Victor Victoria
by Blake Edwards
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Product details
Actor: Alex Karras, James Garner, Julie Andrews, Lesley Ann Warren, Robert PrestonDirector: Blake Edwards
Cinematographer: Dick Bush
Producer: Blake Edwards
Writer: Blake Edwards
Producer: Gerald T. Nutting
Producer: Tony Adams
Writer: Hans Hoemburg
Writer: Reinhold Sch?nzel
Edition: VHS Tape
Audio: English (Original Language), Analog; French (Original Language)
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, NTSC
Running Time: 132 minutes
Release Date: 1997-02-11
Audience Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Publisher: MGM (Video & DVD)
Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)
VHS Movie Reviews of Victor Victoria
Movie Review: This is one hot number...
Summary: 5 Stars
For anyone who thinks that Julie Andrews is nothing more than a mere song and dance routine, or the voice behind that infectiously annoying `hills are alive' song I have only one thing to say to you; watch `Victor/Victoria'. I happened to stumble onto this film last night and I have thought of nothing else since. Sure, it has yet to be 24 hours but honestly, it is the ONLY thing that I have thought of since the credits began to roll. As a whole the film is adorable, but its strongest part is none other than Julie Andrews. Her astonishing performance is quite probably her finest moment (although I am very partial to `Marry Poppins') and she chews up each and every scene with her charm and grace.
Victoria Grant is a down-on-her-luck soprano singer willing to `sell her virtue for a meatball' when she runs into the flamboyant Carroll Todd. After becoming quick friends Todd (also down-on-his-luck) suggests that Victoria disguise herself as a man impersonating a woman in order to make some extra money. So that she does, donning the persona of the Count Victor Grezhinski, and she quickly becomes a sensation.
Then walks in King Marchand.
Marchand is a gangster who happens to fall for the spell of Victoria only to become baffled when he is informed that she is a he. Convinced that his initial instincts are not wrong (and that he could in no way be attracted to a man) Marchand makes it a point to uncover Victor's true identity. Marchand's whiney girlfriend Norma feels betrayed, yet his trusty sidekick Bernstein is somewhat empowered by his friends choices.
The question remains; will Victoria be able to keep her secret?
Like I said, the film as a whole is delightful. The script is tight and the plot points are never muddled by excess or dragged out by lack of interest; everything seems to flow wonderfully together. The direction is spotless and engaging and the song and dance numbers are nothing short of stellar (this is the impeccable singing talent known as Julie Andrews mind you). The performances are also all incredibly credible. Julie Andrews is undoubtedly the star here, sinking into her character with real gusto and charm. Robert Preston is also phenomenal as Toddy, giving his flamboyant character enough natural sparkle to make him a standout character. Lesley Ann Warren captures the whiney ex-girlfriend brilliantly, scratching her annoying voice down the chalkboard of our minds with precise authenticity, and Alex Karras is warm and touching (surprisingly) as Bernstein. James Garner is a great actor, but he seems like the odd man out here. He does a good job but he is easily overshadowed by the rest of the cast.
The film, much like `Tootsie' (which was released the same year) broaches on the relationships between men and woman and the whole `equal rights' aspect of things. Once King and Victoria progress into their relationship it becomes apparent that the mans feelings are given greater concern, at least in his mind, and this leads to a nice little sub-thought on the weight given to the battle of the sexes. It is never fleshed out to an extreme because it is not the true focus of the film, but it is there for those who are interested in finding it.
`Victor/Victoria' is a wonderfully entertaining film that nails each and every gag, soaring to the skies with its infectious combination of comedy, drama and romance. This is a near perfect movie that touches every one of our senses and plants itself in our memories and in our hearts. You can place this on the shelf next to `Cabaret' as one of the best musicals of all time.
Movie Review: Ensemble Perfection
Summary: 5 Stars
Other comedies might be funnier, but few compare to the nearly perfect total ensemble performance turned in by the principals, supporting and bit characters in Blake Edwards's Victor Victoria.
