The Knack …and How to Get It

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The Knack...and How to Get It

original film poster
Directed by Richard Lester
Produced by Oscar Lewenstein
Written by Charles Wood
Starring Michael Crawford
Rita Tushingham
Music by John Barry
Cinematography David Watkin
Distributed by United Artists Corporation
Release date(s) Flag of United Kingdom 3 June, 1965
Flag of United States 29 June 1965
Running time 85 min.
Country UK
IMDb profile

The Knack ...and How to Get It is a 1965 British comedy film directed by Richard Lester based on the play by Ann Jellicoe. It depicts the sexual competition between three roommates — the aggressive, womanizing drummer Tolen (Ray Brooks), the shy, paranoid schoolteacher Colin (Michael Crawford), and the neutral artist Tom (Donal Donnelly) — when a young girl from out of town, Nancy (Rita Tushingham), enters their London world.

Lester made major changes to the play, adding his own touch through Brechtian direct address, unexpected oddly-edited sequences, humorous subtitles, and a Greek chorus of disapproving members of "the older generation". Lester himself makes a brief cameo as an annoyed bystander. John Barry contributed the jazzy score. The film won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival in 1965.

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Preceded by
The Umbrellas of Cherbourg
Palme d'Or
1965
Succeeded by
A Man and a Woman tied with
The Birds, the Bees and the Italians