Directed by Blake Edwards
Screenplay by Blake Edwards
Based on the concept by Hans Hoemburg and earlier screenplay, "Viktor und Viktoria" by Reinhold Schünzel
Stars: Julie Andrews, James Garner, Robert Preston, Lesley Ann Warren, Alex Karras, John Rhys-Davies, Graham Stark, and Peter Arne
With the fabulous Julie Andrews getting her AFI Lifetime Achievement Award recently, I wanted to see one of her Oscar nominated performances.
A down on her luck singer, Victoria Grant (Andrews) tries to audition for various nightclubs around Paris. She has a chance meeting with Toddy (Preston), an out of work lounge singer. Toddy comes up with a plan to have Victoria assume the identity of Victor, a famous female impersonator from Poland. Things get complicated with a nightclub owner, King Marchand (Garner) takes a liking to Victor.
This movie being the zeitgeist for the longest time; I thought I would have heard something about the plot. There was things in this movie that surprised me. I was glad that Blake Edwards did not make fun of gay men or drag queens. There was care with this screenplay. Treated the characters with respect for the most part.
The pacing of the movie dragged in the middle. Times I thought the movie was over and it kept going. I had a problem with Lesley Ann Warren's character, Norma Cassady. Was she trying to be annoying? Was that her acting choice or Blake's? Why was she nominated for an Oscar? I had the biggest problem with the voyeurism of the movie. It felt creepy. Lock that wardrobe. Let's leave it at that.
Rating: 8/10
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