Alfie

The film follows the main character, Alfie, a Casanova from London who presents himself as very un-English. Isabel Quigly described him as "Vain, easy going, autocratic, physically fastidious, cowardly, undomestic, irresistible, he is the sort of man once thought totally un-English". However, as the film develops Alfie's character changes to become more traditionally English. Through the character decided to address the audience directly, this enabling us to truly experience his "charm" and personality first-hand. This being an attempt from the writer, or director, to emphasise his revelation.

We find Alfie to be a dominant male character, who creates a sense of hierarchy and superiority between himself and the female characters. When Alfie returns home, there is a very traditional status between man and wife, where the women prepares the food and the man simply relaxes. Stereotypical Londoner who believes that you have to make your own way in life, and use more "illegal" tactics to progress in life.

Alfie is very reluctant to get married, however when Gilda becomes pregnant later in the film is appears they have broken the common beliefs of society. In the 1960s it was still believed that you should get married before having children. In the end, Gilda breaks away from Alfie with her child and forms a new family, this being symbolic of the tradition between what is not respectable and tradition. There is also the issue of love, which Alfie seems to completely neglect, the writer perhaps combating abortion, prostitution etc.

A further scene of interest is when Alfie visits Ruby's, being an American we find her to represented as more powerful than other women in the film and has a more business approach to everything.

The audience may also notice that Alfie refers to women as "gal" or "bird" at the beginning, and the new born baby as "it" rather than "he" or "she". This proves that Alfie has a lack of respect for these other characters, but is soon forced to change his treatment of others later in the film.

Another naive young women, Annie, tries to do everything she can to please Alfie. However we becomes flippant with her, after telling her than he doesn't appreciate having the same type of food over and over again. This results in the first rebellion from a women against Alfie, as she packs her stuff and leaves without any command - this could be seen as a real turning point in Alfie's character.

The next significant scene would be the abortion. Of-course this challenges the Casanova identity which Alfie seemed to uphold earlier in the film, questioning whether it is moral to 'sleep around', guiding the audience to take the more traditional route. Male british identity is represented as someone who always "knows a guy who can fix it", and the same principle is applied to this abortion, even if it means that it's illegal and painful.

After going through with the abortion, Alfie returns to his home to find the remains of the new life. At this point we see Alfie present real emotion through crying, as he truly realises that his "moral lapse" has effectively "murdered" a child. Alfie obvious feels guilty as he recognises that his entire lifestyle is "playing" with people's life, but also new life as a whole. This is later emphasised by a scene where Gilda is seen with her new family at the baptism of her second child, she has been able to move on.

Male british identity is then proved to change after a realisation, with his attempt to create a good relationship with Ruby but finds her to be just as bad as he.

Alfie's final speech to the audience summarises his thoughts:

• "I think of all the things they've done for me, and the little I've done for them" - on the women that he's been with, and the trouble which British male identity causes.
• Alfie lists what he has achieve, "I've got a bob or two, some decent clothes, a car, I've got my health back and I ain't attached". Most of these items are material showing some sort of important in money and power for males. The reference to "I ain't attached" suited Alfie's previous Casanova mindset.
• "I ain't got my peace of mind, and if you ain't got that you ain't got nothing." - a male Casanova like Alfie is stuck and his past will forever haunt him.
• "What's the answer... what's it all about" - Alfie's final line, perhaps about life. What is important for any of us? What is the right thing or the wrong thing to do? Alluding to the question of which way modern British males, like Alfie, should behave.