Rating: 
Summary: Best Film of 1982
Review: Victor/Victoria is easily Blake Edwards' best film. In fact, Victor/Victoria is probably one of the top 10 best films of the 1980s. From the lighting, to the art direction-set decoration, to the superb acting, to the screenplay, to the cinematography, and to the late Henry Mancini's remarkable score (he died in 1994), this film is the epitome of top notch and smart entertainment.After the release of Victor/Victoria, the movie musical died, except for some of the Disney animated features released since Victor/Victoria (i.e., the Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, the Lion King). The recent release of "Moulin Rouge" could be the beginning of a trend to bring back the movie musical with live actors. There also appears to be a current trend for movies (and some television shows) to incorporate musical numbers for laughs (i.e., Austin Powers, some Mel Brooks movies, Will & Grace, a recent episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer). One of the factors that made Victor/Victoria a successful musical for its time is the manner in which Blake Edwards structured and directed all of the film's musical numbers. The "break-out-and-sing musicals" with an imaginary orchestra in the background (i.e., My Fair Lady, Sound of Music, Hello Dolly!) were already outdated when Victor/Victoria was released in 1982 (and in my opinion, I think that the "break-out-and-sing" element is what made "Evita" and "Moulin Rouge" a bit cheesy). Blake Edwards made the right decision to incorporate all of the musical numbers as stage performances to audiences WITHIN the movie, making the movie more realistic to audiences WATCHING the film. All in all, the film received 7 Oscar nominations. It only won an Oscar for Best Original Song Score. The acting and the chemistry of the actors were superb. In my opinion, Leslie Ann Warren (Best Supporting Actress nominee), Julie Andrews (Best Actress nominee), and the late Robert Preston (Best Supporting Actor nominee) all should have received acting Oscars. Even Alex Karras (a former college football player who was a leading candidate for the Heisman Trophy in 1957) delivered a fantastic and funny performance as King Marchand's (played by James Garner) closeted bodyguard named Squash. Incredibly, Victor/Victoria was not nominated for Best Picture or Best Director. Ghandi, E.T., Tootsie, the Verdict, and Missing were all nominated for Best Picture (all were also nominated for Best Director, except for Missing), with Ghandi being the big winner. In my opinion, Victor/Victoria was the best picture for 1982. My favorite element of the film is Henry Mancini's remarkable score and original songs, with lyrics written by Leslie Bricusse. As I mentioned above, Mancini (who died in 1994) and Bricusse received the Oscar for Best Original Song Score. "Le Jazz Hot", the first song Andrews sings in the movie as a "drag queen", is a showstopper. The movie version of "Le Jazz Hot" is far superior to the Broadway version of the same song. "Crazy World" is a fantastic ballad, and many female concert performers have added this song to their repertoire. Clearly, Mancini's Victor/Victoria score far exceeded any other film score he ever wrote during his lifetime. As for the DVD itself, the video transfer and the re-mastered soundtrack are superb. What boggles my mind is why it took MGM so long to release the movie on DVD. This is the type of movie that DVD players were made for! With the exception of one theatrical trailer and a feature-length audio commentary with Julie Andrews and Blake Edwards, the film has no additional "extra features". It would have been fun to see some of the film's deleted scenes, some of the film's outakes, a documentary of the making of the film, and updated cast interviews. Because of Mancini's remarkable score and original songs, a "music-only" audio track should also have been included on the DVD. Julie Andrews talks a lot more than Blake Edwards during the feature-length audio commentary. Blake Edwards is relatively quiet after the first 15 minutes of the commentary. He admitted during the commentary that he got caught up in viewing the movie (it sounds like he had not seen it for some time). In any event, the husband and wife team provides behind the scenes information that is interesting and occassionally funny, although not as comprehensive as the viewer may have expected. Although Victor/Victoria is 20 years old, the movie could be released today as it was originally filmed. This is because the story takes place in Paris in 1934 and because Blake Edwards directed Victor/Victoria with style and artistic qualities that make the movie relevant and modern enough to watch in 2002. Victor/Victoria is more than just a musical comedy. It is a story about sexuality, gender, and becoming comfortable living in your own skin. Victor/Victoria teaches us to seek out our dreams and happiness, even if achieving these things requires us to make sacrifices and take risks. Any fan of Blake Edwards, Henry Mancini, Julie Andrews, musical comedies, or just good, quality movies should buy Victor/Victoria for his or her DVD library.
Rating:
Summary: Finally
Review: I've been waiting for this movie to come out on DVD. It finally arrived. This is the last great hollywood musical with class and charm. I have to have it in my DVD collection!
Rating:
Summary: ...
Review: There are only a few other films that are as funny as "Victor/Victoria". This film is Blake Edwards masterpiece.For anyone who enjoys good comedy, (I don't mean some of the comedies that are made today,.i.e. Adam Sandler.) This film does not talk down to it's audience. The script is witty without being stupid. All the performances in the film are excellent, Especially Robert Preston.The musical numbers are good, The scoring won an oscar that year. And nothing can top that last number by Robert Preston. And according to the commentary on the disc by Blake Edwards and Julie Andrews, That was done in one take. Blake said that he just let Preston "go". Please if you have not seen this film, My wife and I suggest thta you check it out.
