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{{shortShort description|1965 British film by Richard Lester}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2015}}

{{Use British English|date=June 2015}}

{{Infobox film

| name = The Knack …and How to Get It

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| studio = [[Woodfall Film Productions]]

| distributor = [[United Artists Corporation]]

| released = {{startFilm date|1965|6|3|df=yyes}}

| runtime = 85 minutes

| country = United Kingdom

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| gross = $2.5 million (US)<ref name="Deeley"/>

}}

'''''The Knack …and How to Get It''''' is a 1965 British [[comedy film]] directed by [[Richard Lester]] and starring [[Rita Tushingham]], [[Ray Brooks (actor)|Ray Brooks]], [[Michael Crawford]], and [[Donal Donnelly]].<ref name="BFIsearch">{{Cite web |title=The Knack ...and How to Get It |url=https://collections-search.bfi.org.uk/web/Details/ChoiceFilmWorks/150030641 |access-date=10 August 2024 |website=British Film Institute Collections Search}}</ref> The screenplay by [[Charles Wood (playwright)|Charles Wood]] is based on the 1962 play ''The Knack: A Comedy in Three Acts'' by [[Ann Jellicoe]]. The film is considered emblematic of the [[Swinging Sixties|Swinging London]] cultural phenomenon. It was the first movie appearance of Jane Birkin and Charlotte Rampling.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2023-12-17 |title=Jane Birkin remembered by Charlotte Rampling |url=https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2023/dec/17/obituaries-2023-jane-birkin-remembered-by-charlotte-rampling |access-date=2024-02-06 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref>

'''''The Knack …and How to Get It''''' is a 1965 British comedy film directed by [[Richard Lester]] and based on the play by [[Ann Jellicoe]]. It won the ''[[Palme d'Or]]'' at the [[1965 Cannes Film Festival]] and the [[Grand Prix (Belgian Film Critics Association)|Grand Prix]] of the [[Belgian Film Critics Association]]. It was also in competition for the [[Golden Bear]] at the [[15th Berlin International Film Festival]].

==The Knack==

The "knack" is the skill, and particularly the special skill to do a certain task, i.e. "he's got the knack". The phrase was particularly popular in the 1960s. It does not pertain exclusively (or even particularly) to sexual skills.

==Plot==

Colin ([[Michael Crawford]]) is a nervous schoolteacher working in [[London]], observing rather than participating in the [[sexual revolution]] of the 1960s. He has little personal sexual experience and wishes to gain "the knack": inof this casehow to successfully seduce women. He turns to ahis friend and tenant, a confident, womanizing drummerwomaniser known only by his surname, Tolen. Tolen gives him unhelpful advice to consume more protein and use intuition, acknowledging that intuition is not something that can be completely learned,. andHe advocates the importance of [[sexual domination|dominationdominating]] of women. He (Tolen) thenand suggests that one of his mates "Rory McBride"Colin should takelet upanother thefriend spare-roommove thatinto Colin's isspare looking to rentroom, (asand Colinthey owns the home), where Colin cancould "share" the women of both Tolen and Rory.

Colin boards the front door shut. TheTom, thirdwho flatmate,is Tompassing, takes up occupation of the vacant room. He is obsessed with painting everything white..., including the windowpanes. Due to the blocked door, Tolen now brings his girlswomen in through the window. Colin swaps his single bed for a fancy old double wrought-iron irondouble bed whichthat he finds in a scrapyard with Tom. Nancy ([[Rita Tushingham]]) meets Colin at the scrapyard and they have a moment of connection when their eyes meet. Nancy is an inexperienced and shy young woman, one can say Colin's female counterpart; who has arrived toin London from out of town and is searching for the [[YWCA]]. She stops by a clothing store and is won over by the flattery of the clerk, until she overhears him repeating the same words to every female customer.

From the scrapyard, the three take the bed on a complex and zany journey back to the house. This includes parking it at a [[parking meter]], moving it on a [[Car carrier trailer|car transporter]], floating it along the [[River Thames]], and carrying it down the steps of the [[Royal Albert Hall]].

