Introduction
Welcome to my corner! Last week, I shared my thoughts on the film Tombstone. This week, I'm sharing my thoughts on the film Victor/Victoria.
On March 24, the TCM TV channel played Victor/Victoria during the night as part of their Primetime Musical Matinee lineup.
Enjoy!
Victor/Victoria
Victor/Victoria is a 1982 musical comedy film written and directed by Blake Edwards and starring Julie Andrews, James Garner, Robert Preston, Lesley Ann Warren, Alex Karras, and John Rhys-Davies. the film was released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, produced by Henry Mancini, with lyrics by Leslie Bricusse. The film was nominated for seven Academy Awards and won the Academy Award for Best Original Song Score or Adaptation Score.
It was a remake of the German film comedy Viktor und Viktoria shot by Reinhold Schünzel in 1933 from his own script. Victor/Victoria was adapted as a Broadway musical in 1995.
Plot: Victoria Grant (Julie Andrews), a down-and-out British soprano, struggles to find work in the nightclubs of 1930s Paris. While trying to scam a free meal, Grant meets cabaret performer Toddy (Robert Preston), who comes up with an idea that will change everything. Acting as her manager, Toddy bills Grant as a male/female impersonator. When the nightclubs eat it up, the duo makes it big—even a Chicago mobster (James Garner) is enamored with Grant. But keeping the truth a secret is no easy task.
Acting: Julie Andrews played Victoria Grant/Count Victor Grazinski. Who doesn't love Julie Andrews? She's an angel! She's great as a woman and even better as a man. No notes! Four of the films she's most known for (currently) are: The Sound of Music, Marry Poppins, Victor/Victoria, and Thoroughly Modern Millie. The only one of those I haven't seen is the last one. Although I'm adding it to my list now. My favorite of her many films are the Eloise movies and The Princess Diaries movies.
Robert Preston played Carroll "Toddy" Todd. He was hands down the best part of the film. his character and the cheekiness of it all. I loved him so much! The four films he's most known for include: The Music Man, The Starfighter, Victor/Victoria, and S.O.B. The only other film of his I've seen is The Music Man, but if I'm being honest I'm going to have to rewatch it now, as well as his others.
James Garner played King Marchand. What movie has this man not been in? What a heartthrob! The four films he was most known for are: The Notebook, The Great Escape, Space Cowboys, and the T.V. show The Rockford Files. My favorite movie that he appears in is Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood.
Lesley Ann Warren played Norma Cassidy. I've always found her annoying, but she plays that well in this movie. The four films she's currently known for include: Victor/Victoria, Clue, the T.V. show Desperate Housewives, and the 1965 T.V. movie Cinderella. I do like Clue and Desperate Housewives, but not because of Lesley Ann Warren.
Technical Aspects: The film's screenplay was adapted by Blake Edwards (Andrew's husband) from the 1933 German film Viktor und Viktoria written and directed by Reinhold Schünzel from an original story treatment by Hans Hoemburg. According to Edwards, the screenplay took only one month to write.
The fact that the adaption process only took a month is amazing. The preproduction phase of a movie can take YEARS, but to think they got the screenplay ready to go in a month!
Andrews watched the 1933 version to prepare for her role.
I love that this film was based on an earlier film—a German one at that.
The film has been planned as early as 1978 with Andrews to star alongside Peter Sellers, but Sellers died in 1980 while Andrews and Edwards were filming S.O.B. (1981), so Robert Preston was cast in the role of Toddy.
It always baffles me how many years it can take for a movie to get made.
The costume worn by Andrews in the number "The Shady Dame from Seville" is in fact the same costume worn by Preston at the end of the film. It was made to fit Preston, and then, using a series of hooks and eyes at the back, it was drawn in tight to fit Andrews' shapely figure. Black silk ruffles were added to the bottom of the garment to hide the differences in height.
This is an awesome detail that I love. They didn't have to use the same dress, but doing so makes it all more realistic. Not only that, it's just great. Both Andrews and Preston pull the dress off in different ways.
Final Thoughts: Victor/Victoria was a very enjoyable movie to watch. The acting was great, the comdy was superb, and the costumes and musical numbers were all fantastic. Surprisingly, I wasn't bored by any of the musical numbers. There's usually at least one song that I could do without on any given soundtrack, but not this one. I really enjoyed Andrews and Preston's screen time together. They had great chemistry!
The one thing I would change about the movie, is the ending. I did like the ending, but not as an ending, if that makes sense. I find myself always wanting more when I watch these movies. It seems like the movies I watch for my column always end so abruptly. The resolution of the story comes after the climax, but I've always felt you need to sit in the resolution for a while before you hit 'em with The End. More and more I'm watching these movies that end so quickly after everything has been resolved. Excuse me, but I need some time to calm down and bask in the goodness that is the resolution!
Where to watch it: Currently, Victor/Victoria is not available to watch for free on any streaming service (according to Google), but you can buy it or rent it for a few dollars. I've also donated a DVD copy of the film to the Emil M. Larson Library in Clark for you all to enjoy if you choose to.
That's it for this week! What were your thoughts? Feel free to share them with us! You can call us, email us, visit us at the office, leave us a comment or message on Facebook, or even mail us something. Keep the comments, suggestions, questions, submissions, etc. coming our way! We'd love to hear from you!
