I read the phrase years ago in an Agatha Christie novel. She seemed to have an indulgent memory of those people's extravagant foolishness, so I thought it would be interesting to watch.
Boy, was it.
It was a little like watching an early version of the Disco Years, when promiscuity, chemical indulgence, "gaying it up", and pack behavior was the rage. The movie is based on Evelyn Waugh's "Vile Bodies", and delivers a harrowing story. The one actress who walked away with the movie is Fenella Woolgar, who plays the fabulously wealthy and titled Agatha.
Her mental and emotional breakdown left me slack-jawed. Even in a mental institution, she still didn't "get it" - she was ready to party down again. Rather like the celebrities who go through rehab, again and again, then find another bacchanal before the ink is dry on the release papers.
Now, the film isn't without flaws. The ending is contrived and some of the more farcial events (the disappearing Major, the butler's identifying cocaine as baby powder, etc.) interfere with the basic story line. The slang and posing of the characters rings true to me - I'm old enough to have known people who were young in that era, and that, according to those who lived it, was the way it was (apologies for the Walter Cronkite reference).
Tags = Culture
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