I'll Never Forget What's 'Isname
Encyclopedia
I'll Never Forget What's'isname (DVD
box title: I'll Never Forget What's 'Isname) is a 1967
British
film directed and produced by Michael Winner
. It stars Oliver Reed
as disillusioned London
advertising executive Andrew Quint, who revolts against his boss, Jonathan Lute (Orson Welles
), and escapes into Swinging London
.
. Quint attempts to get back at his boss by making a negative commercial reusing themes from earlier in the film, including Lute saying "The number one product of all human endeavor is waste...waste." The commercial, advertising a Super-8 camera
, talks about capturing events while you still can before everything is destroyed and discarded. It ends with Quint operating a car crusher
and destroying numerous cameras. The commercial is hailed as a masterpiece, and wins an award, but Quint hurls the award into the Thames.
, the film was denied a MPAA seal of approval due to a scene between Oliver Reed and Carol White
which implied (but did not actually show) oral sex
(Winner, in his audio commentary, said he considered the scene to show masturbation
. The Catholic League
inaccurately described it as "fellatio
," even though it is the woman who is receiving.) Universal
distributed the film through a subsidiary that was not a member of the MPAA. Along with a similar scene in Charlie Bubbles
(1967), this helped to bring about the end of the Production Code
in the USA and its replacement with a ratings system
.
The film is often named as the first mainstream film to use the word fuck
in its dialogue. Another contender is Ulysses, which was released earlier the same year. The contention seems to have arisen because of a longtime absence of either film's release date in any easily-obtainable sources, such as the Internet Movie Database.
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
box title: I'll Never Forget What's 'Isname) is a 1967
1967 in film
The year 1967 in film involved some significant events. It is widely considered as one of the most ground-breaking years in film.-Events:* December 26 - The Beatles Magical Mystery Tour airs on British television....
British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
film directed and produced by Michael Winner
Michael Winner
Michael Robert Winner is a British film director and producer, active in both Europe and the United States, also known as a food critic for the Sunday Times.-Early life and early career :...
. It stars Oliver Reed
Oliver Reed
Oliver Reed was an English actor known for his burly screen presence. Reed exemplified his real-life macho image in "tough guy" roles...
as disillusioned London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
advertising executive Andrew Quint, who revolts against his boss, Jonathan Lute (Orson Welles
Orson Welles
George Orson Welles , best known as Orson Welles, was an American film director, actor, theatre director, screenwriter, and producer, who worked extensively in film, theatre, television and radio...
), and escapes into Swinging London
Swinging London
Swinging London is a catch-all term applied to the fashion and cultural scene that flourished in London, in the 1960s.It was a youth-oriented phenomenon that emphasised the new and modern. It was a period of optimism and hedonism, and a cultural revolution. One catalyst was the recovery of the...
.
Plot
The film deals with creativity and commercialismCommercialism
Commercialism, in its original meaning, is the practices, methods, aims, and spirit of commerce or business. Today, however, it primarily refers to the tendency within open-market capitalism to turn everything into objects, images, and services sold for the purpose of generating profit...
. Quint attempts to get back at his boss by making a negative commercial reusing themes from earlier in the film, including Lute saying "The number one product of all human endeavor is waste...waste." The commercial, advertising a Super-8 camera
Super 8 film cameras
A Super 8mm camera is a motion picture camera specifically manufactured to utilise the Super 8mm motion picture format. Super 8mm film cameras were first manufactured in 1965 by Kodak for their newly-introduced amateur film format, which replaced the Standard 8 mm film format. Manufacture continued...
, talks about capturing events while you still can before everything is destroyed and discarded. It ends with Quint operating a car crusher
Car crusher
A car crusher is an industrial device used to reduce the dimensions of derelict cars prior to transport for recycling.Car crushers are compactors and can be of two types: "pancake", where a scrap automobile is flattened by a huge descending hydraulically-powered plate, or the baling press type,...
and destroying numerous cameras. The commercial is hailed as a masterpiece, and wins an award, but Quint hurls the award into the Thames.
Controversy
In the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, the film was denied a MPAA seal of approval due to a scene between Oliver Reed and Carol White
Carol White
Carol White was a British actress.She achieved notability for her performances in the television play Cathy Come Home and the films Poor Cow and I'll Never Forget What's'isname , but alcoholism and drug abuse damaged her career, and from the early 1970s she worked infrequently.-Life and...
which implied (but did not actually show) oral sex
Oral sex
Oral sex is sexual activity involving the stimulation of the genitalia of a sex partner by the use of the mouth, tongue, teeth or throat. Cunnilingus refers to oral sex performed on females while fellatio refer to oral sex performed on males. Anilingus refers to oral stimulation of a person's anus...
(Winner, in his audio commentary, said he considered the scene to show masturbation
Masturbation
Masturbation refers to sexual stimulation of a person's own genitals, usually to the point of orgasm. The stimulation can be performed manually, by use of objects or tools, or by some combination of these methods. Masturbation is a common form of autoeroticism...
