriter, Ian Fleming's memorial address, Spy Vibe's Ian Fleming image archive.