Alfie
Reviews

From: Old bag
Category: Films
Date: 22 August 2005

Review

The original. Having watched it, it is hard to imagine how our great British hero Jude Law came to play the part once filled by Michael Caine, though his reality does not seem so far from the original. The sexism and machismo is more brutal than the up dated version, and thus paradoxically less offensive. (Time distance) Like gangsta rappers Alfie’s only real love is his child, who is taken away from him as punishment, while women are objects described as ‘it’ in his classic Michael Caine cockney. This kind of sexism is replaced today with the usual body fascism which did not play such a role for Caine, the women are old and young with out make up and flawless skin or the buff bodies we now expect on the silver screen, the same applies to the male body. The relief this offers is equal to that of women’s escape from the monotonous role of the floor scrubbing housewife, illegal abortions, roast dinners and custard puddings, of which we are reminded by the original. Michael Caine is able to speak to the camera with authority while the script allows him to be truly nasty which shows a certain fearlessness not common in film or any thing else. Fantastic compared to the self love of Law and goo of other writing.