Julie Andrews plays Victoria, a down and out singer in gay Paris, circa 1934, who, with Toddy, dreams up a nightclub act in which Andrews feigns a male in drag to become the toast of Paris. Robert Preston's portrayal of the flamboyant gay veteran of the stage, Toddy, is perfect, sometimes cliche, but never over the top. James Garner plays King Marchand, a Chicago nightclub owner, who is taken by Victoria -- until she reveals she is a man -- but he isn't totally taken in by the ruse and so sets out to prove, as much for his own male ego as for the romantic spark he feels for Victoria, that the "he" Victor portrays is really a "she." Garner's expressions throughout the film are hilarious -- first when Victoria reveals, onstage, that she is Victor, a male drag queen, later as he watches, concealed in a closet, as Victoria strips for a bath and he realizes he was right all along, and later when his bodyguard, Squash (played Alex Karras), comes out of the closet.
It's clear that the three principals, Andrews, Preston and Garner, had the time of their lives in this movie. Garner and Andrews's shared scenes are all noteworthy, particularly their bedroom scene as they discuss the sexual identity confusions that are sure to result from his being seen in public with a male drag queen.
Andrews, Preston and Lesley Ann Warren, as Garner's annoying moll, were all nominated for Oscars, as was Henry Mancini's musical score.
Musical highlights include "Le Jazz Hot" (which tests even Andrews's vocal range); "Gay Paree" (Preston); "You and Me" (an Andrews/Preston duet that is sheer brilliance in its improvised presentation); and my favorite, the haunting "Crazy World," the lyrics made poignant by Andrews's vocal-cord surgery in 1997.
Everything conspires to make this one of the best musical comedies ever filmed -- the cast, the score, the script (clearly a Blake Edwards creation, with a touch of Pink Panther slapstick subtly interspersed here and there), the costumes, the period automobiles, even the set (it's interesting to note that the entire movie was shot in a studio -- even the street sequences of 1934 Paris).
Highly enjoyable and listenable, a delightful view.
Movie Review: fantastic film
Summary: 5 Stars
This film always makes me smile. It is a joy to watch. I enjoy showing this film to all of my friends and family. What a joy to watch. Julie Andrews and James Garner and Robert Preston and Alex Karras are so great in this film. I loved it !!!!Movie Review: "A woman...pretending to be a man...pretending to be a woman? It's preposterous!"
Summary: 5 Stars
Mostly it's because the characters are so very likable. Absolutely, VICTOR/VICTORIA triumphs on the strength of its witty script, the clever humor, and the fabulous songs. The film can tout itself as a dizzying sex farce, a winning period piece comedy, or as a dazzling musical. But all that would've been irrelevant piffle if the actors hadn't come thru with truly wonderful performances, making the audience and the critics root for them. So, in the end, the glue to it, is because the characters are so very likable. The premise (still controversial in 1982) can give pause to some folks, it's not exactly a rated PG topic. But there's warmth and an appeal in VICTOR/VICTORIA which makes it accessible even to the uptight brigade. Curious about how Maria and Mary Poppins became Count Victor Grezhinski? Well, so was I.
Life is very trying in Paris, 1934, for struggling soprano Victoria Grant (Andrews). She can't make a living as a singer, her rent is two weeks overdue, and she's woozy from hunger. On the verge of swapping her virtue for a meatball, Victoria's luck changes when she runs into gay cafe performer Carroll Todd, or "Toddy" (Preston), in a restaurant, and they instantly hit it off. A downpour, a cold, shrinking wardrobe, and Victoria trouncing Toddy's old flame all conspire to give Toddy a screwy idea. And so, six weeks later, Victoria makes her nightclub debut as Count Victor Grezhinski, an exiled aristocrat and a gay Polish female impersonator. Count Grezhinski is an instant sensation, with fame, money, and fancy digs soon to follow. And then love just had to come in and muck up the works. James Garner plays King Marchand, a rugged American nightclub owner who becomes alarmed at his attraction towards "Victor." But then King has his suspicions...
So, to me, this was a new and revelatory Julie Andrews. It never really struck me how narrowly I've pigeonholed Julie Andrews, until Count Grezhinski came on stage and messed around with my senses. In this cross-dressing, gender-bending romantic musical comedy, Andrews is "practically perfect in every way," and so very distant from her chaste Maria and Mary Poppins. Her Victoria is down-to-earth and frank and experienced. A real grown-up.
