Review of Victor/Victoria (1982) by Adam P — 22 Nov 2009

The first half-hour of Victor Victoria is vastly entertaining. Poor Victoria (Julia Andrews) can no longer afford to pay the rent, especially after she's turned down for a singing job because she sounds too nice. Coincidentally a louge singer, aging queen Toddy (Robert Preston) has been fired from the same club for causing a ruckus. Victoria and Toddy meet in a restaurant, conspire to get out of paying for their meal, and minor havoc breaks loose. They are a delightful, endlessly watchable team, and the movie would have been better advised to employ them together more often. When Toddy realises that Victoria would have more success as a female impersonator, one expects that a grand farce is on its way.

Alas, not quite. The whole idea of Victoria pretending to be a man pretending to be a woman just isn't as outrageous or funny as it could have been. Nor is it particularly dramatic: nothing much seems to rest on Victoria's secret identity, and it is set to be revealed to the public shortly after she decides to give it up anyway. Rather than simply enjoy the farce, I was often left wondering why the whole female impersonator thing was necessary.

That's not to say Julie Andrews can't play a convincing man. As Toddy explains, she's playing a gay man who impersonates women, so the line is blurry; still, her costume mostly consists of a haircut, and she becomes suddenly rather dull when in disguise. Also, it's worth noting that "Victor" has no hint of a distinct personality from Victoria. Were the two separate in dialogue as well as costume, it might have worked better. As it is, she simply parts her hair differently and tries not to sound terribly excited.

What really bogs the film down is the way it fails to make use of its assets: namely, Julie Andrews and Robert Preston. Victoria spends most of her time pursuing King Marchand (James Garner), a rather unpleasant and misogynistic man whose intoxicating effect on her is mystifying, and the two of them are far less interesting to watch than the precoscious couple we meet in that diner scene. Garner and Andrews are blameless; it's just a flat relationship, script-wise, that takes about an hour to do very little. You just get the impression that King is totally wrong for her, which takes the wind out of their supposed romance.

There are musical sequences, of course, but rather than perk up the action they actually make things worse. Leaden, long and forgettable, they're a perfect waste of Julie Andrews. I can think of nothing else to say about them, so I'm understandably confused that this film inspired a musical adaptation.

All of this negativity is odd, considering I enjoyed the film when actually watching it. Julie Andrews is excellent in anything - even Thoroughly Modern Millie - and while there isn't much plot, there are plenty of diverting, memorable characters dotted around. It's just a pity it drags on and on, failing to get the most out of what should be a very entertaining conceit.