Let’s face it, Ken Russell can shoot a musical. In the 1970s, if you needed to make a musical adaptation, there was a dizzying amount of routes you could choose to go down: make it gritty and semi-realistic (All That Jazz) make it unapologetically of its time (Hair, The Wiz) or go the traditional Hollywood route (Cabaret, Fiddler). But few directors seemed interested in trying to mix the old with the new.
Which is where Ken Russell’s The Boy Friend comes in. It’s a playful mix of pastiche and invention that takes its cues from the best era of musicals (1929-1933) and ends up reminding you of the essential function they perform. They give us access to silliness. And brother, do we need it.
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