RETRO MOVIE REVIEW: CANDY, 1968

CANDY, 1968. A ridiculous retro, psychedelic, teenage comedy farce directed by the renowned French actor Christian Marquand (THE LONGEST DAY, 1962 and THE FLIGHT OF THE PHOENIX, 1965). Written by Buck Henry (THE GRADUATE, 1967 and CATCH-22, 1970). This trippy 60s flick has an amazing international high-dollar ensemble cast for its day. Starring mega actors such as Richard Burton, Walter Matthau, James Coburn, John Astin, and above all, Marlon Brando. With special appearances by Buck Henry, Elsa Martinelli, Ringo Starr, and introducing the beauty queen Ewa Aulin as the steamy teenage sex kitten CANDY.

Oddly, I had never heard of this film until recently. One dreary night I was searching the never-ending streaming channels for something interesting to watch. As usual, I would click past CANDY, often seeing a silly still shot of Richard Burton with silly long hair blowing in the wind, dressed in a purple smoking jacket, wrapped in a silly cape. I wondered, what was Richard Burton doing in a weird sexploitation film from the 60s? Instead of continuing to search through the overwhelming amount of crap available in the streaming world, I decided to click on CANDY and figure out what this film was all about. It was a decision that I would not regret.

To my surprise, I found this charming film to be a very fun, off-the-wall, journey about the meaning of life and sexuality. The film is very simple at its core, Candy Christian, a very naive high school student, encounters outlandish colorful characters and ridiculously humorous sexual situations while attempting to find the meaning in life. Corny? Yes. Fun? Absolutely!

I didn’t expect to see such established and seasoned actors performing beyond their usual type-cast roles. Richard Burton plays a rock star poet (his hair always blowing in the wind, no matter where he goes), who tries to get in Candy’s pants. Next there is Walter Matthau, playing a fanatic army general, who tries to get in Candy’s pants while in a troop transport carrier flying thousands of miles in the air. Then, there is James Coburn, playing a neurotic brain surgeon (operating on Candy“s father, John Astin), who tries to get in her pants. Then, to my absolute surprise, Marlon Brando pops up as an Indian swami, who gets in Candy’s pants. Along the way there’s a Beatle, Ringo Starr, playing a Mexican gardener (really?) and Charles Aznavour, a horny hunchback that gets in Candy’s pants.

Not only does Candy’s leap from crazy individual to crazy individual, her travels take her from one side of the United States to the other. The film is beautifully shot by acclaimed Italian cinematographer Giuseppe Rotunno (ALL THAT JAZZ, 1979 and THE ADVENTURE OF BARON MUNCHAUSEN, 1988). We travel from New York City to California, passing through the snowy Rocky Mountains and Las Vegas. It’s always interesting to see foreigners film the United States; I feel they have either a really harsh take on the environment or a really over romanticized point of view of America.

CANDY was originally critically panned when it was released in 1968. Most over-bearing critics thought the film was beneath the filmmakers and performers abilities. I find that absurd; filmmakers and performers should have opportunities to work outside of their normal parameters. That’s what makes them great . It was fun watching classically trained actors playing a bunch of horny wack-jobs. A film like this can’t be made today. Take the time and enjoy what I consider to be an underappreciated retro gem.