Michael Caine: Self (segment "Movie Stars")
Quotes
-
Himself (segment "Movie Stars") : [Michael Caine] You see we don't want to get drunk or go out and what is properly known as womanising until 2 o'clock in the morning. What we want is the freedom to do so, should we wish. We don't want a lot of rules and regulations. To me, the pubs closing at 11 o'clock and more expensive clubs keeping open later is the most condescending piece of class consciousness I've ever heard. It's to keep the workers out of the pubs so that they're not drunk and up late for work in the morning. This was the original idea of it for the munitions factories in the First World War.
Himself (segment "Movie Stars") : To me, I'm not a Puritan by any means or a moralist. But to me, the idea for instance of short skirts and things like that, this seems to be... we seem to be selling our morals in return for a mess of cultural pottage, in a way. Short skirts, for instance, are a sexual thing in order to show as much of a girl's legs as possible. Erm, topless dresses in America, where in order to show as much of the other half as possible. To me, I, we seem to have lost a certain amount of moral fibre, I suppose you'd call it. But that's only in comparison with other English people, I know for instance a very English attitude is one erm, if an Italian touches a girl up in the street in Rome, it's because they're all very sexy, hot-blooded, passionate, Latin peoples; if an Englishman does it, he's a dirty rogue and should be fined £5 immediately and be taken into court. And the English have two sets of standards which they set for themselves and others, you know. If a Frenchman comes up and asks a girl if she wants to get laid, that's romantic, If an Englishman does it, she says what do you think I am, a prostitute?
interviewer : How do you do it?
Himself (segment "Movie Stars") : Well, I certainly never ask. I take a lesson from Vance Packard and use hidden persuaders!
Himself (segment "Movie Stars") : [he laughs]
Himself (segment "Movie Stars") : Which, of course, is very modern.
interviewer : Do you use pop art?
Himself (segment "Movie Stars") : Yes, pop art or anything. Pop art seduction. Erm, I would say that to really practise pop art seduction, you have to be a movie star because, or something of that kind, or rock and roll star. Or at least you have to be amongst the first two hundred people on the Aldermaston march.
