Rating: Summary: The great Ronald Colman &Vincent Price Review: Great Film, Great fun only downside is a poor transfer. Maybe we can hope for a restoration when the DVD comes out.
Rating: Summary: Champagne for Caesar Review: I have just one word for this film: HILARIOUS!!!! I am a HUGE Vincent Price fan and tracked this film down... I've seen it a ton of times and laugh hysterically every time I see it. I think that Price absoultely steals the film. The highlight is when Coleman has to describe a theory of Einstien. The answer that he gives is said to be wrong-but then Einstien himself calls on the phone to verify the answer. The reaction by Price is hilarious. He missed his calling. Although he was an awesome horror actor, he would have made a marvelous comedian.
Rating: Summary: Champagne for Caesar Review: I have just one word for this film: HILARIOUS!!!! I am a HUGE Vincent Price fan and tracked this film down... I've seen it a ton of times and laugh hysterically every time I see it. I think that Price absoultely steals the film. The highlight is when Coleman has to describe a theory of Einstien. The answer that he gives is said to be wrong-but then Einstien himself calls on the phone to verify the answer. The reaction by Price is hilarious. He missed his calling. Although he was an awesome horror actor, he would have made a marvelous comedian.
Rating: Summary: You know in college they called me Sky Blue Waters Review: I was excited to see that there was finally a DVD of Champagne for Caesar, that was till I started reading reviews about the bad transfer. As one reviewer related, but maybe didn't believe, that Image had told him that this was the best they could do from their source. I might believe that because I had seen varying degrees of quality through the years and remember later versions with bad sound in the later reels(particularly the park sequence).
I had searched years ago for a VHS version and could only find it on Laserdisc. So I bought it on that format as I did with Susan Slept Here(I then had to buy a laserdisc player so I could watch my two laserdiscs). They both look and sound great. It's disappointing Champagne isn't worth the purchase and Susan Slept Here isn't available at all on the more convenient DVD format. It's a crime, I might add, that this is also true for Genevieve, the British comedy of the same era. It's a crime that these and others like It's In the Bag, Ball of Fire and The Male Animal are not restored and made available on DVD. It's not only a job that should be done but one that should have been done long ago. The longer it's left undone the less likely it is that it will be done correctly, if at all.
Enough bad news, about this one of kind comedy. Not enough credit is given to good producers, like Robert Shaye(though he's lost a little of my respect since The Bored of the Rings). I don't think we would have It's in the Bag and Champagne for Caesar if were not for Jack Skirball and I sing his praises for two of the funniest American screwball comedies ever.
Champagne is full of superb talent doing amazing jobs in wildly unique roles. Beauregard Bottomley(Ronald Coleman)unsurpassed scholar knows everything about everything except how to, in the vernacular, make a buck. He's snubbed by Burnbridge Waters(Vincent Price)the eccentric megalomaniac founder and president of Milady Soap company(The Soap That Sanctifies). Milady sponsors Masquerade for Money hosted by Happy Hogan(Art Linkletter). Beauregard pulls a Ken Jennings. Along the way we are treated to Celeste Holm as Flame O'Neill and Barbara Britton(who I've been in love with ever since)as Gwenn Bottomley, Beauregard's sister. Everyone is screamingly funny with the exception of Vincent Price. Vincent Price as Burnbridge Waters may be the single funniest performance ever put on film ! ! ! If you have a sense of humor be careful, you might die laughing.
It's been about eight to ten years since I last watched my Laserdisc but I can still think of at least 20 lines from the movie to quote, as this is certainly one of the most quotable movies ever. My favorite is at a round table discussion when one of Burnbridge's nervous yes-men fills him in on what they know about Bottomley. A friend nearly wet himself upon see it.
A little known American classic begs for a complete restoration, but if you've never seen it, it may be worth putting up with a less than perfect version and I myself might even take a chance and see if some these pundits aren't being just a bit too persnickety.
