Friday, January 21, 2011

Otley – 1968



This is one of those times where Robin’s role is so small I almost wish I hadn’t bothered with tracking this appearance down! He’s not on screen for more than 10 seconds and has one short sentence to say.

But oh well. It’s a pretty hard film to find, so it’s nice to know that I actually have a copy. Bootlegged of course, from someone I found on the internet. I paid about $10.

It’s about a young guy, Otley, unemployed and evicted from his apartment. He couch-surfs at the homes of various acquaintances until one of the guys he stays with is murdered as he snoozes on the couch. Only he has no idea, since the murderer also knocks HIM out and leaves him to wake up a day later in the middle of an airfield. He then finds himself entangled in a world of espionage! Not to mention also being pursued by the police, who think he’s the murderer!

Robin I think did this film right after “If….” So in my opinion, should’ve really been given a more substantial role. In his book, he mentions he plays a “drug addict”. Which is a bit of a stretch. In reality, he is one of a group of mod-dressed boys being questioned by the police about what is probably pot they have found on them. In the credits he is listed as “The Kid” and his friends listed as “Kid #2” and “Kid #3”. During this time, Otley is trying to get the police’s attention to tell them about a bomb that just blew up down in the subway.

Some humorous parts…the part where Otley takes his driving test was a bit “Confessions of a Driving Instructor”! And the best part of the film was that you get to see a LOT of London! Cool old architecture, Portobello Road: I saw the very stretch of buildings that I took a picture of when I went there in 1990!

No comments:

Post a Comment