Plot Summary: Love, Freedom & Psychedelic Dreams

With a narrative that is pitched somewhere between romance, road-trip and head-trip, Girl On a Motorcycle sees Faithfull’s Rebecca taking her beloved motorbike to visit her former lover Daniel in Germany. 

Recently and unhappily married, Rebecca leaves her husband Raymond (Roger Mutton), jumps on her bike and through flashbacks and trippy reveries, the back-story of her relationship with Daniel is revealed. Of course the path of love does not run smooth, and in typical 60s fashion, the twin drives of sex and death end up intertwined in a mangle of flesh and machine - perhaps reminiscent of the long car crash tracking shot in Jean-Luc Goddard’s superior Weekend.  

Cinematography & Style: Jack Cardiff’s Unique Vision

Helmed by legendary British cinematographer (and somewhat less distinguished director) Jack Cardiff, Girl On A Motorcycle is a bit of a stylistic grab-bag, a bit British, a bit French, a bit leery, some clunky dialogue, and generally a bit overripe. As an Anglo-French co-production is perhaps necessarily something of a hybrid – a British film with a Continental feel grafted on, and not entirely happily. This comes from the casting and some of the visual riffs and dialogue, which feel very Nouvelle Vague’s at times – from the freewheeling rebel characters, cod political theorising and existential noodlings – predominantly seen in Goddard’s films.  

Alain Delon & the Influence of Nouvelle Vague Cinema

Casting Alain Delon leans into this – Delon bringing sexy arthouse bona fides to the production. Delon’s previous role has been the ultracool hitman in Jean-Pierre Melville’s Le Samurai and his earlier work with Italian neorealist Michaelangelo Antonioni also points us towards Antonioni’s Blowup, another film reflecting the surreal and swinging sixties with David Hemmings playing a randy fashion photographer caught up in a murder – with an open ending and mimes playing tennis in Golders Hill Park.  

Where to Watch Girl On A Motorcycle (1968) & Related Films

You can watch Girl On a Motorcycle on Together TV - check the TV Guide to find out when it is on next and Watch Live for free. Girl On A Motorcycle could also form a double-bill with the trippy British crime thriller Performance, starring James Fox and Faithfull’s ex-boyfriend Mick Jagger, in a tale of swapped identity, gender and once again the existential nature of fantasy and reality.  Performance also star Anita Pallenberg, another actor and muse that ran in the Rolling Stone’s circle, and subject of the recent documentary Catching Fire.  

I first saw Girl On A Motorcycle as part of the brilliant Moviedrome on BBC2, then presented by Alex Cox. It was in a double bill with fun biker zombie-horror film Pyschomania (and you can catch our other biker film Riding High with Eddie Kidd to get this feeling). His incisive and sardonic introduction to this is on YouTube here – he summarises it as a “nutty but highly entertaining film”.  Too right.  

A Must-Watch for Psychedelic Cinema Fans

Despite its uneven pacing and occasionally clunky dialogue, Girl On A Motorcycle (1968) remains a fascinating time capsule of 1960s counterculture. With its existential themes and Faithfull’s magnetic presence, it’s a must-watch for fans of cult cinema, Marianne Faithfull, and psychedelic road movies. Marianne Faithfull led an incredible life so this film is a good jumping off point to discover her music, acting and incredible life.

Have you seen Girl On A Motorcycle? Share your thoughts in the comments!

Alex