“There’s no place for drags, baby… Stay cool!”
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Synopsis:
Free-spirited artist Joanna (Genevieve Waite) searches for love and happiness in 1960s London.
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Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:
- Counterculture
- Cross-Cultural Romance
- Death and Dying
- Donald Sutherland Films
- Nonconformists
- Surrealism
Response to Peary’s Review:
As Peary points out immediately in his review, this dated film is “bad and self-indulgent”, but nonetheless has some redeeming qualities — namely its ability to capture the zaniness and existential yearnings of the 1960s, as well as addressing interracial romance and showing confident, successful Blacks at a time when this was still considered taboo by many.
Unfortunately, Waite’s grating baby-voice got on my nerves immediately, and her wiggish hair makes her look like Phyllis Diller; I’m not surprised she only made two more films after this.
Redeeming Qualities:
- Donald Sutherland as the dying, kind-hearted aristocrat Joanna befriends
- An eclectic mixture of surrealistic filming techniques
Must See?
No, but film fanatics will likely be curious to check it out.
Links:
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One thought on “Joanna (1968)”
Agreed – not a must, though film fanatics may have marginal interest since director Sarne went on to ‘helm’ the hysterically inept (a must only as Exhibit A in how not to make a film) ‘Myra Breckenridge’. I remember reviewing ‘Joanna’ in Tokyo – it had long been unavailable and I kind of looked forward to what ‘nevertheless charmed’ Peary. I found it tedious – and even gave it another chance years later when the Fox Movie Channel showed it. Still tedious. A number of other films have offered better depictions of both the ’60s and interracial relationships.