Joe Massot's 1968 piece of psychedelia involves a stuffy professor (Jack MacGowran) in a cluttered apartment who discovers a hole in the wall. It permits him to peep into the life of his counterculture neighbour, a model named Penny Lane (Jane Birkin), and her various friends. His response? He becomes obsessed, makes more holes, and feigns illness in order to stay home and continue watching. The strange film features wondrous production design (by the Fool) some good bits, and an interesting ending. It moves slowly, however, and the self-consciously trippy sequences may further try the patience of many viewers. Others might wonder about a film which transforms an obsessive Peeping Tom into a conventional hero.
The film's greatest claim to fame is the experimental soundtrack by George Harrison. Who else, in '68, scored a Beatle to score their movie? Harrison even convinced Eric Clapton to contribute guitar work. Wonderwall Music-- the first solo album by a Beatle-- remains a musical curiosity. The cult film received mostly poor reviews and has receded.
Oasis took the title for their 1995 hit song from the album.1 It's not known if they'd seen the movie.
It's a difficult movie to recommend. If you're really into the era, it's worth seeing, though parts of it likely will bore you. It's the sort of thing that gets called a time capsule.
On that score, it's better than I Love You, Alice B. Toklas, but not as good as Monterey Pop.
268 words
1. France Kindon. "Liam Gallagher's foul-mouthed reaction to Oasis' Wonderwall – and why he still hates it." Daily Mirror October 30, 2019.