Victor Victoria (1982) [VHS]

Julie Andrews is extraordinary in her role as the singer Victoria, who when at the end of her rope and prepared to sell her virtue for a meat ball, being "cassee" as she says, is persuaded "to pretend to be a man pretending to be a woman" and thus experiences many curious things trying to uphold this facade. Andrews' performance singing-wise is beyond comparison. She performs Henry Mancini's beautiful songs astonishingly well, - "Le Jazz Hot" and "Crazy World" will surely never be forgotten with such a performance. Notice the range of Andrews' voice when she sings "Crazy World". James Garner plays the role of Victoria's love interest, and he does not really say much, but he does wonderful facial expressions, expressions that say more than a thousand words. Robert Preston playing Toddy, the homosexual entertainer ensnaring Victoria into pretending to be Victor is wonderful also and does a remarkable and unforgettable performance of "The Shady Dame from Seville".

The DVD contains a commentary track with Julie Andrews and Blake Edwards entertaining with numerous little anecdotes, particularly about the people playing the smaller but nonetheless significant parts in the film. The commentary differs somewhat from most other commentaries in that Andrews and Edwards often sit quietly just watching the film rather than functioning as a non-stoppable talking machine. This is rather nice as this commentary then gives the viewer a feel of quietly watching the film together with Andrews and Edwards having them react to their own work along with the viewer.

The film is absolutely wonderful. I has it all, humour, singing, love, and a plot with many controversial issues - see it!

Victoria Grant (Julie Andrews) a starving out of work legitimate female singer. She meets also out of work singer Carroll Todd (Robert Preston). Due to an extraordinary event a plan hatches in Toddy's mind he suggests that Victoria pose as a man pretending to be a woman in order to get work. Victor Grezhinsk (Julie Andrews) the Polish aristocrat female impersonator meats promoter (James Garner) who is at odds as to his/her gender. After a sneak peek he knows the difference but what about his big time gangster buddies?

Many top actors and singers. You find singing ranges that very few people can match in Julie Andrews. Leslie Ann Warren is like a shiny toy. There are way too many great actors to mention in this review.

You will like the story. You will like the singing "Crazy World" outshines the movie. You will want to watch this over and again.

In 'Victor/Victoria', Edwards returns to a Parisian settings familiar to fans of his work in the Pink Panther series - there is some minor elements of slapstick (the clutzy waiter, the bumbling detective, perhaps a nod in the direction of the Pink Panther films), but the real narrative plot is drawn along by the stylish comedy of Julie Andrews (Victoria Grant/Victor) and Robert Preston (Carroll Todd), in one of his last films.

The film is actually based on a much older piece, from 1933, written by Reinhold Schünzel, a German actor and writing, known in Europe primarily from the 1920s to the 1950s (perhaps English-speaking audiences would know him best from his role in Alfred Hitchcock's 'Notorius'). This was not the first, nor the last remake of this piece.

Preston plays an aging, gay, musical theatre man-about-town, who we take it is various a performer, talent scout, and director. Through a strange set of circumstances, he happens to be in a restaurant with a down-on-her-luck singer, who has just flopped at her last audition, and was willing to sell her virtue to the hotel manager for a meatball. She has captured a cockroach, and intends to plant the bug in the salad, thus avoiding payment of the bill - Carroll Todd ('Toddy' to his friends) and Victoria escape the restaurant, and come to share a room together while figuring out what to do.

Toddy comes up with the idea of dressing up Victoria as a man to then present her as the greatest drag queen, with the absurd name of Count Victor Grezhinski, a gay Polish count. 'Who would ever believe it?' Victoria protests. 'A woman pretending to be a man pretending to be woman.'

'It's perfect!' Toddy insists.

'Everyone will know he's a phony,' Victoria insists.

'Exactly! Everyone will know HE's a phony.'

Victoria as Victor auditions for Andre Cassell (John Rhys-Davies), the greatest talent and booking agent in Paris. He schedules Victor to open in a grand venue, and the deception seems complete. That is, until King Marchand (James Garner), a Chicago gangster and nightclub owner, arrives, complete with bodyguard (Alex Karras) and moll in tow (Leslie Ann Warren). He doesn't believe the act, and is determined to discover the truth.

While Victor/Victoria is not a musical in the sense of 'Cats' or 'Showboat', it does have some really stunning musical numbers, as one would expect from a Julie Andrews production. 'Le Hot Jazz' and 'The Shady Dame from Seville' are excellent numbers (Preston does his own reprise of 'The Shady Dame' for the big finale), and other numbers are fun; Leslie Ann Warren does her own over-the-top tribute to Chicago. The original music is done by Henry Mancini, and thus another Pink Panther connection.

The costumes (done by Patricia Norris, a very experienced and wide-ranging costumer) are perfect, both for the stage production numbers (dramatic and with flair, as might befit a drag queen, then or now), and off the stage - the period setting of inter-war Paris, with the genteel poverty of some and the opulence of others side-by-side is very well done.

This is the first film in which I recall major gay figures - it was a popular film in part because the primary actors were well know, and the issue of gay life was presented both in a distant and a non-controversial manner. If there are politics in it at all, it is that sex shouldn't be a political issue. King Marchand, a bit upset at being identified as someone who might date a man (Victor) has one scene in which he re-affirms his masculinity (by going to a seedy bar and picking a fight), only to discover that people aren't always what he thought they were.

This could be a theme throughout the whole film - people are never what you think they are, and life never turns out as expected. The tone of the film is rather lighthearted throughout, and the situations play very well. Does King Marchand get the girl/guy? Does Carroll Toddy become the toast of Paris? Does Chicago get an airport?? See the film and find out.