Whereas most of the horror
films that Great Britain’s Amicus Productions made in the ’60s and ’70s were
anthologies featuring gruesome supernatural elements, What Became of Jack and Jill? is more along the lines of a
Hitchockian thriller. Based on a novel by Laurence Moody, the film takes an
arch look at the Generation Gap, portraying with-it kids as amoral and lazy
while portraying seniors as clueless and judgmental. These characterizations
are dubious at best, but they serve narrative well by defining battle lines.
Like some of Hitchcock’s darkest films, What
Became of Jack and Jill? focuses on villains, so the wicked fun of the
picture involves watching craven people execute an outlandish scheme, then
waiting for their inevitable comeuppance. To be clear, What Became of Jack and Jill? is microscopic in scale and
threadbare in terms of social commentary, roughly the equivalent of a Night Gallery episode. That said, the
characters are entertainingly self-serving, the situations are somewhat
imaginative, and the overall shape of the narrative is satisfying.
Paul
Nicholas plays Johnnie Tallent, a surly longhair who lives with his aging
grandmother, Alice (Mona Washbourne), whom he calls “Gran.” Gran owns a house
and draws a solid pension, so she supports Johnnie even though he doesn’t work.
Yet Gran has little use for Johnnie’s flashy girlfriend, Jill Standish (Vanessa
Howard), a bitchy blonde who dreams of becoming a jet-setter once Gran dies and
leaves her wealth to Johnnie. Growing impatient with Gran’s longevity, Jill and
Johnnie conspire to kill Gran, devising the outlandish scheme of convincing
Gran that a violent youth revolution is underway. Will these horrible kids
achieve their goal of driving poor Gran to a heart attack?
Little of what
happens in What Became of Jack and Jill?
will surprise savvy moviegoers, so the picture will strike some folks as
unbearably predictable. Viewed more charitably, the movie tracks a steady slide
into amorality, with Johnnie succumbing to Jill’s toxic influence until his own
vile nature surfaces. So even though What
Became of Jack and Jill? is a simple story about greed, the themes it
explores are timeless, and the specifics of the film capture a colorful moment
in British history—surely the generation that endured World War II was
mystified by the arrogance and entitlement of Love Generation brats who used
the language of rebellion to justify their sloth. Don’t underestimate Gran,
though. She’s craftier than she seems.
What Became of Jack and Jill?: GROOVY
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