Oct 10th  
O Lucky Man!**      

(GB 1973)                                  
Warner Bros/Memorial/Sam. 178m.

The odyssey of a coffee salesman who climbs the social ladder but just as quickly topples from it.
Epic satirical statement on the state of Britain in the 70s, indulging even more in the energetic semi-surreal style of If... with added Brechtian touches including musical commentary and actors in multiple roles (perhaps the closest film has ever come to replicating ensemble theatre.) The film and its various messages wear out their welcome (especially in a film so long), but it still entertains through its sheer quirkiness, with traces of homage to Griffith, Ford, Fellini and others.

Written by: David Sherwin, based on an idea by Malcolm McDowell.
Producers: Michael Medwin, Lindsay Anderson.
Director: Lindsay Anderson.
Starring: Malcolm McDowell, Ralph Richardson, Arthur Lowe, Helen Mirren, Rachel Roberts, Peter Jeffrey, Mona Washbourne, Dandy Nichols, Philip Stone, Mary Macleod, Graham Crowden, Bill Owen, Jeremy Bulloch.
Photography: Miroslav Ondricek.
Music: Alan Price.

Preceded by:
Convict 13**
(US 1920. 20m. bw. silent; An inept golfer is mistaken for an escaped convict about to be hanged, but with the help of his girl averts a prison riot.; w,d: Buster Keaton, Eddie Cline; s: Buster Keaton, Sybil Seeley, Joe Roberts.)