. The Catholic League
Catholic League (U.S.)
The Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights, often shortened to the Catholic League, is an American Catholic anti-defamation and civil rights organization...
inaccurately described it as "fellatio
Fellatio
Fellatio is an act of oral stimulation of a male's penis by a sexual partner. It involves the stimulation of the penis by the use of the mouth, tongue, or throat. The person who performs fellatio can be referred to as the giving partner, and the other person is the receiving partner...
," even though it is the woman who is receiving.) Universal
Universal Studios
Universal Pictures , a subsidiary of NBCUniversal, is one of the six major movie studios....
distributed the film through a subsidiary that was not a member of the MPAA. Along with a similar scene in Charlie Bubbles
Charlie Bubbles
Charlie Bubbles is a British film of 1967 starring Billie Whitelaw and Albert Finney, and also featuring a young Liza Minnelli. It was listed to compete at the 1968 Cannes Film Festival, but the festival was cancelled due to the events of May 1968 in France.The film made great play of its...
(1967), this helped to bring about the end of the Production Code
Production Code
The Motion Picture Production Code was the set of industry moral censorship guidelines that governed the production of the vast majority of United States motion pictures released by major studios from 1930 to 1968. It is also popularly known as the Hays Code, after Hollywood's chief censor of the...
in the USA and its replacement with a ratings system
MPAA film rating system
The Motion Picture Association of America's film-rating system is used in the U.S. and its territories to rate a film's thematic and content suitability for certain audiences. The MPAA system applies only to motion pictures that are submitted for rating. Other media may be rated by other entities...
.
The film is often named as the first mainstream film to use the word fuck
Fuck
"Fuck" is an English word that is generally considered obscene which, in its most literal meaning, refers to the act of sexual intercourse. By extension it may be used to negatively characterize anything that can be dismissed, disdained, defiled, or destroyed."Fuck" can be used as a verb, adverb,...
in its dialogue. Another contender is Ulysses, which was released earlier the same year. The contention seems to have arisen because of a longtime absence of either film's release date in any easily-obtainable sources, such as the Internet Movie Database.
Cast
- Jonathan Lute - Orson WellesOrson WellesGeorge Orson Welles , best known as Orson Welles, was an American film director, actor, theatre director, screenwriter, and producer, who worked extensively in film, theatre, television and radio...
- Andrew Quint - Oliver ReedOliver ReedOliver Reed was an English actor known for his burly screen presence. Reed exemplified his real-life macho image in "tough guy" roles...
- Georgina Elben - Carol WhiteCarol WhiteCarol White was a British actress.She achieved notability for her performances in the television play Cathy Come Home and the films Poor Cow and I'll Never Forget What's'isname , but alcoholism and drug abuse damaged her career, and from the early 1970s she worked infrequently.-Life and...
- Gerald Sater - Harry AndrewsHarry AndrewsHarry Fleetwood Andrews, CBE was an English film actor known for his frequent portrayals of tough military officers. His performance as Sergeant Major Wilson in The Hill alongside Sean Connery earned Andrews the 1965 National Board of Review Award for Best Supporting Actor and a nomination for the...
- Headmaster - Michael HordernMichael HordernSir Michael Murray Hordern was an English actor, knighted in 1983 for his services to the theatre, which stretched back to before the Second World War.-Personal life:...
- Louise Quint - Wendy CraigWendy CraigWendy Craig is a BAFTA Award winning English actress who is best known for her appearances in the sitcoms Butterflies, ...And Mother Makes Three and ...And Mother Makes Five...
- Nicholas - Norman RodwayNorman Rodway-Early life:Rodway was born in Dublin to English parents, Frank and Lillian Rodway. He studied classics, graduating at Trinity College. He worked as an accountant, teacher, and university lecturer before acting.-Career:...
- Josie - Marianne FaithfullMarianne FaithfullMarianne Evelyn Faithfull is an award-winning English singer, songwriter and actress whose career has spanned five decades....
- Chaplain - Frank FinlayFrank FinlayFrancis Finlay, CBE is an English stage, film and television actor.-Personal life:Finlay was born in Farnworth, Lancashire, the son of Margaret and Josiah Finlay, a butcher. A devout Catholic, he belongs to the British Catholic Stage Guild. He was educated at St...
- Carla - Ann Lynn
- Charles Maccabee - Harvey Hall
- Susannah - Lyn Ashley
- Walter - Edward FoxEdward Fox (actor)Edward Charles Morice Fox, OBE is an English stage, film and television actor.He is generally associated with portraying the role of the upper-class Englishman, such as the title character in the film The Day of the Jackal and King Edward VIII in the serial Edward & Mrs...
- ??? - Basil Dignam
- Michael Cornwall - Mark Burns