From the scrapyard the three take the bed on a complex and zany journey back to the house. This includes parking it at a parking meter so they can eat their lunch before moving it on a [[Car carrier trailer|car transporter]] and carrying it down the steps of the [[Royal Albert Hall]]. Back at the house, Nancy tries to help Colin and Tom maneuver the new "vast" bed up to Colin's bedroom but are having trouble because when Tom let the spare room, he moved all the furniture out into the main hall and left it all there. Tolen arrives back home to find the new flat-mate Tom and sees the new girl who clearly must be preyed upon since that is what having "The Knack" is all about, without realizing or caring, that Colin already likes her but as usual is shy. Tolen immediately puts the moves on new Nancy after Tom has used a game of "How to train a Lion" after a dust-up trying to move the new bed upstairs. Tolen gets aggressive with her trying to "teach" Colin how to get the Knack, but see what is really "going on" and as the camera zooms in for a close-up on Colin's eyes, the audience can see he is already feeling very protective of her. Nancy resists Tolen for a little while and even runs away frightened after he kisses her. When she returns, Tolen begins to fain an apology although she isn't aware that his placating her is all part of his "Knack" for winning girls to him. Eventually, she is won over and she leaves the house with him on his motorcycle and Tom urges Colin to go after to make sure she's all right. An iconic shot of Colin and Tom up on the top of an alleyway comes now as Tolen is chasing them both on his motorcycle before taking he and Nancy to a public park. She loses her hat during the pursuit and Colin scoops it up off the road to bring it back to her when they catch up.

In a public space, Tolen appears to sexually assaults Nancy, who at first is silent, and then faints. When she wakes up, she begins claimingclaims she was raped, butthough this was not the case. Tolen, Colin, and Tom find themselvesare unable to restrain her from loudly repeating the allegations all over the neighborhood, or puncturing the tirestyres of Tolen's motorcycle;. after which sheShe runs back to the residencehouse, where she throws Tolen's [[Gramophone record|records]] out of the window and strips naked inside his bedroom. The men become convinced her rape allegations reflect her owna [[rape fantasy]] and urge Tolen to "gohave onsex towith it since HE has The Knackher. When Nancy emerges from the room wearing only hera overcoatrobe, she persists in her rape fantasy but shifts her focus from Tolen to Colin. With her new found power to frighten the men instead ofexpresses herselfmore being scared, she backs Colin and the other men back down the stairs and corners Colin in the kitchen where she says that "no girl would ever suspect LUST beneath the handsome exterior of the tall, fair-haired, blue-eyed school-teacher lurks the heart of a beast lusting for the blood of young virgins." Colin looks shockedattraction to know a girl thinks HE is handsome and she goes further to proclaim how lovely his hands are. He blushes when he asks her "Do I really?" Tom and Tolen then come down to the kitchen and see how Colin and Nancy are gazing at each other and Tom says that Colin has raped her. Shocked at the very idea, Tolen protests, and then Nancy states that "rugged and handsome with lovely hands" Colin did indeed rape her "marvelous-super" and the more she extolls Colin's own "Knack," the taller he stands proud to have the affection of just this one young woman, even with a ridiculous claim that she manages to make quite sweetly withreturns her new affections for Colininterest. TolenThe gets confused by all this and his expressionstwo begin to indicate that perhaps his own mojo maintaining "the Knack" is slipping after hearing Nancy speak of Colin in thisliving mannertogether.

Tolen slips off to his engagement where he and Rory have booked the [[Royal Albert Hall]] in order to have a reunion with all the girlfriends of both men. When he arrives, Tolen discovers that all HIS girls have turned their affections to Rory. (The audience never sees Rory.) The ladies refuse to allow him inside and trample him underfoot. He arrives back home and asks Tom where Colin and Nancy are, both upstairs in his room sitting on his "vast" new bed. The two are still whispering new sweet-nothings to each other with Colin smoking a cigarette and his tie missing, collar now standing up straight, as if he and Nancy really had been physically intimate already but there is no indication of that. Colin says "It would be lovely to see you laugh" with a hand on her cheek.

The film ends with Tolen having totally lost The Knack, and with Nancy and Colin having an evening stroll hand in hand down, perfectly comfortable with each other, with Colin having acquired his own different kind of Knack.

==Cast==

{{castlist|

* [[Michael Crawford]] as Colin

* [[Rita Tushingham]] as Nancy Jones

* [[Ray Brooks (actor)|Ray Brooks]] as Tolen

* [[Michael Crawford]] as Colin

* [[Donal Donnelly]] as Tom

* [[William Dexter (actor)|William Dexter]] as Dress Shop Owner

* [[Charles Dyer (actorplaywright)|Charles Dyer]] as Man in Photo Booth

* [[Margot Thomas]] as Female Teacher

* [[John Bluthal]] as Angry Father

* [[Helen Lennox]] as Girl in Photo Booth

* [[Wensley Pithey]] as Teacher

* [[Edgar Wreford]] as Man in Phone Booth

* [[Frank Sieman]] as Surveyor

* [[Bruce Lacey]] as Surveyor's Assistant

* [[George Chisholm (musician)|George Chisholm]] as Left Luggage Porter

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* [[Dandy Nichols]] as Tom's Landlady

