Candy (1968)

Directed by Christian Marquand

Buck Henry:screenplay

Mason Hoffenberg:novel

Terry Southern:novel

Candy is a 1968 film directed by Christian Marquand. Based on the 1958 novel by Terry Southern and Mason Hoffenberg.

The story bears a marked similarity to Voltaire's Candide, including its naιve protagonist (switched from male to female), its penchant for exploring human sexuality, the protagonist's far-reaching travels, and her attempt to find some basic Good in humanity among all its charlatans and hypocrites. Whereas Candide is generally taken advantage of for a variety of reasons/uses, however, Candy herself is almost always sought after for her sexual appeal. This comes closer to the portrayal of Cunιgonde, the heroine of Voltaire's novel.

Synopsis : Candy Christian is an innocent young girl when she first hears NcPhito, an alcoholic Welsh poet, talk of love and self-sacrifice. Candy narrowly escapes McPhisto's attempt to rape her, only to succumb to her father's Mexican gardener, Emmanuel. When her father catches her with the gardener, he banishes her to a trip with his twin brother, Uncle Jack, and Jack's wife Aunt Livia, who are headed for New York City. As Candy makes her way to the airport, Emmanuel's three sisters attack her because she has corrupted their brother. Because of Candy, Emmanuel has now forsaken the priesthood. During the scuffle, Candy's father takes a blow to the head, resulting in a serious head injury. Candy nearly gives in to a General Smight on the plane in exchange for a blood transfusion for her father. In New York, an ego-maniacal brain surgeon Dr. Krankeit operates on her father, while Uncle Jack pursues his own operation on Candy. When Candy bashes him with a bedpan, Uncle Jack is put in her father's hospital bed, while her father wanders away without notice. Candy is now free to visit Greenwich Village where she takes part in a film by an underground movie director Jonathan J. John. It's a pornographic film, shot in a public restroom. Next, Candy becomes the pet of a benevolent hunchback in Central Park, but she escapes from his arch criminal into the truck trailer of Guru Grindl. During the drive to California, Grindl initiates her into the mysteries of the Seventh Stage and other secrets of life. In California, Candy seeks the Great Buddah, who will reveal to her the ultimate stage. In her search, she encounter a filthy hermit who leads her to a temple. There Candy and the hermit have sex. When a deluge destroys the temple and washes the hermit clean. Candy recognizes that the hermit is really her wandering father. Again Candy runs away to more trouble. The final time, however, she finds herself in a hippie orgy, reunited with her past sexual partners

Cast :

Charles Aznavour ... Hunchback juggler

Marlon Brando ... Grindl

Richard Burton ... MacPhisto

James Coburn ... Dr. A.B. Krankheit

John Huston ... Dr. Arnold Dunlap

Walter Matthau ... Gen. R.A. Smight

Ringo Starr ... Emmanuel

Ewa Aulin ... Candy Christian

John Astin ... T.M. Christian / Jack Christian

Elsa Martinelli ... Livia

Sugar Ray Robinson ... Zero

Anita Pallenberg ... Nurse Bullock

Lea Padovani ... Silvia Fontegliulo

Florinda Bolkan ... Lolita

Marilou Tolo ... Conchita

Golden Globes, USA 1969 Nominated

Golden Globe Most Promising Newcomer - Female Ewa Aulin

Η Candy 1968 είναι ταινία σε σκηνοθεσία του Christian Marquand. Βασισμένη σε μυθιστόρημα του 1958 από τον Terry Southern και τον Mason Hoffenberg.

Η ιστορία έχει έντονη ομοιότητα με την ηρωίδα (Candide )του Βολταίρου, συμπεριλαμβανομένης της αφελούς πρωταγωνίστριάς της

( που για τις ανάγκες του σεναρίου άλλαξε από αρσενικό σε θηλυκό),

και αναφέρεται στην εξερεύνηση της ανθρώπινης σεξουαλικότητας,

όπου η ηρωίδα ταξιδεύει, στην προσπάθειά της να βρει ορισμένα βασικά αγαθά στους ανθρώπους μεταξύ όλων των τσαρλατάνοι και των υποκριτών,

η Candide γίνεται αντικείμενο εκμετάλευσης για διάφορους λόγους και χρήσεις,

όπως, η ίδια η Candy αναζητείται σχεδόν πάντα για την σεξουαλική έλξη

που άθελά της προκαλεί.

Αυτό έρχεται πιο κοντά στην εικόνα της Cunigonde,

της ηρωίδας του μυθιστορήματος του Βολταίρου.