Darling

Released Jul 18, 1965

2 hr. 8 min.

Drama

List

68%

19 Reviews

Tomatometer

70%

1,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

Beautiful but easily bored Diana Scott (Julie Christie) becomes a popular model and actress in London in the 1960s while toying with the affections of two older men, married television newsman Robert Gold (Dirk Bogarde) and public relations mastermind Miles Brand (Laurence Harvey). Although Diana is the toast of swinging London, the dark side of fame and fortune begins to take its toll, but it proves harder to escape the mod scene than she expects.

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Audience Member

This is the British "Breakfast at Tiffany's"

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/16/23

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Audience Member

I loved Julie Christie and Laurence Harvey in this film; Dirk Bogarde, a little less so. This is the first film that comes to mind whenever I think of London in the "Swinging Sixties". This was one of the first films made during the sweeping revisions of the Motion Picture Production Code, so the film embraces its sexuality and loosening of the restrictions of the code. Extramarital affairs, abortion, implied sex (including hinting at a live sex show in the UK edit) as well as bisexuality all are given their moment to shine. But it's Julie Christie's Diana Scott - beautiful, sexy, shallow and conniving who walks off with a well deserved Best Actress Oscar. Laurence Harvey is her equal as her lover Miles Brand, injecting the right amount of jaded sexiness and a venomous tongue. Dirk Bogarde was probably fifteen years too old for his part as Diana's first boyfriend, Robert and his acting style is quite mannered and affected, though he gets to shoot off some pithy lines ("I don't take wh**es in taxis"). This is one of director John Schlesinger's best films ever and I highly recommend it.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

02/11/23

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William L

Darling wants to combine New Wave filmmaking, midcentury chic, melodrama, and an out-there main character in a unique balance, and while it sometimes seems strikingly modern, it never does seem to make a particularly compelling or conflicted antihero out of Christie's Diana; instead, she ends up just seeming to be as the film presents her initially - vapid and self-centered, hardly suffering any shortcomings that are not directly a result of her own actions. While some of the cinematography is stylish (there is a fish burial in a matchbox that made my mind jump straight to Wes Anderson), the film is rather long and parts of it end up being redundant as the narrative reiterates certain plot points. As a representative of its time - the fashion and perceptions of modern women in popular culture - the film is interesting, and Christie certainly turns in an involved performance that ranges from engaged and emotional to almost overacting. But I wouldn't call it a classic of cinema. (3/5)

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

12/09/20

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steve d

Only Christie is worth your time in this dated film.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

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Audience Member

Its hard to like a movie when you think the main character is unlikable, vapid, dull, rash, social-climber, etc.... The girl who has everything handed to her in life and decides to treat ppl like objects and screw up the only thing she had that was really worth anything. What a waste of a life in many ways and naturally given talents. Anyway the movie was interesting n well paced with many twists n turns so that's why I liked it to a degree even tho I couldn't stand the girl. You couldn't predict where the film was headed. Many of the film shots were also good and I liked the varied settings. The only character worse than Diane was Miles a disgusting egotistical pig. I'm not really sure what the message of the film was-a cautionary tale? to tell u things aren't as they seem in the media? a character study?? For this reason the movie kinda moves around aimlessly like Diana and for that reason I can't give it any more stars. Better than French new wave bullshit, but not that much better.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/15/23

