Kaleidoscope (1966)
Kaleidoscope is a British romantic comedy released in 1966 by Warner Bros. Pictures. The film follows the story of Barney Lincoln, played by Warren Beatty, and Angel McGinnis, played by Susannah York, as Barney plots to infiltrate a playing card company and mark the cards. They then plan to use the marked cards to win at various European casinos.
The film’s marketing featured a couple of taglines, including "From London to the Riviera, a hair-raising tale of gallant love and truly desperate adventure!" and "Love. Larceny. Luck. They’re all in the cards."
Cast and Crew of Kaleidoscope
The film centers around Barney Lincoln and Angel McGinnis, played by Warren Beatty and Susannah York. Other characters include Clive Revill playing Inspector Manny McGinnis, and Eric Porter playing the role of Harry Dominion. Murray Melvin and George Sewell serve as Aimes and Billy respectively. The cast is rounded out by George Murcell, Anthony Newlands, Jane Birkin, and John Junkin.
Kaleidoscope was directed by Jack Smight, and produced by Elliot Kastner and Jerry Gershwin. Robert Carrington and Jane-Howard Carrington wrote the screenplay, and Stanley Myers composed the score. Christopher Challis served as cinematographer. Bob Peak designed the film’s original poster. The film was released on September 22, 1966, and has a running time of 103 minutes.
Plot Summary of Kaleidoscope
Kaleidoscope centers around Barney Lincoln, a young, dastardly playboy who enjoys gambling. Lincoln creates a plan to cheat the casinos after realizing that all of the major European casinos rely on a single playing card manufacturer. Barney breaks into the playing card manufacturing plant and inscribes a kaleidoscopic pattern on the printing plates used to make the cards. The plates subsequently print a code on the backs of all of the cards that only Barney knows how to read properly.
Barney then travels around Europe, winning big at every casino he enters mainly playing poker. Barney falls in love with Angel McGinnis, a European fashion designer. Angle and her father, Manny McGinnis, discover Barney’s plan. Manny is an inspector for Scotland Yard, and decides to strike a deal with Barney. Manny swears not to tell the authorities about the kaleidoscope scheme so long as Barney assists in catching a drug smuggler, Harry Dominion, by participating in a high stakes game of poker. Barney has some initial success early on in the endeavor, until Harry realizes Barney’s plan. Harry kidnaps Angel and demands that Barney repay his debt.
Critical Reaction To Kaleidoscope
Kaleidoscope was met with lukewarm reviews from critics upon its initial release, and opinions haven’t changed a lot over the years. The film was considered to be a fluffy piece of filler material, notable primarily as a star vehicle for Warren Beatty as opposed to an artful exhibition in groundbreaking filmic ideas. The film was nominated for a single award: Best Female Comedy Performance, for Susannah York in 1967. She ended up taking 5th place. Although the film didn’t exactly shake the foundations of the cinema world, it is recommended for fans of the James Bond series, or for those interested in gambling movies. Many critics find that Kaleidoscope has more in common with the novel "Casino Royale" than the original film version of the book, released in 1967.
Additional Notes about Kaleidoscope
Sandra Dee was originally slated to play the role of Angel McGinnis, but was later replaced by Susannah York. Model Pattie Boyd, the wife of George Harrison, had a small walk-on role in the film. Kaleidoscope marked the debut of screen actress Jane Birkin, playing a character named Exquisite Thing.
Kaleidoscope is available on DVD in enhanced widescreen with an English Dolby Digital mono soundtrack.