Darling

John Schlesinger's film set in 1960s London, attacking the glamour of that moment directly. Diana is a model. She wants to rise and does it through relationships: first a married television journalist, then an advertising executive, then an Italian prince. She becomes more visible at every step and lonelier at every step. Its hardness is in refusing to present her as a victim: she is used, and she uses, and most of the decisions are knowingly hers. The narrative sits inside a magazine interview; Diana narrates her own life, and what she says and what we see are continually at odds. Julie Christie plays Diana and won the Best Actress Oscar for it. The film also took Oscars for original screenplay and costume. Dirk Bogarde plays the journalist and Laurence Harvey the advertising man. Frederic Raphael's screenplay is counted among the sharpest of its period. An important work for anyone who likes 1960s British cinema and portraits built on fame. For a viewer looking for sympathy the film leaves nobody any room; everyone is calculating, everyone is hollow, and the ending is merciless.