The Man Who Understood Women

Henry Fonda nearly quit the movies after getting a look at this thing, a backstage-Hollywood comedy-drama by Nunnally Johnson, loosely adapted from Romain Gary's novel "The Colors of the Day". Johnson also produced and directed the picture, and therefore deserves most of the blame for what's on the screen. Famous actor-director Fonda becomes smitten with struggling actress Leslie Caron after watching her do a screen-test and quickly turns her into a formidable star. It's at this point in the film where we see fake movie titles zig-zagging across the screen ("Between Heaven and Hell", "Mademoiselle X"), signifying success, and later get a preposterous scene of Fonda shouting down Caron's agents for their lack of direction (isn't he running the whole show?). Fonda compares his lovely discovery to Greta Garbo and Ingrid Bergman, but we just don't see it. Leslie Caron is attractive here, but sullen and with a deep, monotonous voice. When she supposedly wins an Academy Award, we don't see that triumph either (the statue is super-imposed over a starry background--along with MORE zig-zagging movie titles!). Johnson obviously knows the world of show-biz inside-out, but here he gives us the outer-workings of the movie-making world without any of the inner-workings. Caron and Fonda wed, but she quickly tires of his one-track mind--she wants to be a newlywed forever--and runs off with an Air Force Major while in France. Fonda wants the handsome home wrecker dead and orders a hit on him, but changes his mind when he thinks his wife might be killed too, and so chases after the Mutt and Jeff team he's in-cahoots with while dressed as a harlequin clown. It's too silly for words. *1/2 from ****

But that's about it. It's the reason I came here, to see who wrote the script. The tone of the dialog sounded vaguely familiar. I wouldn't be surprised to learn that there were other unnamed doctors who tried to breathe life into this script. I also began to wonder if this was some cockamamie remake of A Star Is Born. It isn't, not that I think it would be better if that had been the case.

I'm also somewhat gratified to see that I'm not the only person who never saw the appeal of Leslie Caron. She's always just Leslie Caron; it doesn't matter what the role is.

My fellow reviewers are right. Don't bother with this. It's a European production/film trying to be American, and as a consequence, it's neither one nor the other. It's a disaster of a hybrid.

I don't give this movie as low a rating that many had. It was an ok movie. It's listed as a comedy, that's the reason I wanted to watch it. But it's not a funny movie at all. If you want laughs from a movie, watch something else, this is not for you.

The best thing I can say about The Man Who Understood Women is it is not the worst comedy I ever saw: Machete, Jewel Robbery, Candy ( 1968), and Damsels In Distress ( all on my 10 worst films list) nor the worst movie I ever saw about Show Business (No Time For Comedy says hi). But It is the worst film of Henry Fonda's career and I despised the movie. The worst part? Fonda in clown makeup which is more cringe worthy ( and longer) then Octopussy with James Bond in clown makeup. On to Leslie Caron. I must admit I never got what other people saw in Leslie Caron: There are Frenchwomen so much more beautiful and better actresses ( Sophie Marceau, Catherine Deneuve, Denise Darcel and Julie Delpy to name a few), but here she is at her worst. Why? Her constant crying throughout this movie is sickening, which is why I had to fast forward through half the movie. Did I forget to mention, there is not one character ( especially Fonda and Caron) that you can like ( or even care about)? While it is not the worst movie I ever saw ( the ones I mentioned earlier plus Reality Bites and Walk On The Wild Side are worse, it it still makes my 10 worst films list and although I cannot rate it as no stars ( the minimum is 1), it still deserves 0 stars. 0/10 stars.

What the heck was this? The Bad and the Beautiful Goes on the Twentieth Century, I guess. Based on a novel by Romain Gary, Fonda plays Willie Bauche, a triple threat in the Orson Welles tradition whose films don't make any money, so he soon finds himself kicked out of the studio. While observing a screen test, he becomes interested in the actress doing the test, Ann Garantier (Leslie Caron) and decides to make her the biggest thing since Greta Garbo, manipulating his old boss at the studio to sign her. Ann and Willie fall in love and marry. On their wedding night, Willie becomes involved in some movie business and leaves the hotel. This turns Ann off, and the implication is that she doesn't sleep with him - and six months later, apparently, she's still not sleeping with him. His work always takes precedence over her, and she doesn't like it.

While on a trip to Paris, Ann meets a soldier, played by Cesare Danova, and runs away with him. He applies for discharge from his regiment and tells her that he's supposed to leave at the end of the week, but he's not going.

I've actually described the plot of this film in a much more exciting way than it was filmed. All I'll say is that Leslie Caron looked beautiful and had some beautiful clothes. Everyone is very low key and says their lines as if they're on their deathbed. Except for Fonda, they all sort of moan.

The lead role, Willie, is indeed a Welles type or the kind of producer played by Barrymore in Twentieth Century. Fonda was in comedies, but he was usually the straight man. This role called for a flamboyant, meglomaniacal performance. Fonda was a very internalized actor - I can't imagine anyone worse for this role. It's like having Cary Grant play Mahatma Gandhi.

A complete waste of time - your time, my time, and the actors' time.