Arthur (1981)

User Rating:

6.5/10   

Director:

Steve Gordon

Writer:

Steve Gordon (written by)

Release Date:

7 August 1981 (Brazil)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance

Tagline:

Not everyone who drinks is a poet, some of us drink because we're not.

Plot:

Arthur is a happy drunk with no pretensions at any ambition. He is also the heir to a vast fortune which...

Plot Keywords:

Love | Inheritance | Waitress | Class Differences | Butler

Awards:

Won 2 Oscars. Another 9 wins & 6 nominations

Cast

Dudley Moore	...	Arthur Bach
Liza Minnelli	...	Linda Marolla
John Gielgud	...	Hobson
Geraldine Fitzgerald	...	Martha Bach
Jill Eikenberry	...	Susan Johnson
Stephen Elliott	...	Burt Johnson
Ted Ross	...	Bitterman
Barney Martin	...	Ralph Marolla
Thomas Barbour	...	Stanford Bach
Anne De Salvo	...	Gloria - Hooker
Marjorie Barnes	...	Hooker
Dillon Evans	...	Plaza Maitre d'
Maurice Copeland	...	Uncle Peter Bach
Justine Johnston	...	Aunt Pearl Bach
Paul Vincent	...	Plaza Waiter

Runtime:

97 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Canada:PG (Manitoba/Ontario) | Singapore:PG | Australia:M | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:A (Nova Scotia) | Netherlands:6 | New Zealand:PG | Argentina:13 | Chile:14 | Finland:K-12 | Iceland:L | Norway:12 (1981) | Sweden:11 | UK:15 | USA:PG

Filming Locations:

5th Avenue, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Orion Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

John Gielgud turned down the role of Hobson several times, finally accepting it only because the salary he was offered was too good to pass up.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Bitterman drops Linda off at her apartment complex, she looks out the back window of the car and asks that he wait until her neighbor is there before he opens the car door for her. When Linda does get out of the car, the woman is approaching the car from the front, not from the back.

Quotes:

Hobson: Here, read this magazine. There are many pictures.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Derailed (2005/I)

Soundtrack:

Its Only Love

The laughs never get old.

From the beginning of this movie it seems apparent that the role of Arthur was meant to be played by a much younger actor. By the end, it's clear that nobody other than Dudley Moore could have done it so well. Looking back, one remembers the sappy Christopher Cross theme song (does anyone remember Christopher Cross?) and oh-so-80's clothing and sets with an unavoidable nostalgia. But the triumvirate of Moore as Arthur, Liza Minnelli as Linda, and Sir Johnny G as the butler Hobson, dripping with sarcasm and at the pinnacle of his considerable talent, make this more than a throw-away farce.

All the best lines belong to Gielgud, and the Academy Award was hardly adequate for such a legendary performance. Moore's lovable drunk would wear thin in later years, but here it is a fresh and delightful tour de force in the most politically incorrect way. Liza is flawless, but one hates to see her in a non-musical role, for fear of squandering such an immense talent. But the chemistry, the synergy between these legends is palpable.

The laughs never get old. It is, however, a tragedy that the DVD is not available in cinematic aspect.