Victor Victoria (1982)

User Rating:

7.3/10   

Director:

Blake Edwards

Writers:

Blake Edwards (writer)
Hans Hoemburg (concept)

Release Date:

6 May 1982 (Brazil)

Genre:

Comedy | Music | Romance

Tagline:

The disguise surprise comedy of the year!

Plot:

A struggling female soprano finds work playing a male female impersonator, but it complicates her personal life.

Plot Keywords:

Paris | 1930s | Singer | Cabaret | Opera

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 10 wins & 12 nominations

Cast

Julie Andrews	...	Victoria Grant
James Garner	...	King Marchand
Robert Preston	...	Carole "Toddy" Todd
Lesley Ann Warren	...	Norma Cassady
Alex Karras	...	'Squash' Bernstein
John Rhys-Davies	...	Andre Cassell
Graham Stark	...	Waiter
Peter Arne	...	Labisse
Herb Tanney	...	Charles Bovin (as Sherloque Tanney)
Michael Robbins	...	Manager of Victoria's hotel
Norman Chancer	...	Sal Andratti
David Gant	...	Restaurant Manager
Maria Charles	...	Madame President
Malcolm Jamieson	...	Richard DiNardo
John Cassady	...	Juke

Runtime:

132 min

Country:

UK | USA

Language:

English | French

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Canada:14A (Ontario) | Iceland:12 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Chile:14 | Finland:K-16 | France:U | Peru:14 | Sweden:11 | UK:15 | USA:PG | West Germany:12 | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Pinewood Studios, Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, England, UK

Company:

Artista Management

Trivia:

The film had been planned as early as 1978 with Julie Andrews to star alongside Peter Sellers, but Sellers died in 1980 while Andrews and Edwards were filming S.O.B. (1981).

Goofs:

Continuity: In both scenes of "Shady Lady from Seville", first with Julie, the second with Toddy, the stars in the window behind the fountain keep changing positions. During close-ups the arrangement of the lights (stars) differ from distant shots. Only once did the camera position change when it followed Julie during the scene, otherwise in stayed in one position, and should not have effected the position of the stars.

Quotes:

[Trying to explain why she can't pass for a man]
Victoria: Men have Adam's apples.
Toddy: So do some women.
Victoria: Name one.
Toddy: Nana Lanu.
Victoria: Nana Lanu, who's she?
Toddy: The last woman I slept with.
Victoria: When was that?
Toddy: The night before the morning I decided to become a homosexual.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Navy NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigative Service: Dead Man Talking (#1.19)" (2004)

Soundtrack:

Le Jazz Hot

Highly enjoyable transgender comedy with Andrews and Preston at their best...

Paris in the '30s is the setting for this screwball sex comedy wherein JULIE ANDREWS, for the sake of being employed, takes a job as a woman pretending to be a man pretending to be a woman--figure that one out. Then we have a great moment when ROBERT PRESTON does an imitation of Julie singing "The Shady Dame from Seville" in drag--yes drag--the actor who played such sturdy romantic leads in the '40s and '50s is hilarious as a gay blade who hooks up with Julie during a restaurant scene in which she plants a cockroach in her plate to avoid paying for dinner.

That's the kind of romp this is. And it's extremely witty, with JAMES GARNER as Julie's romantic interest who hasn't figured out why he's so attracted to "the shady dame" when she's supposed to be a man.

First-rate sets and cinematography in color, and while none of it really makes any sense, the song and dance routines are fabulous with some great tunes by Henry Mancini. LESLEY ANN WARREN gives a priceless performance as a bird brained vamp in her Oscar nominated supporting role.