I’ve always wanted to see Jack Cardiff’s The Girl on a Motorcycle despite, or perhaps because of, its reputation as being a self-indulgent disaster. I’ve finally seen it and am happy to report that while it is definitely self-indulgent, it is no disaster. Despite the sexual content, the film has a strangely appealing innocence.
“It’s my bike. No one else will ever use it.”
Cardiff acts as director, cinematographer, and camera operator, in addition to “adapting” the screenplay by Ronald Duncan. The film is clearly a visual experiment, with the adulterous story almost an afterthought. Jack tries to find as many ways as possible to shoot Marianne Faithfull, shamelessly objectifying her while fetishizing and eroticizing her motorcycle. “Marianne, luv, give…