VICTOR VICTORIA REVIEWED
“Victor Victoria” is an adaptation of a 1933 German film that wouldn’t have existed if it was made 6 or 7 years later. Hell, you can say it for this American version as well. The fact that we had a gay heavy light crime flick in 1982 is astounding. It’s a great cultural pock mark on the face of the Reagan era, but it was the last time that Julie Andrews was in her peak Golden Age form. Hell, you could also say it was the last great Blake Edwards movie. Now that we know it’s the last great movie for so many, what makes it so special?
Well, I make a few jokes about how it plays like Cabaret with real laughs. The difference being is that it embraces the straight and gay sides of the comedy. Robert Preston plays an unflappable gay lead who doesn’t let his homosexuality drive the character. It’s not set dressing, but it’s not his dominant trait. When he gets Julie Andrews in on his performance con, he has to train her to pass. James Garner, Lesley Ann Warren and Alex Karras are playing period gangster types and it works. But, the magic is between Andrews and Preston.
What could be a period slapstick movie becomes a look at earnest crime during the 1930s. These people are starving and poor until they team up to make their way in a male dominated world. Is there a big takeaway past there? Not really, but it’s super interesting.
SPECIAL FEATURES
- Commentary
- Trailer
A/V STATS
- 2.40:1 1080p transfer
- DTS-HD 5.1 master audio track