But the black people in these scenes have minuscule parts that are little more than caricatures themselves, undermining the film's good intentions. Robert is worried that literature, culture and television are becoming completely London-centric and will be intellectually doomed as a result - but the subject of London and television influencing other regions and the new society were dealt with more skilfully in Billy Liar.įrom the opening credits, where large posters of Diana and Robert are pasted over images of African famine victims, Darling seeks to expose the hypocrisy of Diana's rich, white Establishment class, especially in the charity draw, where African boys are dressed as 18th-century pages. Shortly after they meet, Diana accompanies Robert to a television interview with Walter Southgate, whom Robert regards as the last great British novelist, not least because he is not from London.
Although Christie won an Oscar, her performance is surprisingly wooden, and while Dirk Bogarde's heavy eyes capture Robert's dissatisfaction with life, he ultimately seems just as bored by the film. The only believable character is the amoral executive Miles ( Laurence Harvey). Its portrayal of a fashionable London 'jet-set' through Diana, Robert and their on/off relationship, covers subjects such as sex, homosexuality, age difference, fidelity, betrayal, jealousy, pregnancy and abortion, though even by the standards of the time Darling is not especially daring or realistic.ĭarling's problem is that it portrays the shallowness of its rich, fashionable class all too well, although Diana's wistful narration suggests that we are expected to take it seriously. Schlesinger,1963), though the film itself is very different. John Schlesinger, 1965) with a carefree confidence that recalls her performance in Billy Liar (d. A beautiful, amoral girl sacrifices everything and everybody to the satisfaction of her whims, but eventually finds herself trapped in a loveless marriage.