A general knowledge of 'Candide' will certainly be of considerable help to get one through this rather confused film. Malcolm McDowell works in this film about the ups & downs of a coffee salesman. This film was the second in a trilogy that started with 'If' (1968),that itself is a remake (of sorts)of an old Jean Vigo entitled 'Zero For Conduct', about an overthrow in a boy's school. I actually didn't get to see 'If' until some years after I had seen 'Oh Luckey Man', so some things that went over my head were cleared up. When 'Man' isn't focused on the Michael Travis character,it seems to cut back & forth to a recording session featuring Alan Price (ex-Eric Burdon & The Animals keyboardist). Although the music does act as a pleasant diversion, it kind of bogs the plot down,and manages to pad the already overlong film out more. Worth a look,if you can get your paws on a copy of it (as far as I know, there's no DVD of it as of yet,so VHS may be your only solution).
Review of O Lucky Man!
