''Joanna'' is a 1968 British

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...

, directed by Michael Sarne and set in swinging London. It was nominated for the

Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film The Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film is a Golden Globe Award presented by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. Until 1986, it was known as the Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Film, meaning that any non-American film cou ...

Plot

Joanna, a wide-eyed somewhat naïve art student in London, has a romantic fling with her teacher, aspiring painter Hendrik Casson. She eventually leaves him for impoverished Dominic, while her gold-digging friend Beryl takes up with the quite wealthy Lord Sanderson. They travel to Sanderson's second home in

Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to ...

, where he reveals that he has a terminal illness and sponsors an exhibit of Hendrik's paintings. Meanwhile, Dominic dumps Joanna because she refuses to stop seeing other men. Joanna's next lover, Beryl's brother Gordon, impregnates her. Beaten by criminals to whom he is in debt, Gordon takes revenge by killing one. He is convicted of

murder Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification (jurisprudence), justification or valid excuse (legal), excuse, especially the unlawful killing of another human with malice aforethought. ("The killing of another person wit ...

and sent to prison, leaving Joanna alone.

Cast

* Geneviève Waïte as Joanna *

Christian Doermer Christian Doermer (5 July 1935 – 14 July 2022) was a German actor and director. He appeared in more than 80 films and television shows from 1954 to 2022. He starred in the 1966 film '' No Shooting Time for Foxes''. The film was entered int ...

as Hendrik Casson * Calvin Lockhart as Gordon *

Donald Sutherland Donald McNichol Sutherland (born 17 July 1935) is a Canadian actor whose film career spans over six decades. He has been nominated for nine Golden Globe Awards, winning two for his performances in the television films '' Citizen X'' (1995) a ...

as Lord Peter Sanderson * Glenna Forster-Jones as Beryl * David Scheur as Dominic Endersley *

Marda Vanne Marda "Scrappy" Vanne (born Margaretha van Hulsteyn;One source, a close friend, spells her name "Margueretha". 27 September 1896 – 27 April 1970) was a South African actress who found fame in London. Early life Margaretha was born in Pretoria, ...

as Granny * Geoffrey Morris as The Father * Michelle Cook as Margot * Manning Wilson as Inspector *

Clifton Jones Clifton Jones (born 26 July 1937, St. Andrew, Jamaica) is a Jamaican actor known for his roles in British television. Career He played the role of Jo's boyfriend in the original Theatre Workshop production of Shelagh Delaney's '' A Taste of H ...

as Black Detective * Dan Caulfield as White Detective * Michael Chow as Lefty *

Anthony Ainley Anthony Ainley (20 August 1932 – 3 May 2004) was an English actor. He was the fourth actor to portray the Master in ''Doctor Who''. Early life Ainley was born in Stanmore, Middlesex, the son of the actor Henry Ainley, on 20 August 1932, al ...

as Bruce * Jane Bradbury as Angela * Fiona Lewis as Miranda De Hyde * Michael Sarne as Film Director *

Caroline Munro Caroline Munro (born 16 January 1949)McFarlane, Brian (28 February 2014). ''The Encyclopedia of British Film: Fourth edition''. Oxford University Press. p. 538; is an English actress, model and singer known for her many appearances in horror, ...

, uncredited

Production

Sarne had an affair with Waïte during the making of the film and was physically violent towards her during the shoot. In a 1968 interview with '' New York'' magazine, he said that hitting Waïte was "the only way to direct this girl, otherwise she's very cheeky. She has to be shown. I mean she knew that unless she behaved herself she'd get slapped down. One is polite to girls so long as they behave themselves". He continued saying he "didn't punch her around as corrective punishment. Only when she annoyed me". Waïte was paid £2,000 for her work on the film ().

Candice Bergen Candice Patricia Bergen (born May 9, 1946) is an American actress. She won five Primetime Emmy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards for her portrayal of the title character on the CBS sitcom ''Murphy Brown'' (1988–1998, 2018). She is also kno ...

filmed a small scene but it was not included in the final cut due to problems with the studio,

20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Dis ...

, and

Equity Equity may refer to: Finance, accounting and ownership * Equity (finance), ownership of assets that have liabilities attached to them ** Stock, equity based on original contributions of cash or other value to a business ** Home equity, the dif ...

, the British actors' union, because Bergen did not have work permit. In a 1968 article in ''

The Illustrated London News ''The Illustrated London News'' appeared first on Saturday 14 May 1842, as the world's first illustrated weekly news magazine. Founded by Herbert Ingram, it appeared weekly until 1971, then less frequently thereafter, and ceased publication in ...

'' about film financing in the United Kingdom,

Robert Lacey Robert Lacey (born 3 January 1944) is a British historian and biographer. He is the author of a number of best-selling biographies, including those of Henry Ford, Eileen Ford, Queen Elizabeth II and other British royal family, royals, as well a ...

highlighted ''Joanna'' as an example of a British film that should have received financing from British rather than American companies. Sarne said that "With an American company you're artistically free … To make a good film you need a touch of the romantic, a streak of the visionary, and you can't have that with your financier tripping over your heels all the time".

Premiere

It was listed to compete at the 1968 Cannes Film Festival. The festival was cancelled due to the events of

May 1968 in France Beginning in May 1968, a period of civil unrest occurred throughout France, lasting some seven weeks and punctuated by demonstrations, general strikes, as well as the occupation of universities and factories. At the height of events, which ...

. The film was still shown in an afternoon performance and a premier showing at Cannes.

Box office

According to Fox records, the film required $3,800,000 in rentals to break even, and by 11 December 1970 had made $1,900,000.

References

External links

* *
British Film Institute; Joanna (1968) Glenna Forster-Jones in vintage Euro tv commercial
{{DEFAULTSORT:Joanna 1968 films 1968 drama films British drama films Films directed by Michael Sarne Films produced by Michael Laughlin Films set in London Films set in Morocco 20th Century Fox films 1960s English-language films 1960s British films