The Knack... and How to Get It (1965)

Why so much hype?

Powerful

It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

A steady stream of very attractive and nearly identical manikins come to life and march starry-eyed around the block and up the stairs to a flat where they briefly meet the object of their desire before dutifully signing his guest book on the way out. The man they came to see is the suave Lothario who will try to mentor the socially awkward teacher living downstairs in the "knack" of seducing women. As so often happens in situations like this, they will eventually end up competing for the affections of the same intriguing ingénue.This may sound like an overused cliché likely to result in a formulaic romantic comedy, but director Richard Lester gives us something very different as he presents the story through a combination of exaggerated caricatures, fantasy sequences and zany metaphors. The result is that we are not so much interested in the details of the story as we are in the fun we have reaching the inevitable conclusion and the social commentary we encounter along the way. Created in 1965, Lester makes a hefty contribution to the creation of a frenetic visual style of comedy which will be imitated with great commercial success throughout the rest of the decade (think "Laugh-In"). With its mod styling, rapid-fire editing, non sequiturs and wacky antics, Lester effectively uses this style to provide some wickedly clever parody of early 1960s sexism, conformity and consumerism.The film is unfortunately not without some serious flaws. The comic style which may have seemed fresh and exciting at the time has not aged well. The good-natured mood of the film robs the social commentary of any punch or staying power, as does the failure to integrate it into a unifying framework. Also, the four main characters may be wonderfully portrayed with excellent comic acting, but only one of them is scripted such that he ever becomes human enough for us to care what happens to him, something which is essential in a story that is entirely about the relationships between the main characters.One may find this to be a very enjoyable and memorable film in spite of these flaws, but it clearly requires that you recognize how to accept what it attempts to offer rather than criticizing it for what it doesn't deliver. I'd also think that it's a valuable film for anyone interested in the 1960s mass media image of a mostly mythical swinging London and in the trends influencing popular entertainment during that time period.

One of the key films of the 1960's, "The Knack" features the motion picture debuts of three of the most gorgeous and talented women to ever walk the earth: Jacqueline Bissett, Charlotte Rampling and Jane Birkin. Bissett is in the climactic scene, lining up to cheer "Rory McBride" at Albert Hall. Rampling is the water-skier who sensuously (no other way for Charlotte) pours a glass of water down the front of her we suit. And then there's "Birks," first seen borrowing a chair from Michael Crawford to wait her turn in the hall, and then riding off triumphantly with Ray Brooks on his motorcycle. She also ran off triumphantly with the film's composer, John Barry -- the first of her husbands. I saw "The Knack" on stage in the New York production directed by Mike Nichols. it was very entertaining. But Lester's film is truly invention. And David Watkins' black and white cinematography is far more beautifully than almost anything ever done in color.

The mod 60's are shown as the ultimate challenge to have as many sexual encounters as humanly possible. Anyone who doesn't have "it" (the knack for seduction) is a loser. That's the overall message here.A handful of homosexual actors pretending to be sex starved ladies men desperate to "score", along with countless elderly finger shakers who insist the youth in their day had better moral sense, are leading through mini-scenes, enveloped in a surprisingly palatable 60s British Jazz score.I found very few laughs in this nonsense. The use of a photo booth to take kinky nude shots, an inuendo spewing male sales clerk in a ladies' dress shop, and many other "cute items" are lost on a serious cinema fan. The big stir this film caused Internationally, garnering various prestigious awards, is a mystery to me.I found this film to be absolutely boring and a waste of time. Two points for the fetching Jazz score. One point is shared by Acting and plot (both forgettable). Save yourself the time and money, and watch an old episode of "The Avengers" instead!

I don't want to write much on this movie, I've already wasted enough time watching it. It certainly falls into the category of films your lucky to finish watching and if you do you wont again. Absolute rubbish, boring, pretentious and it made me want to kick the TV. I cant help but wonder who these folks are that have rated it so highly and have went on about its artistic merit, can we have seen the same film? do me a favour, watch it and if you don't feel like stamping on this DVD after watching it check your pulse, you may be brain dead.Avoid like the plague, though given the choice I'd rather kiss a rat with the black death any day then sit through "The Knack" again