| RATING: | 60% |
| FORMAT: | DVD |
Although this contains magic Peter SELLERS’ moments and delicious running gags, it is a rather incoherent and rambling attempt to homage the great silent comedies of the past as well as the style of Jacques Tati. It lacks any real reason to exist apart from this since it contains no social, political nor psychological satire and, thus, any real underlying function.
SELLERS, however, creates a viable character - despite the comedic contrivance on show by the director. Unlike Inspector Clouseau, his accent is impeccably-realistic, and the chemistry with his co-star Claudine LONGET is palpable. Much better as a romantic comedy than a comedy-of-manners that it is trying so hard to be.
This film shows sharply why SELLERS was never a great star - he was the character actors’ character actor - par excellence. When playing as part of a talented ensemble - as in The Ladykillers and I'm All right, Jack, he was never less than brilliant. He inhabited his roles and ably supported the other performers and the themes of his best films. However, as a star, the entire focus was upon him and, apart from playing clearly-defined characters, there was nothing else SELLERS had to offer an audience. In this film, there are few others for him to play his comic genius off and so there is a flatness and a mediocrity about the whole affair - notwithstanding SELLERS’ excellent performance. He is the Eric Morecambe of cinema since he could never hope to be funny on his own. If only he had agreed to star in Inspector Clouseau, instead of this.
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