Georgy Girl

Silvio Narizzano's 1966 British film is about a young woman in London. Georgy does not think herself attractive, is vague and well meaning, and James, the middle-aged owner of the house where her parents work, takes an interest and propositions her openly. Her flatmate Meredith is her opposite: confident, careless, and when she becomes pregnant she does not want the baby. Once the child is born Georgy takes care of it and has to choose between motherhood, marriage and independence. The film does not endorse the sixties language of liberation; Meredith's freedom is shown as irresponsibility and Georgy's sacrifice as a trap. The tone moves between comedy and sadness. Lynn Redgrave was nominated for an Academy Award and the title song became known apart from the film. Who it's for: viewers who like the British new wave and social comedy of the sixties. Who it's not for: anyone expecting a liberating ending; the film resists one.