If Julie Andrews is brilliant, then Robert Preston is sublime! As the big-hearted and openly gay (but not over-the-top) Toddy, he may have surpassed his Professor Hill in The Music Man (Special Edition). It's very close. He's a hell of an actor, and I felt like giving him his own paragraph.
James Garner probably has the most challenging role to play, as his character serves as the audience's substitute. He pulls it off with his wonderfully restrained performance. In the audio commentary, Julie Andrews and her hubby/director Blake Edwards give massive credit to Garner, whose understated reactions helped to lend the film its credibility with the audience. When King Marchand seems to buy into the charade, then the audience buys into it, as well. Garner and Andrews, by the way, bring the same easy chemistry they had in 1964's excellent and cynical The Americanization of Emily. And even though I'm not too enamoured of King Marchand's shrill, uncouth girlfriend (I don't think we were supposed to be), Lesley Anne Warren plays her well.
VICTOR/VICTORIA came out in 1982, way past the heyday of the Hollywood musical. Part of what makes this film works is that the songs are introduced within the real life structure of the story. Given the nature of the premise, the songs are integral pieces of the plot. That they are so memorable are thanks largely to the interpretation of Julie Andrews and Robert Preston. Andrews shines - I mean absolutely shines! - with "Le Jazz Hot," "The Shady Dame from Seville," and "Crazy World." Andrews and Preston do a duet in the charming "You and Me." But the showstopper of showstoppers is introduced at the end of the film, as Preston does his own wacky version of "The Shady Dame from Seville." Preston's rendition was shot in one take, as Blake Edwards allowed him to cut loose, which he did, and uproariously. And we can't really talk about the music without mentioning Henry Mancini's poignant and evocative score, which gently offsets the flashy, colorful numbers.
A sophisticated bawdiness colors the film. A vaudevillian sensibility creeps in - there's a hilarious scene featuring the world's greatest equilibriust. Low brow slapstick mixes with witty banter. Old-fashioned romance clashes with sexual conflict. But it's all done with generosity and a sweetness and a warm understanding. This is my favorite Blake Edwards film. And I'm glad it had a happy ending; I wouldn't want a girl having to strap herself down for 20 years and having her bosom end up looking like two empty wallets. That's just not right.
Movie Review: Victor Victoria
Summary: 4 Stars
Excelent. I feel very satifaied for the good service that you provide I recived the dvd soonner than I expected and I glad to have this movie in my colection because is very dificult to find it.
Summary of Victor Victoria
Blake Edwards's delightful Victor/Victoria may be one of the last of the great, old-style movie musical comedies--it is so good, it was turned into a hit Broadway stage musical years later. And both versions starred Edwards's wife Julie Andrews (the former Mary Poppins) in the title role--as Victor and Victoria. She's a down-and-out singer who hooks up with a flamboyantly gay theatrical veteran (Robert Preston), and together they become the toast of 1934 Paris by dreaming up a provocative nightclub act in which Victoria assumes the identity of a man in drag. So, in other words, Andrews plays a woman playing a man playing a woman ... and that's only the beginning of the sexual identity confusions that provide the fuel for this splendidly classy slapstick musical farce. (Yes, it's all those things.) James Garner, as a Chicago club owner, finds himself strangely besotted with this stylish, androgynous creature--even though he thinks Victor/Victoria is a man. Legendary Hollywood composer Henry Mancini (a longtime collaborator with Edwards) won his last Oscar for the score; Andrews, Preston, and Lesley Ann Warren, as Garner's cheeky girlfriend, were also nominated. Musical highlights include Victor/Victoria's sizzling "Le Jazz Hot" (in which Andrews shows off her incredible vocal range); another showstopper for Victor/Victoria, "The Shady Dame from Seville"; Preston's witty ode to "Gay Paree"; Warren's hilarious burlesque number, "King's Can-Can"; and a charmingly casual yet elegant side-by-side number, "You and Me," done in a small club by Preston and Andrews in tuxedos. --Jim EmersonComedy Video
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