Rating: Summary: Bad transfer Review: I won't go into the story line as others before me have covered that. Let me instead deal with the quality of this DVD. It stinks! Mainly because of the sound. At points it sounds like the actors are talking under water. At first I thought I had a bad disc, so I returned it for replacement, but got the same problem. So I wrote to the company that put this out on DVD and this was their response: Thank you for your inquiry. We are sorry to hear that you are disappointed with your latest Image Entertainment purchase. Unfortunately the problem that you are describing concerning the soundtrack of this film is the result of damaged film stock. Image Entertainment made three attempts to find the best available master for this film and the finished product was made using the best remaining film stock available. Bottom line is, buy this ONLY if you can't do without this film. Otherwise there are lots of other wonderful films on better DVDs.
Rating: Summary: Absolutely Hysterical!! Review: If you love Vincent Price, and have a dry sense of humor, settle in. Don't miss this rare opportunity to see him use his sorely underused comedic talents!
Rating: Summary: No fizz here Review: Looks like I'm in the minority here, but I thought "Champagne for Caesar" was quite a disappointment. The plot concerns a genius going on a quiz show and mopping up. Now, I like both Ronald Colman and Vincent Price, but this was just too awful for words. Colman deserved much better than this paltry vehicle.
Rating: Summary: Funny film Review: Ronald Colman plays a scholar who knows everything but how to get a job. After an eccentric Vicent Price gives him the boot, Colman decides to go on a quiz show that Price's soap company sponsors and exact some revenge. It makes you wish that Price did more comedies, because he hams it up and is great. Some parts and some of the quiz questions are outdated, but the movie fit for its era and is extremely funny, even today.
Rating: Summary: Great Satire with a Great Cast Review: Several years ago, I saw Vincent Price on a talk show, and he was asked what his favorite was of all the movies he had made. He replied that it was a movie he considered "way ahead of it's time", titled "Champagne For Caesar". I was very excited to hear him say that, because it has been one of my favorite movies since I discovered it late one night on a local tv station back in the 60's. This is a very funny satire of quiz shows and of tv advertisers, backed by a stunning cast which includes Ronald Colman as Beauregard Bottomly, a genius who knows everything except how to keep a job. He embarks on a quest to destroy a sponsor of a tv quiz show, by answering enough questions to bankrupt them. Celeste Holme co-stars as the beautiful, intelligent femme fatale sent to find his weakness. Vincent Price is the owner of the soap company who sponsors the quiz show, and his performance as the wickedly funny "Dirty Waters" is one of the many bright spots of this film. Art Linkletter has a supporting role as "Happy Hogan", the host of the quiz show, with some very funny moments between him and Vincent Price. Mel Blanc is the voice of "Caesar", an alcoholic parrot. Everybody in this film is excellent, and this is a movie that shouldn't be missed.
Rating: Summary: Great Satire with a Great Cast Review: Several years ago, I saw Vincent Price on a talk show, and he was asked what his favorite was of all the movies he had made. He replied that it was a movie he considered "way ahead of it's time", titled "Champagne For Caesar". I was very excited to hear him say that, because it has been one of my favorite movies since I discovered it late one night on a local tv station back in the 60's. This is a very funny satire of quiz shows and of tv advertisers, backed by a stunning cast which includes Ronald Colman as Beauregard Bottomly, a genius who knows everything except how to keep a job. He embarks on a quest to destroy a sponsor of a tv quiz show, by answering enough questions to bankrupt them. Celeste Holme co-stars as the beautiful, intelligent femme fatale sent to find his weakness. Vincent Price is the owner of the soap company who sponsors the quiz show, and his performance as the wickedly funny "Dirty Waters" is one of the many bright spots of this film. Art Linkletter has a supporting role as "Happy Hogan", the host of the quiz show, with some very funny moments between him and Vincent Price. Mel Blanc is the voice of "Caesar", an alcoholic parrot. Everybody in this film is excellent, and this is a movie that shouldn't be missed.
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