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by Jonathan W. Hickman
What's it all about? ALFIE (2004) tries to answer that question formerly grappled with in the 1966 original. In this new ALFIE Jude Law plays the title character formerly inhabited by Michael Caine. It was a star-making breakout performance for Caine. Law may already be an established name but has an opportunity to carry a big film as the leading man.
"It's not a shot-by-shot remake," ALFIE Director Charles Shyer told me, "I reread the novel and then the play. There is a major character in the play that was not in the first movie." Shyer told me that he went through the whole story looking for significant differences to distinguish his new version of ALFIE.
In both movies, the lead character is a cocky womanizer who is confronted by problems arising from his many affairs. The Michael Caine version was controversial not only for the sexual content but for its frank discussion of abortion.
For ALFIE 2004, in addition to going back to the original source material, Shyer preserved the clever cinematic technique in which Alfie talks directly into the camera which was so effective in the original screen version. Shyer told me that the story is not the classic three-act structure, rather, is "more episodic, Alfie has 5 different women in his life" which makes the narrative unique.
One of the women in Alfie's life is played by Susan Sarandon whose older woman uses her experience to make her way in the world.
Alfie is a "rake and doesn't treat women well," Shyer said of the title character. "But at the end of the journey, Alfie is more mindful. This is the opposite of mindless because he had started to realize that his actions are something that he is responsible for and can damage others."
"Any guy has gone though the trip of just getting laid, but ultimately can't get through the night without letting love in."
Shyer said that his ALFIE is Jude Law's "time to step out" because he is "one to the best actors in the world and demands attention."
AFLIE 2004 demands attention from audiences starting today.
Jonathan W. Hickman
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