I have now seen 8 of the 13 movies directed by Preston Sturges -- and I'm not sure why. His humor hasn't aged that well, has it? The only one I've really liked is Sullivan's Travels, primarily for balancing with its serious side. And here I was checking out what Netflix described as a "pitch-black comedy" from him, starring Blithe Spirit's Rex Harrison and having had little commercial success in its day. Sounded like it would be still less my thing. But perhaps I was intrigued at what sounded significantly different from the norm for Sturges.
Celebrated orchestral conductor Alfred de Carter dotes on his wife, Daphne. Due to a miscommunication of his wishes, his brother-in-law has had her tailed during Alfred's absence. Alfred is too furious at this news to listen to the findings right away, but then he learns of evidence of her spending suspiciously much time with his secretary, Tony. During the three pieces of his concert that night, he entertains three vivid ideas of how to respond, each of them disregarding a detective's advice to give Daphne the benefit of the doubt. Two of them lethal. After the concert, however, he discovers quite a few differences between his fantasies and his reality.
I feel bad for practically giving away the whole plot here, but it's one of those stories you can't really do justice otherwise. What I've revealed so far isn't much more than what Netflix said on the disc jacket, and my added details concern early moments. I must say, tho, that it's hardly my idea of "pitch-black." Maybe it would be if things went according to one of Alfred's violent plans, but we see them play out only in his imagination. OK, I confess that I mistook the first daydream for his reality and got thrown off for a while; but beyond that, it's no Heathers.
It's worth noting that that first daydream lasts much longer than the other two combined. As a result, Alfred's attempt to implement that plan also takes longer than the other two attempts combined. Since he's working alone, there is no dialogue for quite a while, almost as if to parody the heist in Rififi. That said, it's hardly "silent," what with a good deal of slapstick going on. And unlike most Sturges farces, this one gave a fun time to its Foley artist(s) with unconvincing noises, which I initially found jarring, but they eventually tickled me a little further. Beats the meager amusement I've had at most others.
Apart from bungling, there isn't a whole lot to laugh at. A few minor characters have duly exaggerated personae, but they seem like afterthoughts. Alfred himself is also exaggerated in ways unrelated to clumsiness -- profligacy, arrogance, overreaction to agitation -- but mostly they just make him hard to like. On the plus side, that helps assure us that Daphne really does love him; why else would she put up with all his unexplained misbehavior?
Yeah, after hints like those, I might as well tell you that there's a happy ending. Naturally, no other character finds out what Alfred was trying to do, and only the detectives could guess why he had been angry.
You might get a little more out of the picture if you're a fan of Romantic music and the emotion that it conveys. I'll note that Harrison got coaching on how to conduct; to my lay eye, he does well.
On the DVD I rented, dark comedy fan Terry Gilliam provides an "introduction" that I'd recommend saving until after you watch the whole thing. He perceives the tale as a send-up of how men view themselves. Whether or not that's intended, I can respect the reasons he lists for Sturges' greatness, including (1) a focus on timeless human problems, albeit in a strange new light; and (2) a willingness to mix genres. Gilliam thinks the audience just wasn't ready for Sturges' innovation this time around. (In another DVD extra, widow Sandy says it suffered from unfortunate timing in a different sense.)
I'll give UY some credit. It doesn't resemble any other film that I can think of. Even with a number of points given away in advance, it manages to surprise. If you don't laugh at it, you can at least enjoy how it plays with feelings.
UY got remade in 1984, when the audience may have been readier, but the execution reputedly lacked something. If you care to sample one version, see the '48 original.
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