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107 of 109 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of the most brilliant, underappreciated films ever made, February 21, 2000
One of the most brilliant motion pictures ever made, and a strong contender for the best British film of all time. "O' Lucky Man" originated in an idea from Malcolm McDowell about a coffee salesman traveling throughout England. McDowell and director Lindsay Anderson, who collaborated on "If" (winner of the 1969 Palme D'Or at Cannes) resurrected the character of Mick Travis (McDowell) for an epic-length feature in 1973. After several failed attempts by McDowell to write a script, David Sherwin ("If...") penned the screenplay. "O' Lucky Man's" greatest strength is its incredible scope: in merely three hours, the film provides a nihilistic and a-humanist answer for the meaning of life... a remarkable accomplishment for a single feature film. As salesman Travis journeys across the United Kingdom and attempts to sell coffee in England and Scotland, he has a series of loosely-connected experiences with a series of individuals, played by eleven actors in multiple roles, who represent fundamental literary archetypes. The situations Travis encounters run the gamut of human experience, from titillating and humorous to wildly surreal to sublime and poetic -- yet all revolve around the picture's central theme: that true success in life depends exclusively on luck and chance, instead of ethics or morality. Sherwin and Anderson handle the story's constant shifts in mood with finesse and ease, and during the picture's three-hour running time, every scene (without exception) packs a huge punch. Thematically, "O' Lucky Man" draws from classic allegories, notably "Candide." Stylistically, it includes strong Brechtian elements (Anderson's cuts-to-black at the end of each scene continually remind us that we're watching a FILM) and incorporates a few striking cinematic allusions, notably an homage to Coppola's final shot in "The Godfather." Thus, one could argue that Anderson's epic qualifies as the definitive modernist film. The true test of "O' Lucky Man's" excellence, however, is its ability to reveal new layers of meaning with repetition. Even after watching the film ten or twelve times, one can leave refreshed with new wisdom and insight. British music-hall performer Alan Price wrote the film's incredible score, and makes several guest appearances as himself. Price and his band (seen in occasional cutaways) act as a Greek chorus and serenade Mick Travis during his journey. Tragically, in the British Film Institute's poll for the top 100 British films of all time, this didn't even make the cut. Two interesting pieces of trivia about "O' Lucky Man": first, according to the British Board of Film Classification (http://www.bbfc.co.uk), the film was originally rated X upon release (like "If..."), and ran at about 185 minutes (fifteen minutes longer than the American and European video versions). Thus, an X-rated version still exists... somewhere. But unfortunately, the more explicit cut hasn't received any distribution on videocassette and is difficult, perhaps impossible, to obtain. (One might be able to view it through private British collections and archives). Second, the incredible soundtrack by Alan Price resurfaced briefly on compact disc in late 1995, but went out-of-print approximately two years later. For anyone who would like to purchase a copy of the album, cd issues **are** available. I would suggest searching for the rerelease in used compact disc shops.
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DVD ~ Malcolm McDowell
~ Alan Price
DVD ~ Leonard Rossiter
DVD ~ Malcolm McDowell
DVD ~ Nike Arrighi
~ Alan Price
DVD ~ Richard Harris