Rating:
Summary: My Favorite Julie Andrews Musical Comedy
Review: This is an absolutely delightful musical and everyone in it sparkles. Director Blake Edwards surrounds Andrews with a wonderful ensemble cast and it all works beautifully. Robert Preston, of the "Music Man," does a fine musical turn with Andrews as her gay cohort in her drag act. She poses as Victor, a man impersonating a woman, so that she can be employed as a singer. She is very successful in this deceit with her smash act. James Garner is an American millionaire who goes through fits wondering whether she is a man or a woman and, when he's convinced she is a man, goes into a crisis over his own manhood since he's attracted to him/her. Garner is wonderfully funny but no more so than Lesley Ann Downe as his girlfriend, with the mouth from the wrong side of the tracks, who makes us howl every time she speaks. All in all, a great romantic comedy between Garner and Andrews with fabulous musical numbers and a dream supporting cast.
Rating:
Summary: Outstanding Buy!! Everyone should own this one.
Review: This movie came out at about the same time that I was married and the DVD came out the day before my 20th anniversary. It was a symbolic thing, but we HAD to have it & we made it part of our anniversary. We had been awaiting the anxiously because while Julie Andrews has been my idol since I was old enough to know who she was, and the Broadway cast was excellent, the movie in 1982 was one of those combinations in Hollywood that can't be decribed or explained, but is just accepted as BRILLIANT! We were worried about the quality, since the VHS quality was not so great, but the wait was well worth it. The picture (letterbox) is SUPERB, as is the sound. Great care was clearly taken in the transfer of this movie to DVD and I would have gladly paid twice the price for one of our all time favorite movies. After watching it the first time, my husband looked at me and said "we're never going to watch the video-tape copy again are we?" We have even purchased a back-up DVD copy incase the first one ever gets scratched or broken or lost. I can't wait until my sons are old enough to see this movie because this is one of the greats of all time. Actors, plot, music, scenery, costumes & director. "Who could ask for anything more?"
Rating:
Summary: You'll never see the likes of this again
Review: As many of you know, i come from the stage and i can be pretty harsh on my reviews especially with most so-called stars. Coming from the stage and seeing the stage production several times i have to admit i liked the movie more.Of course Julie Andrews and the rest of the cast is the BEST gathering of stars with excellent chemistry between them. The film, to me, had better character development and seemed to be more personal than the stage version. Don't get me wrong both versions are wonderful but the movie just set better with me. Part of that is the music background score. This new DVD version is sharp, clear, bright and crisp. It was almost a little like old Hollywood style and production people that knew how to make a film. Whatever version you chose you will not be disappointed. Julie Andrews is a gem and she always will be.
Rating:
Summary: An outright masterpiece becomes a MUST-HAVE DVD!
Review: Hats off to Warner Home Video for this glistening, beautiful DVD edition of Blake Edwards' magnificent VICTOR/VICTORIA. It's hard to believe that this film is 20 years old, because its humor and excellece are fresh as ever. It is a testament to the wondrous talents of Julie Andrews, Robert Preston, James Garner and Lesley Ann Warren. This DVD hits the bullseye with a stunning film-to-video transfer that captures the look of the film with exceptional accuracy. The 5.1 Dolby Digital soundtrack is crisp and an exact reproduction of the original theatrical experience. The best thing about this release is the wonderful commentary by Julie Andrews and Blake Edwards. One of the most personal and heartwarming I've ever heard on a DVD. I'm thrilled with this disc, and I can't wait 'til tomorrow when I can purchase the new expanded CD soundtrack album. When I can't watch the movie, I'll want to keep listening to those great songs. Bravo Warner! Bravo Julie! (or should I say 'Brava'?)
Rating:
Summary: More gorgeous than ever
Review: The DVD transfer of this stylish, hilarious film is stunning. I have always admired the acting, direction, music, choreography, cinematography, costumes, etc., of this wonderful film, but the intensity of color and the beauty of the sets just glow throughout the DVD. Minor caveats--the sound is somewhat disappointing (not much stereo effect and very minimal surround) and the commentary by Julie and Blake is pretty lame. Just watch the movie and marvel again at something that "for one brief, shining moment" (to borrow a phrase from "Camelot")was just right.
Rating: 
Summary: A must-have musical delight
Review: What a joy to have this film on DVD! The last great movie musical
(let's not put GREASE or EVITA in the same class)can be viewed in a crystal-clear, wide-screen disc which shows the film's stunning art direction to full advantage. The audio commentary with Andrews and Blake Edwards is informative and entertaining; one really feels as if one is sitting in their living room, viewing the film with them. As for the film itself, it is one of those movies which seems to get better with age and each new viewing. The performances are all flawless, with special kudos to the great Robert Preston. Why Lesley Ann Warren's career did not take off to greater heights after this film is a mystery; she is a marvelous comedienne, singer, and dancer. Thank you to Fox for bringing us this terrific release.
Rating:
Summary: FINALLY, ON DVD
Review: First of all, let me say and I think I have said this before, but bares repeating: We do not need to see a scene by scene synopsis of the story when reading a movie review. The purpose of a reveiw is to comment on the quality of the film, worthy script, acting, production values etc. Anyway, with that said, thank you WB for finally releasing this materpiece on DVD. For those who mistakenly purchased the stage version, you can now throw it away. Of course, Blake Edwards wasn't satisifed that finally he gave his wife an excellent vehicle to show off her true talents in this 1982 film, he had to exploit her in that dreadful stage adaptation that destroyed her voice. Anyway everything about this film clicks. Script, cast, everything! My only compaint; not enough extras(what else is new with WB) and mediocre mixing of 5.1 dolby digital sound.
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