Victor/Victoria

MGM, 1982
Starring Julie Andrews, Robert Preston, James Gardner, and Leslie Ann Warren
Directed by Blake Edwards
Music by Henry Mancini; Lyrics by Leslie Bricusse

Julie Andrews fell off the radar somewhat in the 70's, after her major successes in the 1960's. She made a comeback in her husband Blake Edwards' 1981 comedy S.O.B, which while not a huge success at the time, did garner praise for her performance as a star looking to change her image. She continued that streak in Edwards' next film, which did somewhat better at the box office. How does the story of a woman who dresses as a man who impersonates a woman look now? Let's head to the nightclubs of Paris in the 1930's to find out...

The Story: Victoria Grant (Andrews) is in Paris in 1934, trying to get a job as a soprano. She fails her audition and can't even afford food, much less her squalid apartment. Gay singer Toddy (Preston) sees her at the audition and, after starting a brawl when he sees his lover Richard (Malcom Jamieson) as part of a straight couple, joins her in trying to get a free meal out of a restaurant. He takes her to his house in the rain, but she ends up staying when it has shrunk her clothes. She manages to get rid of Richard...and when Toddy sees her in his clothes, he gets the idea of cutting her hair and passing her off as a female impersonator. He even gets her an audition with agent Andre Cassell (John Rhys-Davies).

Andre launches her in a big nightclub debut. Among the club owners who are invited to see her performance are King Marchand (Gardner), his bimbo girlfriend Norma (Warren), and his bodyguard Squash Bernstein (Alex Karras). King's sure that "Victor" is a man, but "he" insists otherwise. "Victor's" act is a huge hit and is the toast of Paris, but Victoria's beginning to have feelings for King, too. He seems to be understanding when she reveals the deception, but living in two worlds is beginning to wear her out, not to mention there's how homosexuals are treated in the macho gangster circles that King runs in. When a private investigator finally blows Victoria's cover, she has to figure out how to reveal herself as a woman and end the persona of "Victor" for good.

The Song and Dance: No wonders Andrews got an Oscar nod for Best Actress, and Preston and Warren landed supporting nominations. Everyone's having a great time with this sassy, wacky farce that explores gender by showing a woman getting away with a double impersonation, and how it wears her down in the end. The flashy costumes and set direction were also Oscar-nominated.

It's interesting to see how homosexuality is depicted here, at a time when it still wasn't widely accepted in the US. Toddy makes jokes about it, but Squash admits that he played football because he looked more like a football player than a homosexual, and there's quite a few people, especially in Chicago, who call Victoria and King derogatory names and likely do worse.

Favorite Number: I'm a bit surprised that at least one of the excellent Mancini/Bricusse songs didn't get an Oscar nod along with the score as a whole. Andrews' touching ballad "Crazy World," performed at a piano in the nightclub, has become a minor standard, and the big ensemble numbers "Le Jazz Hot!" and "Shady Lady From Seville" are fun romps. The movie's best number, however, is probably "You and Me." No chorus or spangled costumes, just two performers at the top of their game dancing and joking together.

Trivia: Edwards had originally intended the role of Toddy for Peter Sellars, but he passed away before filming began.

The costume worn during "The Shady Dame from Seville" number was made to fit Preston, but fitted with snaps and hooks so it could fit Andrews as well.

This was based after the 1933 German movie Viktor und Viktoria. It was remade in England for British musical star Jessie Matthews in 1935 as First a Girl, and then under it's original title in Germany in 1957.

What I Don't Like: I actually wish this was more of a flat-out musical, with numbers outside of the nightclub as well as onstage. I'm not the only one. It was later turned into a Broadway musical in 1995. The final third, when Victoria and King move in together, is slightly less interesting than the rest of the movie as they try to figure out how to make their unusual relationship work.

The Big Finale: Witty, hilarious, and thought-provoking. If you're a fan of Andrews, Preston, Edwards' other work, or sexy farces with unique premises, you'll have a lot of fun with this one.

Home Media: While it was released on regular DVD in the early 2000's, the current version is now part of the Warner Archives (including the Blu-Ray). It can be found on most streaming platforms as well.

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