Morgan!

Released Apr 4, 1966

1 hr. 37 min.

Comedy

List

65%

20 Reviews

Tomatometer

76%

1,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

Volatile artist Morgan Delt (David Warner) returns to London after having been institutionalized, hoping to reconcile with his wife, Leonie (Vanessa Redgrave). When he learns she is leaving him for art dealer Charles Napier (Robert Stephens), Morgan is determined to win her back. While stalking Leonie, Morgan becomes obsessed with Marxism and gorillas. In his new monkey costume, the artist begins a campaign of harassment against Leonie and Charles.

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steve d

A deeply unfunny affair.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Could not stop laughing.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/17/23

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Audience Member

Interesting take on someone with a mental illness & obsession with a woman who sometimes encourages him. The filmmaking is a fun and expressive interpretation of 2 personalities who are playing a game which may and/or may not read as cruel to modern audiences.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/07/23

Full Review

Audience Member

A classic from the 60s that I saw in my early 20s as a college student and never forgot. Most memorable juxtaposing of "psychotic" delusional visions over an even more mad "outer" world. Who were the real "crazies" in Morgan's world? ;-) And hilarious to boot. Just a terrific film that got David Warner on the radar and Redgrave an Oscar nod. Wonderful metaphors, too, for hallucinatory states of the mentally challenged, communist solidarity replacing the church for the poor English working class and the sad desperation of the helplessly jilted. All well folded together by Karel Reisz. Really good stuff.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/21/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Terrifically oddball British New Wave comedy/drama about artist David Warner slowly losing his mind and going off the deep end when his wife, Vanessa Redgrave, plans to divorce him. There's a bit of Walter Mitty in Warner's character, but the comedy is much darker as it's clear that Warner is also losing his mind. The film seemed to start a bit slow for me, but once I got into it, I was really into it! The film is truly hilarious in parts and truly poignant in others. The gorilla suit scenes near the end were my favorite. Not a film for all tastes, but if this is your sort of thing, you're in for a treat.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/31/23

Full Review

s r

Interesting, but ridiculous. Redgrave is beautiful. Warner is mad. It was a counter culture type film that i did not especially enjoy. Especially the fascination with gorillas. I was glad that they included Karl Marx in it. One thing they seem to not understand, if no one sees their great acts, it's as if they never happened.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

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Karel Reisz

Director

Vanessa Redgrave

Leonie Delt

David Warner

Morgan Delt

Robert Stephens

Charles Napier

David Mercer

Writer

Leon Clore

Producer

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Pauline Kael

The New Republic

I think Morgan! is so appealing to college students because it shares their self-view: they accept this mess of cute infantilism and obsessions ‘and aberrations without expecting the writer and director to straighten it out or resolve it.

Sep 19, 2023

Full Review

TIME Magazine

Director Reisz sustains the free-flowing tone with cinematic stunt work.

Mar 14, 2016

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Variety Staff

Variety

Instead of providing the subtle, gradually disintegrating character of Morgan, Reisz dwells on the comedic aspects of each prank, cunningly milked for maximum yaks, in the process ceding any hope of the observer taking Morgan seriously.

Jul 6, 2010

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Eddie Harrison

film-authority.com

...there's always something going on here, and the politics are often confounding...

Rated: 3/5

Feb 24, 2021

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Dwight MacDonald

Esquire Magazine

If Morgan! is supposed to be a comedy, and certain desperate attempts at slapstick suggest maybe it is, then I was not amused.

Aug 14, 2019

Full Review

Wendy Michener

Maclean's Magazine

Karel Reisz's madcap comedy is so funny it hurts.

Jun 27, 2019

Full Review

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Synopsis

Volatile artist Morgan Delt (David Warner) returns to London after having been institutionalized, hoping to reconcile with his wife, Leonie (Vanessa Redgrave). When he learns she is leaving him for art dealer Charles Napier (Robert Stephens), Morgan is determined to win her back. While stalking Leonie, Morgan becomes obsessed with Marxism and gorillas. In his new monkey costume, the artist begins a campaign of harassment against Leonie and Charles.

Director: Karel Reisz
Screenwriter: David Mercer
Production Co: British Lion Film Corporation
Genre: Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Apr 4, 1966, Original
Sound Mix: Mono