Five movies that signalled the demise of the ‘Swinging Sixties’
It is normal to be drawn to a specific decade of history, whether it be one we lived through and long to go back to or perhaps one we wish we could’ve experienced. Even though these decades were plagued with their own issues – sexism, racism, and homophobia – we often look back with rose-tinted glasses, as is the case with the 1960s.
It was a time of rapid artistic and social development, with British bands, psychedelia, drug use, hippies, garage rock, mini-skirts, experimental eye makeup, knee-high boots, bright patterns, and free love all coming to define the era. Swinging London was an epicentre of culture, new music, quirky fashion boutiques, and freewheeling attitudes.
Many filmmakers raced to capture the period on screen, showing young people dancing and falling in love, trying to make it in a world that was more liberal than the one they’d grown up in. However, many movies captured the bleaker side of the era, suggesting that these new styles of clothing and music were simply hiding deep-rooted issues still lingering in British society.
Often explored in films by foreign directors, movies like Blow-Up and Deep End highlighted the elements of the swinging sixties that weren’t so glamorous – possibly signalling its eventual demise.
Movies that signalled the end of ‘Swinging Sixties’:
Blow-Up (Michelangelo Antonioni, 1966)
Only the Italian director Michelangelo Antonioni could make such a stunning movie about London in the swinging ’60s, using his foreign perspective to his advantage. Rather than indulging in the era’s propensity for brightly-coloured outfits and awkward dance moves, Antonioni showed all of this through a rather nihilistic lens in his 1966 movie Blow-Up.
In Blow-Up, this emphasis on image is seen as futile, with David Hemmings’ character, Thomas, disillusioned by commercialism and artificiality. The film explores how we often trick ourselves into thinking we’re part of something bigger than we are, and in the swinging sixties, when a sense of excitement rippled through the lives of many young people, Antonioni chose to explore themes of futility and absurdity instead.
While the movie excellently captures the era, the movie suggests that the mindset possessed by many during this time was actually rather naive. He was right. Inevitably, political and social instability would lead the optimism of the era to quickly wane.
Deep End (Jerzy Skolimowski, 1970)
The swinging sixties was a time of sexual revolution, but what we often forget when thinking about those heady days of mini-skirts and ‘Je t’aime… moi non plus’ causing a fuss is the darker side of this phenomenon. In Deep End, 15-year-old Mike starts working at a public swimming bath, where he is exposed to plenty of sexual corruption. His initiation into the adult world is filled with creepy PE teachers and overzealous older women – not everything about the swinging sixties was hedonistic and fun.
As Mike’s crush on another attendant, Susan, becomes all-consuming, his warped sense of normalcy results in extreme behaviour and, ultimately, tragedy. While Deep End boasts many comedic moments and features one of the decade’s most iconic faces – Jane Asher – it isn’t scared to address the intense emotions that are often ignored when we think about the free love and carefree attitudes of the swinging era. Mike can’t handle Susan’s lack of interest in him despite her flirtatious nature and other affairs, resulting in his descent into chaos and disorder.
Repulsion (Roman Polanski, 1965)
While Repulsion takes place in the earlier years of the swinging sixties, the film seems to suggest that this era of sexual liberation wasn’t as widely accepted by young people as we might think, teasing the period’s inevitable implosion. For Catherine Deneuve’s Carol, a quiet and reserved Belgian woman living in London, her sister’s affair with a married man is enough to make her deeply uncomfortable. Her paranoia regarding men and their potential for violence leads her to hallucinate and find herself trapped between reality and fantasy.
This is a common theme that can be found in movies that signal a decline or wariness in the optimism of the swinging sixties. Especially when interpreted by a foreign filmmaker like Roman Polanski, these films highlight the fact that these new styles and trends can’t cover up prominent issues still rife in a country recovering from a treacherous war. In Repulsion, male violence and sexual repression are explored succinctly, with the film suggesting that we can’t ignore the realities of a rapidly changing landscape, with people’s beliefs caught in flux.
Nightbirds (Andy Milligan, 1970)
Nightbirds, directed by American filmmaker Andy Milligan, is perhaps the least well-known movie on this list, but it is easily the bleakest. Set in the East End of London, we’re introduced to Dink, a homeless young man who is taken in by a mysterious woman named Dee. He begins living with her in her horribly dilapidated flat, and she soon takes advantage of his innocence for her own selfish gain. As the film continues, we are pulled into their abusive world of obsession, love, and violence, offering a dark vision of London during the late ‘60s.
The American Milligan evidently sought to capture a less shiny and hopeful image of the swinging ’60s, seeing the time for what it was—a contradictory period in which many young people found themselves struggling to get by, not simply dancing the night away to the sounds of The Beatles or the Stones. It is an utterly DIY piece of cinema, and while it’s not the best movie about the era, it forces us to reckon with many of its heavier secrets.
The Party’s Over (Guy Hamilton, 1965)
As you can probably guess by the title, Guy Hamilton’s 1965 film, The Party’s Over, explored the inevitable ending of the glorious days of swinging London. Even though it was made during the height of the era, the film seemed to suggest that too much hedonism and getting swept up in new ideas and friendships without sticking to your guns will only lead to disaster.
The film starred Louise Sorel as Molina, an American who gets involved with a group of beatniks, which includes Oliver Reed’s Moise. As she lets her hair down and indulges in a world of sexual liberation and jazz, it doesn’t take long for things to go wrong. There were many shocking moments in the film that upset censors, notably a scene of implied necrophilia, and the response to the film suggested that the swinging sixties wasn’t as creatively liberated as it was made out to be.
