Now we know why this truly jaw-dropping "swingin' '60s" artifact has languished virtually unseen since its fleeting release in 1968 - it's virtually unwatchable! Even die-hard fans of mod kitsch - like those of us who turned out for its ultra-rare screening at Martin Lewis's 2002 "Mods and Rockers" film series - will be hard-pressed to explain, much less defend, this thing. Obsessive UK pop fans should note that it features a brief clip of The Majority performing a song written (but never released) by the Bee Gees, as well as the first recording of the Bee Gees' later hit, "Words," covered here by pop star Georgie Fame, who plays a pop star named "Georgie Hart." The so-called plot (basically contrived on the fly by director Amram from a notion by producer Herland) centers on a scheme by a guy, his girlfriend, and three "dollybirds" to kidnap a pop star, a DJ from an offshore pirate radio station!, and a cabinet minister. Object: marriage! Perhaps it's no coincidence that the storyline roughly parallels that of "The Touchables," another equally rare and equally unwatchable relic of the era, albeit without the latter's truly bizarre "humorous" homoerotic subtext. One can certainly understand why Amram refused to authorize a screening of "Mini-Affair" earlier, but he was a good sport at this year's screening and cheerfully stood for questions afterward. Rebounding from this disaster, Amram went on to win two Academy Awards three years later for his short film "Sentinels of Silence," narrated by Orson Welles - proving once again that success is the best revenge.
