Staff Book and Media Recommendations

Patrick Douglas is a Library Technician at the University of Central Oklahoma.

O Lucky Man!

"O Lucky Man!" is Malcolm McDowell's (A Clockwork Orange, Star Trek: Generations) own script, brought to the screen by his colleague from several other movies, director Lindsay Anderson. It is a surreal journey into the bizarre world of a blind ambition and misplaced trust.

McDowell stars as wide-eyed optimist Mick Travis. A newly hired coffee-salesman for the Imperial Coffee Company in London, Mick is given the northeast sales territory - after a liaison with the female executive who chose him - to replace the previous salesman, who has simply disappeared. He moves into the flat of his predecessor, and begins an affair with the landlady.

Mick finds the territory to be very difficult but refuses to let his poor sales deter him. Rather, with re-doubled efforts and great ambition he begins an adventure that will result in his being threatened by the police, interrogated by the military, experimented upon by a mad scientist, adopted by a traveling rock band, and prosecuted as an international criminal, managing to escape each by the skin of his teeth. This very "lucky" man sees the best and the worst of mankind, first on his way to the top, then from the lowest rung of human existence. While his attitude changes from one extreme to the other, Mick never truly learns what life is about.

This tale was written by McDowell as an allegory of his own life, and as such centers entirely around a single character. The supporting cast includes Ralph Richardson (Time Bandits, Dragonslayer, Dr. Zhivago), Helen Mirren (The Queen, Elizabeth I, Calendar Girls), Geoffrey Palmer (TV's "As Time Goes By", The Pink Panther 2, Anna and the King), and a plethora of other talented actors, many of whom play multiple roles throughout the picture. Similar to There's Something about Mary, scenes of O Lucky Man!are separated by commentary lyrical music that explain the protagonist’s state of mind or situation at various points in the movie.

The final scene may seem a trifle forced, but for such an offbeat plot it is a fitting end. At nearly three hours of actual story (disc 2 contains the second half, even though it’s labeled as extra material), O Lucky Man! is not a quick and easy view, so set aside enough time. This is a re-release of the 1973 movie, and the extras include recent interviews with McDowell. O Lucky Man! is very adult, but worth looking into.

Reviewed October 2009