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Audience Member

John Schlesinger may be one of my favorite directors what with the brilliant Midnight Cowboy (1969), Sunday Bloody Sunday (1971) and The Day of the Locust (1975) having been directed by him but this is another classic gem that is a part of his lengthy filmography. Very few films manage to capture a time and a place as accurately as Darling does as the images and the people captured in this film are what your mind immediately jumps to when you imagine the swinging sixties. The film earned deserved critical acclaim too as it was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture in 1965 and won Julie Christie her only Best Actress award to come of four nominations in the category. Spoiled young model Diana Scott, Julie Christie, begins an affair with married television presenter Robert Gold, Dirk Bogarde, despite being married herself and the two soon move in together and plan to divorce their partners. Scott soon becomes bored with her new life however and has an affair with exciting advertising executive Miles Brand, Laurence Harvey, who whisks her off to Paris and helps her advance her career. Gold and Scott break up when he learns of her infidelity and she has a breakdown of sorts but she attempts to rebuild by her life by heading to Rome for a job that Brand has set up for her. While there she catches the attention of older Italian Prince Cesare della Romita, José Luis de Villalonga, who she impetuously marries after becoming disenchanted with her group of friends in London. At the end of the film she finally faces consequences for her actions as she flees from Italy but instead of reconciling with Gold is cruelly punished for what she had done to him earlier in the film and abandoned. Much like Midnight Cowboy the film uses innovative techniques to show the minutiae of what is occurring in various locations to make larger statements about the shallowness and naiveté of those living in this time period. One of my favorite moments in the film comes when we cut from two wealthy, well dressed sisters sitting on the train discussing inane things to our main character having had an abortion and explaining in voice over why she received this medical treatment in an almost humorous monologue. These people interact with such darkness every day and take actions that you would think would stay with you for life and yet they act like they can just breeze by these events. Beyond all of the fancy costumes and the obvious physical beauty of the people we watch we realize just how empty their lives are as she spends her days modeling and has so much free time that she can't help engaging in affairs. The carelessness with which she will throw away one man and pick up another betrays a childish view of life as she believes that she will always be able to use men because she is incredibly beautiful and is utterly blindsided when a man finally expresses real anger at her. The very strange party in which Scott and her new friends strip down and then pause to ruthlessly mock one another is another pointed dig at the behavior of these people who can act like there is no tomorrow because they are young, wealthy and beautiful but do not realize that their culture will soon die out and they will be replaced by a new generation of wild, free thinking youths who don't bear wrinkles or unfortunate pasts with older, powerful men. Christie is another reason to watch the film as she gives her best performance in a role that serves her well giving her the opportunity to show off her ample charm and charisma while also bringing out the layers of a character who can often be downright dislikable. She really stands out in the scenes in which she is being cold and calculating but attempting to appear sweet and likable as always. We can see the manipulative, fickle killer in her eyes but also the girl who is simply deluding herself into believing that she can continue to treat the people around her the way she does. I think that she absolutely earned her Academy Award but I also admit that her competition was not particularly strong as Julie Andrews was unlikely to win a second Academy Award just a year after winning her first and while I love Simone Signoret she does not do her best work in Ship of Fools (1965). This works as a wonderful companion piece to Midnight Cowboy as while it never gets as dark as some of Schlesinger's later work the film still contains the black humor and piercing commentary that makes Schlesinger such a singular force.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/01/23

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John Schlesinger

Director

Julie Christie

Diana Scott

Dirk Bogarde

Robert Gold

Laurence Harvey

Miles Brand

José Luis de Vilallonga

Prince Cesare della Romita

Roland Curram

Malcolm

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William J. Nazzaro

Arizona Republic

Miss Christie's performance is remarkably vibrant and outgoing.

Sep 2, 2020

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Tony Rayns

Time Out

Excruciatingly embarrassing at the time, it now looks grotesquely pretentious and pathetically out of touch with the realities of the life-styles that it purports to represent.

Feb 27, 2020

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Bosley Crowther

New York Times

[Schlesinger] has made a film that will set tongues to wagging and moralists to wringing their hands.

Feb 27, 2020

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Eddie Harrison

film-authority.com

...Darling’s concerns seem remarkably modern now, and in keeping with the meetoo movement in a portrayal of a woman wronged. There’s no sentiment here, nor redemption, just observation of how the sweet life might turn sour for one individua...

Rated: 5/5

Jan 23, 2024

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Richard Schickel

LIFE

I hope that Darling, Schlesinger, will finally establish him where he belongs -- in the very first rank of the younger directors.

Oct 1, 2019

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Dwight MacDonald

Esquire Magazine

An interesting failure: all the parts work, but somehow they don't make a whole.

Aug 13, 2019

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Synopsis

Beautiful but easily bored Diana Scott (Julie Christie) becomes a popular model and actress in London in the 1960s while toying with the affections of two older men, married television newsman Robert Gold (Dirk Bogarde) and public relations mastermind Miles Brand (Laurence Harvey). Although Diana is the toast of swinging London, the dark side of fame and fortune begins to take its toll, but it proves harder to escape the mod scene than she expects.

Director: John Schlesinger
Screenwriter: Frederic Raphael
Distributor: Embassy Pictures, Criterion Collection
Production Co: Vic Films Productions Ltd.
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jul 18, 1965, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 2, 2014
Sound Mix: Mono
Aspect Ratio: 35mm