If you’re looking for a fun, lightweight period musical comedy to relax your shattered nerves to while you recover from the unspeakable horrors of existence, you can do no better than The Boy Friend (1971), starring Twiggy, Tommy Tune, and Glenda Jackson. This is probably the only time I’ll ever whole-heartedly recommend watching a Ken Russell film, btw. I’ve covered a few of his other historical flicks, and they’re almost always either a surreal acid trip with great costumes, or an existential crisis in movie format, or some combination of both.
While The Boy Friend is a little on the surreal side, it is also much more of a frothy little romance set in the 1920s, which is a notable departure for Russell’s typical fare. The film is based on the 1953 musical of the same name by Sandy Wilson, which is set in the 1920s against the backdrop of the French Riviera, and features a gaggle of young men and women pairing up and breaking up and getting back together.
The twist is that The Boy Friend film adds a second layer of a struggling British theatrical troupe attempting to stage the frivolous musical, when a series of unfortunate/fortuitous mishaps conspired to unseat the grand dame (played by Jackson) and the overlooked assistant to the director, Polly (played by Twiggy), is called upon to step into the role of the ingénue because she’s the only person who knows all the lines.
So let’s talk a bit about the costumes specifically, shall we? They were designed by Shirley Russell, who designed costumes for many of her husband’s other films, including Women in Love (1969), The Music Lovers (1971), and Liztomania (1975). In The Boy Friend, the costumes are a wonderful homage to the 1920s, and of course, Twiggy pulls them off effortlessly (being a super model and all). 
A nice touch is that she manages to convey the actual income disparity between the acting troupe and the wealthy characters they play on stage. And of course, a hefty dose of filmic surrealism.
Have you seen The Boy Friend (1971)? Tell us about it in the comments!
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Yes! I saw The Boyfriend when I was a tween and fell in love with Tommy too, and the costumes, music and sets! My mom and I would sing the songs together ♡ It’s very fun with a bit of a dark side, but sadly very challenging to locate to watch.
A great example of Art Deco Revival 1920s/30s fashion of the early 1970s! I wish the latest adaptation of Pursuit of Love’s Costume designer had taken notes!
Is this available online?
This is one of my top 10 favourite films! I absolutely adore the silliness and the stylised fantasy sequences! Quite difficult to locate to watch, and I’ve never met someone who has seen it!
I saw this movie when it aired originally and remember thinking it was a blast. It appears to be available on Amazon Prime for rent (and there’s a DVD available).
I saw this film when it first came out and loved it. Some snippets of trivia:
The actress who was to create the role of Polly in 1953 was taken ill at the final dress rehearsal and replaced by a bit-part player.
Julie Andrews made her American debut as Polly on Broadway in 1954.
Christopher Gable was a former principal dancer with the Royal Ballet.
I remember seeing Christopher Gable as the prince’s BFF in “The Slipper and the Rose.” Didn’t realize he was the lead here. Absolutely adore Tommy Tune. I could watch him and his long legs forever. Had the pleasure of meeting him when I was rehearsing a musical and our clique was hanging out at the same restaurant/bar where his troupe would go after performances of his revival of Bye Bye Birdie. Got to him recognizing us and saying hi every night, and he actually came over and chatted with us in the parking lot one night. Nicest guy. My mom kept asking why I didn’t just hand him my headshot when we’d see him…lol…
I, too, saw “The Boyfriend” in 1971, and was surprised and charmed by Twiggy and Tommy (every girl’s best friend); I doubt that being an effective ingenue is as easy as it might seem. It’s cool that Dame Lesley continued on a music-and-musicals path.