Victor/Victoria

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.

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 !!!!

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.

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.

I can't believe how fast I received this!!! This is a classic movie and still fun to watch!! Great cast and fun storyline!