Waltz of the Toreadors

Based quite loosely upon a play of the same name by Jean Anouilh, this film has been designed not merely as a showcase for the oversize comedic talent of Peter Sellers, but also, due to excessive producer interference, as a sex farce where character predominates over language, after the manner of a well-wrought and linear work of theatre. A droll script by Wolf Mankowitz transposes the action from post World War II France to early 20th century Sussex, arranging the characters in the story-propelled manner of the playwright, whose intensive exploration of the spirit becomes increasingly prominent as the work runs its course, greatly assisted by sensitive performances from Sellers, as the libidinous General Leo Fitzjohn, and by Margaret Leighton as Emily, his suffering wife. The plot spirals about the freshly retired General Fitzjohn and his longwhile Gallic inamorata, Ghislaine (Dany Robin) who have, as seen in a series of flashbacks, never been able to complete their love, but who are apparently finally going to be able to do so; that is, if a series of latter-day obstacles might be overcome. The picture is directed smoothly by John Guillermin, and there are excellent performances from Cyril Cusack as Dr. Grogan, the General's best friend, and John Fraser as a naive subaltern assigned to Fitzjohn, while a magnificent score is contributed by Richard Addinsell, one of his best for the screen, notable for its unreserved use of a minor key to accompany romantic and comic events. Unlike his Absurdist contemporaries, Anouilh never abandoned a sense of existential despair throughout his dramas, and this production succeeds in creating tension between Fitzjohn's sense of loss of place and his ability to forge forward after his natural urges, as evidenced by the delicious ending.

This is a wonderful little movie which displays Peter Sellers's acting genius both for comedy and serious drama. It is a haunting story of a general at the end of his career, about how much was real and not real in his life, and about his weaknesses and distractions. It is easy to project certain kinds of political observations on to this movie, as was done in an earlier review by wjfickling in his comment about the advantages that men have over women, but it is just as easy to project the opposite. The genius of the movie is that it tells a story of the bitter sweetness of a man's life that is outside the politcally correct "truth du jour" and can be taken directly, as it is.

I saw this on cable recently, out of curiosity more than anything else, and I wasn't sure I was really going to watch it. However, it turned out to be quite a little gem that I would recommend for those of us who have a few years on them. Peter Sellers, who was only in his 30s at the time, puts on aging makeup and plays a retired general around the turn of the 19th century who is still chasing skirts (Sellers appears in flashbacks looking his real age). It is a bittersweet look at marriage, sexual desire, maturity, the advantage men have over women with respect to aging, etc. And, to its credit, it doesn't have the stock Hollywood ending one might expect.

This is one of the most arguable comedies ever made, because of its very difficult character. Is it really funny at all? Isn't it just terribly silly? The main character of it is pathetic, as Peter Sellers and Margaret Leighton as his wife both are extremely pathetic, but one thing cannot be denied here: the acting is exceptionally outstanding. Peter Sellers as the pathetic old general married to a terrible dinosaur of a morbidly sick woman, having nothing but his memories and his fascination of young pretty girls to live for, makes one of his most remarkable performances. Even Dany Robin makes a pathetic character, as she has waited 17 years for Peter and doesn't get him anyway, although he now retires and wants to leave his wife. There are of course some hilarious scenes, but the general pathetic character drowns them in melancholy and makes them indifferent and constructed. Another great asset of the film is Richard Addinsell's music. The waltz adds a romantic touch to all the misery, which will remain as a lasting impression. I never liked Jean Anouilh's plays, there was always some dark bitterness about them, and his adaptation of "Anna Karenina" for the screen kills Tolstoy. I saw this film now for the third time and for the first time all through, since I never could bear with it earlier. Now I found it passable, especially for the direction, the actors and the music, while the fun of it felt more artificially strained than ever.

This saucy, appetizingly frothy, superbly executed period farce finds comedy chameleon, Peter Sellers on tremendously engaging form as ageing cocksman, General Fitzjohn, this lugubrious Lothario's persistently thwarted attempts to finally bed the great love of his life, Ghislaine (Dany Robin) after a frustratingly protracted, 17 year courtship still provides a chucklesome wealth of tastefully rendered ribaldry! John Guillermin's joyous 'Waltz of the Toreadors' is blessed with a truly dynamite cast, with exquisite work from, Cyril Cusack, Margaret Leighton, and, Dany Robin, an effervescent text, and, perhaps, it might also be argued that, John Guillermin's charming, fabulously frolicsome farce showcases one of, Peter Sellers more meticulously crafted comedy creations.