* [[Wanda Ventham]] as Gym Mistress

* [[Julian Holloway]] and [[Kenneth Farrington]] as GuardsmanGuardsmen

* [[KennethJane FarringtonBirkin]] as GuardsmanMotorbike Girl

* [[Jacqueline Bisset]] as Sweater Girl

* [[Charlotte Rampling]] as Water Skier

* [[Lucille Soong]] as Girl in Sauna

}}

==Production==

After seeing [[Ann Jellicoe]]'s play ''The Knack'', the producers envisioned a film adaptation. They offered the position of director to [[Lindsay Anderson]], who refused.<ref name="Steiner">{{Cite web|url=https://www.tcm.com/this-month/article/84070 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121108052621/http://www.tcm.com/this-month/article/84070%7C0/The-Knack-And-How-To-Get-It.html |url-status=live |archive-date=8 November 2012 |title=The Knack ...and How to Get It |last=Steiner |first=Richard |access-date= |accessdate=7 June 2017 |work=[[Turner Classic Movies]]}}</ref>

Having worked with [[The Beatles]] on ''[[A Hard Day's Night (film)|A Hard Day's Night]]'', Lester was another candidate for director, and agreed to take the position.<ref name="Steiner"/> Lester made major changes to the play, adding his own touch through [[direct address]], unexpected oddly-edited sequences, humorous subtitles, and a [[Greek chorus]] of disapproving members of "the older generation."{{citation needed|date=June 2017}} Filming took place inover a few weeks in November and early December 1964, and Lester employed television advertising techniques.<ref name="Steiner"/> Talking about the film in the 1980s, actor [[Ray Brooks (actor)|Ray Brooks]] said: {{cquote|He’s a very visual man... They reckon that you could take any frame from ''[[Help! (film)|Help]]'', ''The Knack'', and ''[[A Hard Day's Night (film)|A Hard Day’s Night]]'' and you could put it on the cover of Time/Life. Everything was so beautifully shot."<ref>[http://www.chrishunt.biz/feature24.html ''Ray Brooks interview''] by [[Chris Hunt]]</ref>}}

Lester himself makes a brief cameo as an annoyed bystander. [[John Barry (composer)|John Barry]] contributed the jazzy score, which features a memorable organ solo by [[Alan Haven]]. [[Jane Birkin]], [[Charlotte Rampling]], and [[Jacqueline Bisset]] all made their first cinematic appearances in the film as extras, together with ''[[Top of the Pops]]'' disc girl [[Samantha Juste]].

==ReceptionRelease==

===Critical reception===

In ''[[The New York Times]]'', [[Bosley Crowther]] positively reviewed it as "delightfully mobile" and a "frenziedly running, jumping picture".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9505EEDA1F30E033A25753C3A9609C946491D6CF |title=Screen: 'The Knack' Opens at Plaza:Director Gives Pace to Off-Beat Story |last=Crowther |first=Bosley |date=30 June 1965 |accessdateaccess-date=7 June 2017 |work=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref> ''Variety'' praised the performances, citing [[Rita Tushingham]] as perfect in her role.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://variety.com/1964/film/reviews/the-knack-and-how-to-get-it-1200420747/ |title=Review: 'The Knack … And How to Get It' |last=Staff |first= |date=31 December 1964 |accessdateaccess-date=7 June 2017 |work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]}}</ref>

In 2016, ''The Hollywood Reporter'' ranked it the 49th best film tohas winfared the Palme d'Or, stating it "hasn't agedless well" buton the setting was a great assetreappraisal.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lists/cannes-palme-dor-winners-ranked-891143/item/best-intentions-palme-dor-winners-891108 |title=Cannes: All the Palme d'Or Winners, Ranked |last=Staff |first= |date=10 May 2016 |accessdate=7 June 2017 |work=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]}}</ref> In 2001, the ''Wallflower Critical Guide'' noted the creativity in cinematography and editing, but said it disrupted the storytelling.<ref>{{cite book |editor1=Yoram Allon |editor2=Del Cullen |editor3=Hannah Patterson |title=Contemporary British and Irish Film Directors: A Wallflower Critical Guide |publisher=Wallflower Press |date=2001 |isbn=1903364213 |ppage=199}}</ref>

In 2016, ''[[The Hollywood Reporter]]'' ranked it the 49th best film to win the Palme d'Or (out of the 69 films to win up to that point), stating it "hasn't aged well" but the setting was a great asset.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lists/cannes-palme-dor-winners-ranked-891143/item/best-intentions-palme-dor-winners-891108 |title=Cannes: All the Palme d'Or Winners, Ranked |last=Staff |date=10 May 2016 |access-date=7 June 2017 |work=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]}}</ref>

