American-born Alexander Mackendrick had his greatest success at Britain's Ealing Studios in the early 50s, where he turned out a string of sharp but warmhearted social satires (
The Man in the White Suit,
Tight Little Island). This, his last film (made in Hollywood), finds the same remarkable tone in a study of southern California beach mores. Tony Curtis is an unscrupulous swimming pool salesman (a SoCal variation on his part in Mackendrick's
Sweet Smell of Success) working his way through Malibu; Claudia Cardinale, here at the height of her radiant beauty, is an artist who has allowed herself to become the mistress of a millionaire. The supporting cast includes Edgar Bergen (in drag, as a demented astrologist), Sharon Tate, Robert Webber, Mort Sahl, and Jim Backus.
By
Dave Kehr
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