Michael Caine may well not have become the movie star we know and love without his performance as a controversial romeo rat in 1966's Alfie. A bed-hopping Cockney jack the lad, he behaved disgracefully with the opposite sex, and if that wasn't bad enough he liked to brag about it. To the audience no less! What goes up must come down, and Alfie collapsed like a sack of potatoes down a steep staircase. The strain of trying to build a stable relationship and a dire diagnosis from his doctor meant the cheekiness got gradually hammered out of him. By the time he felt ready for true happiness lady luck had passed him by and he wound up alone. Directed by Lewis Gilbert from Bill Naughton's play, the part launched Caine onto the world stage. Such was his association with the notorious Mr Elkins that Jude Law failed to make a dent in the 2004 remake.
I am a journalist and comedian who enjoys American movies of the 70s, Amicus horror compendiums, Doctor Who, Twin Peaks, Naomi Watts and sitting down. My short fiction has been published as part of the Iris Wildthyme range from Obverse Books.