In 2020, as part of a profile of Tushingham, Stuart Jeffries in ''[[The Guardian]]'' called the film "painful to watch", citing "the levity with which the film treats rape, not to mention Nancy's weird hysteria, is bound to make modern audiences a little queasy."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2020/jan/28/rita-tushingham-interview-taste-of-honey-shock-60s |title=Rita Tushingham on life after A Taste of Honey |last=Jeffries |first=Stuart |date=28 January 2020 |access-date=4 January 2024 |work=[[The Guardian]]}}</ref>

In 2016, ''The Hollywood Reporter'' ranked it the 49th best film to win the Palme d'Or, stating it "hasn't aged well" but the setting was a great asset.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lists/cannes-palme-dor-winners-ranked-891143/item/best-intentions-palme-dor-winners-891108 |title=Cannes: All the Palme d'Or Winners, Ranked |last=Staff |first= |date=10 May 2016 |accessdate=7 June 2017 |work=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]}}</ref> In 2001, the ''Wallflower Critical Guide'' noted the creativity in cinematography and editing, but said it disrupted the storytelling.<ref>{{cite book |editor1=Yoram Allon |editor2=Del Cullen |editor3=Hannah Patterson |title=Contemporary British and Irish Film Directors: A Wallflower Critical Guide |publisher=Wallflower Press |date=2001 |isbn=1903364213 |p=199}}</ref>

===Accolades===

The film was entered into competition at the [[1965 Cannes Film Festival]],<ref name="festival-cannes.com">{{cite web |url=http://www.festival-cannes.com/en/archives/ficheFilm/id/2888/year/1965.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120119093130/http://www.festival-cannes.com/en/archives/ficheFilm/id/2888/year/1965.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=19 January 2012 |title=Festival de Cannes: The Knack …and...and How to Get It |accessdateaccess-date=7 June 2017 |work=festival-cannes.com}}</ref> where it won the [[Palme d'Or]].<ref name="Guardian">{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2011/may/11/cannes-film-2011-award-winners-palme-dor |title=Cannes 2011: all the Palme d'Or winners |last= |first= |date=May 2011 |accessdateaccess-date=7 June 2017 |work=[[The Guardian]]}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable"

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| rowspan="3" | [[Richard Lester]]

| {{won}}

| rowspan="1" | <ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.cinematek.be/?node=10&event_id=400868502 |title=Richard Lester, The Knack |last= |first= |access-date= |accessdate=7 June 2017 |publisher=Cinémathèque royale de Belgique}}</ref>

|-

!scope="row" rowspan=6| [[British Academy Film Awards]]

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| [[BAFTA Award for Best British Film|Best British Film]]

| {{nom}}

| rowspan="6" | <ref>{{Cite web|url=http://awards.bafta.org/award/1966/film? |title=Film in 1966 |last= |first= |access-date= |accessdate=7 June 2017 |publisher=[[British Academy of Film and Television Arts]]}}</ref>

|-

| Best Film from Any Source

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| Rita Tushingham

| {{nom}}

| rowspan="2" | <ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.goldenglobes.com/film/knack |title=The Knack |last= |first= |access-date= |accessdate=7 June 2017 |publisher=[[Hollywood Foreign Press Association]]}}</ref>

|-

| [[Golden Globe Award for Best English-Language Foreign Film|Best Foreign Film, English Language]]

| Richard Lester

| {{nom}}

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| Charles Wood

| {{won}}

| rowspan="1" | <ref>{{Cite web|url=https://writersguild.org.uk/writers-guild-awards-1965/ |title=Writers' Guild Awards 1965 |last= |first= |access-date= |accessdate=7 June 2017 |publisher=[[Writers' Guild of Great Britain]]}}</ref>

|-

|}

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==External links==

*{{imdbIMDb title|id=0059362|title=The Knack …and How to Get It}}

* {{Amg movie|97908|The Knack …and How to Get It}}

*{{rotten-tomatoes|knackand_how_to_get_it}}

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[[Category:1960s sex comedy films]]

[[Category:British black-and-white films]]

[[Category:British films]]

[[Category:British romantic comedy films]]

[[Category:British sex comedy films]]

[[Category:CasualFilms sexabout incasual filmssex]]

[[Category:Films directed by Richard Lester]]

[[Category:Films scored by John Barry (composer)]]

[[Category:Films set in London]]

[[Category:Palme d'Or winners]]

[[Category:1960s English-language films]]

[[Category:1960s British films]]

[[Category:English-language sex comedy films]]

[[Category:English-language romantic comedy films]]