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Darling Lili (1970)
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Overview
User Rating:
Director:
Writers:
Release Date:
24 June 1970 (USA)
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Tagline:
For a spy, love is the deadliest enemy.
Plot:
Set during WWI, this movie is a cute spin on the Mata Hari legend. full summary | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
WWI
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Spy
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Cancan Dance
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La Marseillaise
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Beautiful Woman
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Awards:
Nominated for 3 Oscars.
Another 1 win
&
4 nominations
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NewsDesk:
(2 articles)
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to Celebrate the Music of Mercer 11/5
(From BroadwayWorld.com. 27 October 2009, 7:15 PM, PDT)
Blake Edwards To Receive Honorary Oscar
(From Studio Briefing - Film News. 12 December 2003)
(From BroadwayWorld.com. 27 October 2009, 7:15 PM, PDT)
Blake Edwards To Receive Honorary Oscar
(From Studio Briefing - Film News. 12 December 2003)
User Comments:
Sadly under-appreciated, Darling Lili is a charming spy operetta
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Cast
(Cast overview, first billed only) | Julie Andrews | ... | Lili Smith (Schmidt) |
 | Rock Hudson | ... | Major William Larrabee |
 | Jeremy Kemp | ... | Colonel Kurt Von Ruger |
| Lance Percival | ... | T.C. Carstairs |
| Michael Witney | ... | Lt. George 'Youngblood' Carson |
| Gloria Paul | ... | Crepe Suzette |
| Jacques Marin | ... | Major Duvalle |
| André Maranne | ... | Lt. Liggett |
| Bernard Kay | ... | Bedford |
| Doreen Keogh | ... | Emma |
| Carl Duering | ... | General Kessler |
 | Vernon Dobtcheff | ... | Otto Kraus - Kessler's goon |
| Laurie Main | ... | French general |
| Louis Mercier | ... | French general |
| Arthur Gould-Porter | ... | Sergeant Wells |
Additional Details
Parents Guide:
Runtime:
USA:107 min (director's cut) | 143 min (with overture and exit music) | USA:136 min
Country:
Color:
Color (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio:
2.20 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) |
Mono (35 mm prints)
Certification:
Filming Locations:
Company:
Fun Stuff
Trivia:
A very troubled production, the film went way over budget and was a box office flop when released. Blake Edwards used the experience of making this film as the inspiration for the script to S.O.B. (1981).
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Quotes:
Lili Smith:
But then, why DOES he drink?
Maj. William Larrabee: Because he's afraid to fly.
Lili Smith: Then why does he fly?
Maj. William Larrabee: Because he likes to drink!
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Maj. William Larrabee: Because he's afraid to fly.
Lili Smith: Then why does he fly?
Maj. William Larrabee: Because he likes to drink!
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Movie Connections:
Referenced in A Decade Under the Influence (2003)
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Soundtrack:
Your Good-Will Ambassador
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FAQ
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.more (38 total)
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I remember seeing DARLING LILI when it ran it's short original theatrical release. I also remember being the only person in the theatre during the particular showing I attended. It saddens me now as it did then that this beautifully crafted and delightful film was so sneered at and snubbed by critics and audiences alike. Movie musicals made a brief comeback in the early sixties and peaked with THE SOUND OF MUSIC in 1965. Hollywood continued to make them and even though two of them, OLIVER! and FUNNY GIRL, were mildly successful, the genre was again on the decline. The movie musicals of the late 60s all died at the box office including DOCTOR DOLITTLE, CAMELOT, FINIAN'S RAINBOW, GOODBYE MR. CHIPS, CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG, PAINT YOUR WAGON, HALF A SIXPENCE, SWEET CHARITY, HELLO DOLLY! as well as Andrews' other underrated drama with music, STAR! which I consider a companion piece to both DARLING LILI and Andrews' comeback film, VICTOR,VICTORIA. But even in 1970 the movie musical struggled to survive with not only DARLING LILI but two other large scale musical extravaganzas, ie: ON A CLEAR DAY YOU CAN SEE FOREVER and SCROOGE. Much salt was added to the wound when not only 'LILI' but also 'CLEAR DAY' and SCROOGE tanked at the box office. These films failed not because they were bad films but because audiences had grown cynical and no film was any good unless it was "realistic". It seemed that going to the movies was no longer an excercise in temporarily putting one's troubles aside for a few hours of nurturing the spirit and soul with beautiful singing and dancing. Critics and audiences seemed to have taken themselves so seriously that even their entertainment had to be a reflection of their harsh day to day realities. One was labeled old fashioned and unhip to enjoy movie musicals. As for DARLING LILI, I found this delightful comedy farce with music to be truly charming and funny. Julie Andrews is in top form both musically and dramatically. Not only that but her comic talents are equally displayed. She looks gorgeous in this film and like STAR! she dazzles us in her canny ability to retain her girl next door demeanor and be damn sexy at the same time. Of course her success in keeping the balance of wholesomeness and sexy seductiveness is in part due to the excellent directing of her director/husband Blake Edwards. Again, the movie's failure at the box office is due the audiences' inability to appreciate what Edwards was trying to do. They just plain didn't get it. Nor did the critics have a clue either. Edward's clever variation on the Mata Hari story mixing musical numbers and intrigue and farce and romance with World War 1 the backdrop should have been embraced by the public during the Vietnam years as a bit of reprieve and relief from all the turmoil of the times; not as a way to forget the harsh realities but to make them easier to cope with. But this was not to be. I sometimes wonder if this movie would be better received if it was being released now for the first time.
Besides the highly entertaining adventure comedy, the music is gorgeous. Ms. Andrews sings one of the finest songs of the period, the haunting "Whistling Away the Dark" which was tragically robbed of the Best Song Oscar for 1970. But all the songs are great written by Henry Mancini. The sumptuous sets, art direction and costumes frame the movie with grand artistic opulence. Rock Hudson is great as an American fighter pilot and he revives his suave, debonair dash reminiscent of his farcical bedroom comedies with Doris Day.
For several years now I have longed for Mr. Edwards to release a widescreen letterbox video release on DVD. To my knowledge there has never been home video version. I'm willing to bet that the DVD would do well in sales. Edwards could even do a Julie Andrews commemorative box set of DARLING LILI and VICTOR VICTORIA in gorgeous letterboxed DVD transfers with all the fancy extra features. Well, one can dream. If I knew how to contact Mr. Edwards and Ms. Andrews I'd write them a letter begging them to make DARLING LILI available. Heck, I'd grovel if necessary. I'd love to tell everyone to go out and rent this wonderful movie but I can't since it's not available. The only way one can see this film is when it's broadcast on cable - which I don't have. And even then it's not always shown in it's widescreen splendor. Often one is subjected to cable broadcasts of the film in the horrific pan and scan format which sadly upstages and obstructs the artistic integrity of the film. If I were Julie Andrews or Blake Edwards, I would want to share this lovely work of art on film in the very best venue possible: DVD home video in widescreen. So far, all we are allowed is an occasional glimpse of this little gem often crippled by pan and scan butchery via cable, a source slowly dying off with the emergence of Direct TV and the growing popularity of DVDs and DVD players.