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Baxter!

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Baxter!
Theatrical Release Poster
Directed byLionel Jeffries
Screenplay byReginald Rose
Based onThe Boy Who Could Make Himself Disappear
by Kin Platt
Produced byArthur Lewis
StarringPatricia Neal
Britt Ekland
Lynn Carlin
Jean-Pierre Cassel
Scott Jacoby
CinematographyGeoffrey Unsworth
Edited byTeddy Darvas
Music byMichael J. Lewis
Production
companies
Distributed byMGM-EMI Distributors (UK)
National General Pictures (US)
Release date
  • 4 March 1973 (1973-03-04) (New York City)
CountriesUnited Kingdom
United States
LanguageEnglish

Baxter! is a 1973 British-American drama film directed by Lionel Jeffries and starring Patricia Neal, Jean-Pierre Cassel and Britt Ekland.[1][2] The film follows a young boy called Roger Baxter who struggles to overcome his speech problem (rhotacism) and his strained relationship with his parents. The screenplay was by Reginald Rose, based on the 1968 book by Kin Platt, The Boy Who Could Make Himself Disappear.

The film was made before Jeffries' third film as director, The Amazing Mr Blunden (1972), but released afterwards.[3]

Plot

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Roger Baxter, a young American boy with a speech impediment, goes to live in London with his mother after his parents' divorce. He struggles to pronounce the letter R, and at school he becomes close to his speech therapist. He makes friends with his upstairs neighbour Chris Bentley whom he meets in the lift, and her French husband, Roger Tunnell. He also meets Nemo, a girl who lives across the street from his flat. His parents are extremely self-centred and neglectful, and he feels isolated in a strange city. He eventually slides into an emotional breakdown.

Cast

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Production

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The Boy Who Could Make Himself Disappear was published in 1968. One critic called it "unforgettable".[4]

In November 1971, it was announced the film would be called The Boy and it would be a co production between Anglo-EMI Films and Group W Films.[5] Hanna-Barbera also produced the film; it is one of the studio's live-action efforts, despite being primarily known as an animation studio.

The film starred Scott Jacoby, who had just played the lead in a TV movie, That Certain Summer.[6] It was a rare English-language film for Jean-Pierre Cassel.[7]

Editor Teddy Darvas stated, "I think of the three films that Lionel has directed, "Baxter" is the minor masterpiece. It has an emotion which is quite out of this world. And when we finished the film, it turned out that Bernard Delfont couldn't bear films with children's illnesses in them. And so the film was shelved." [8]

References

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  1. ^ "Baxter!". British Film Institute Collections Search. Retrieved 9 May 2024.
  2. ^ "Baxter! (1972)". Ftvdb.bfi.org.uk. Archived from the original on 14 January 2009. Retrieved 25 October 2017.
  3. ^ "BAXTER!" Monthly Film Bulletin London Vol. 40, Iss. 468, (Jan 1, 1973): 48.
  4. ^ Coles, Robert. (6 October 1968). "Review 3 -- No Title". Chicago Tribune. p. 20.
  5. ^ Aldrich, Lancaster Reunited Murphy, Mary. Los Angeles Times (27 Nov 1971: a9.
  6. ^ Haber, Joyce. (13 March 1973). "Would-be Lawyer Tuning Up as Actor". Los Angeles Times. p. e9.
  7. ^ Michael Kernan. (10 March 1973). "Cassel on Tour: Of Cassel and 'Baxter!'". The Washington Post. p. B1.
  8. ^ "Interview with Teddy Darvas". British Entertainment History Project. 1991–1992. Retrieved 30 July 2024.
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