Virginia Maskell

Paul Rogers

Ian McShane

Samantha Eggar

Katherine Woodville

David Sumner

John Hurt

John Standing

Johnny Briggs

Johnny Sekka

Jeremy Brett

Charles Kay

Ralph Thomas

Robert Sloman

Mordecai Richler

Nicholas Phipps

Laurence Doble

Alfred Roome

Betty E. Box

Romance

Drama

The Wild and the Willing

The Rank Organisation

Betty E. Box-Ralph Thomas Productions

United Kingdom

CinemaSerf

Knighthood-seeking university professor "Chown" (Paul Rogers) is married to "Virginia" (Virgina Maskell) who has a penchant, after the tiniest bit of persuasion, for his student "Brown" (Ian McShane). He is quite a compelling character who lives life on the edge and makes friends easily. When things come to a bit of an head, "Brown" and his friend "Phil" (John Hurt) decide that they are going to fly their rag flag from the top of the tower of the school - but might that be one risky venture too far for this man? I suppose it is trying to show us a clash of cultures and classes, but the undercooked writing is just too pedestrian and the acting doesn't ever allow the thing to catch fire. That's a problem with a film where lust, envy and forbidden romance is crucial to the characters' development, and though Rogers proves a safe enough pair of hands, the others only present us with something that could just as readily have been produced by the students the cast are trying to represent. It's perhaps not fair to be too critical, we have moved on considerably from the racist and ageist toxicity depicted here from 1962, but McShane, Hurt and a few other familiar faces just can't imbue this with any sense of reality. It scratches the surface of so many topics, but that's about the disappointing height of it.

English

The Wild and the Willing

Cast

Reviews