Waltz of the Toreadors

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.

General Leo Saint-Pé and his 'mad' wife Amelie had first appeared in 1948 in 'Ardele' of Jean Anouilh. These two characters resurfaced four years later in 'Waltz of the Toreadors' by the same playwright. The first of these, in common with most of Anouilh's plays, is rarely performed nowadays. The second however has enjoyed many revivals and the role of the General has proved irresistible to such luminaries as Eli Wallach, Hugh Griffiths, Melvyn Douglas, Trevor Howard and Sir Ralph Richardson.

In this 'loose'(to put it mildly) adaptation by Wolf Mankowitz we have Peter Sellers. Therein lies the problem.

He has given us not so much a character as a caricature and whether by intention or not, an extension of Major Bloodnok from 'The Goon Show'.

The film's poster declares this to be 'a rollicking comedy' in which 'Peter Sellers strikes again' and has Sellers, resembling someone from an Ealing comedy, pinching a maid's bottom!

Critics from the first have been quick to point out the contrast in Anouilh's play between comedy and pathos, farce and cruelty.

Director John Guillermin resented that some of the comedy scenes from his film were cut. Judging by the ones left in the exclusion of the others would seem to be a blessing.

It is indeed the cruelty that is most apparent here. The cruelty of Life with its resentments, regrets, lost illusions, dashed hopes and the inexorable passing of Time.

The tragedy mainly belongs to the General's wife, played to perfection by the superlative Margaret Leighton. As the 'maiden' who after seventeen years is still determined to consummate her love for the General (if you can believe that you can believe anything!) we have the divine and delectable Dany Robin. Her Gallic style and intoxicating French accent are alas totally at variance with the other 'anglicised' characters and the Sussex setting. As the local doctor Cyril Cusack as always quietly steals all of his scenes.

The original play was styled by Anouilh as one of his 'grating black comedies'.

What a pity that the makers of this film, with an obvious view to the 'box-office', have lacked the courage to realise his concept. A pity also that this play has never been filmed in France by a top notch director. Watching this raises the question once again as to whether Sellers was a good actor or just a brilliant mimic. For this viewer at any rate, the jury is still out.

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.

John Guillermin's previous film featuring Peter Sellers, Never Let Go, in which he was cast as Meadows, a smooth but viciously evil criminal, enabled Sellers to prove that his talent went beyond depicting "comic" petty crooks. His role as the bibulous, womanising General Fitzjohn in this film, built upon the character of lovable rogue Major Denis Bloodnok, who Sellers played in the Goon Show, enabled him to expand his range further. Fitzjohn's interaction with his invalid wife is movingly realised. The moment when he exclaims "My God, I hate you!" is chilling. There is a moment of cinematic genius when Guillermin dissolves from a close-up of the General's (then) young and beautiful wife watching unhappily as her husband flirts with another woman to her present day ruined face filled with unhappiness. I recall that when the film was released Guillermin complained bitterly that the producers had spoilt his film by cutting in extra comic sequences, but I can't find reports of this interview on line. Can anyone help?

Forgive me again for being very uninformative and nitpicky. I'm unfamiliar with the play ("disastrously translated into English setting and characters" - Halliwell's) and I sure as hell can't discuss the author's oeuvre.

• The photography is beautiful, if not entirely consistently so. I especially liked it during one of the heavier scenes involving Sellers and "wife".

• There are some ugly flashback transitions.

• "Fawlty"-heads will see a pre-Sybil Scales, if paying enough attention...

• ... which can be relatively hard at times.

• One notices how the actor who plays the innkeeper (John Glyn-Jones, further investigation shows) carries an enormous resemblance to the fine actor Richard Jenkins of "Six Feet Under" fame (or of "The Man Who Wasn't There" fame). Then, in his second and final scene, what is called out through some galloping if not "Mr. Jenkins!" Bizarre.

• John Le Mesurier seems to have been always reliable (by which I mean the few of his I've seen).

• Sellers's "old man" voice arouses in me questions as to why he was constantly cast in these senior roles (here, flashbacks, yes). Don't get me wrong, though. His performance is as great as you can expect from him.

• "I'm old enough to be your aunt." Well, you don't look like it.

• The titular sequence is actually memorable.

• The ending I liked, which seems to be a common thing with viewers.

• I have trouble understanding what this eventually is. One minute, there's some silly umbrella fencing, and the next, grave discussion about things marital in nature. I can't really grasp the whole film. That's right, blame my age. But it is all over the place.

• At any rate, the film is worth a go. I didn't get these "masterpiece" vibes that others have gotten out of it, but if not for anything else, it's worth seeing for Sellers doing his thing.