Review of The World of Henry Orient (1964) by Lee R — 15 Jun 2018

As a child, I went out of my way to see this movie because it was billed as a comedy starring my then hero, peter sellers. Of course, that being said, it was a mostly serious movie; not at all what I expected, and not even a "comedy" in the current American sense of the word. It was even SAD at times!!! I was bored to death. (I still see it sometimes billed as a "comedy" and while it is mildly humorous at times, it was clearly not written as a "ha-ha comedy.".

As a child, most of the movie went right over my head... but watching it again, (several times), I now understand: it's an excellent, intelligent, sensitive, wise, and deceptively finely crafted and under-rated movie. The same guy who co-wrote this movie (nunally johnson) also wrote the man in the grey flannel suit; another of my very favorite movies (warning: only see the full uncut original movie; do not see the butchered-for-tv version of the man, which loses most of the original plot. Also the original book is superb.).

Anyhow, the world of henry orient is highly recommended for adults (children will completely miss all the intelligent bits). peter sellers acting is shockingly bad at times here... but more on this later:

According to wikipedia... the original book was a semi-autobiographical essay by nunally johnson's daughter... who as a teen, crushed on middle-aged pianist oscar levant (the levant is where the sun rises... that is to say, the east, or the "orient," hint, hint.).

NOW that I know this; I can see sellers trying to poke fun at levant... who was also a commedian and who (i assume) sellers probably knew personally in 1964 when the movie was made. without knowing that sellers was making fun of levant; nothing he did was funny. However, it's at least a little funnier, knowing what sellers was aiming at, with his performance. Levant was in several movies; it might help to see one of his performances BEFORE watching a movie which parodies him... or just see the movie, and understand that sellers is acting so weird because he's trying to make poke fun at another actor.