Caprice

[Johnny]

Original New York Times Review

Caprice - June 8- 1967- Bosley Crowther


"Screen: 'Caprice' Opens: Doris Day Plays a Spy at Several Houses"



"Somewhere behind the cluttered chichi and comedy claptrap of the new Doris Day film ,""Caprice", there flits the shadow of an idea, and I think I know what it is. I think it is to have Miss Day enacting some sort of hardboiled female James Bond , engaged in spying on and stealing the trade secrets of international cosmetic manufacturers, and have Richard Harris enacting a sort of male Ursula Andress or Honor Blackman, engaged in attempting to foil her and seduce her with coy and sexy wiles . Otherwise there is no explanation of why Miss Day appears and acts with such masculine muscularity, and Mr. Harris affects the arts and airs of a very sissy gentleman, even to wearing eye- shadow in a couple of scenes.Nor is there any other reason why Miss Day be so brittle and tough and Mr. Harris be so swivelly. I think the sexes are supposed to be reversed. However, Frank Tashlin, who directed and helped write this fancy colour film , which came yesterday to neighborhood theaters in the metropolitan area, has done such a bad job of constructing and clarifying it that this idea is lost in a jumble of wacky and feeble comedy. Ray Walston , Edward Mulhare, and Jack Kruschen are various fellows in the cosmetic trade who might be suspected as reversals of the familiar Bond girls.But here again the construction is so flimsy and the presentation so poor that those usually competent performers come through looking like halfwits and dopes. Miss Day? Well, let's just say of her that she appears to have reached the stage where massive wigs and nutty clothes and acrobatics cannot conceal the fact that she is no longer a boy."

Note:


The career of Bosley Crowther is discussed at length in For the Love of Movies: The Story of American Film Criticism.


He gave favourable reviews to Ben Hur and Cleopatra and unfavorable to Lawrence of Arabia which he described as " a thundering camel -opera that tends to run down rather badly as it rolls into its third hour and gets involved with sullen disillusion and political deceit'.

" Crowther barely concealed his disdain for Joan Crawford when reviewing her films ".

Crowther also had disdain for the film Bonnie and Clyde (1967), for the sensationalized violence.

Bosley Crowther died March 7-1981 at age 75.

[Johnny]

In David Kaufman's book on Doris there is an interesting passage on the critics response to the film Caprice.

"Unsurprisingly, Caprice (1967), did not go over well with the critics. Many were particularly hard on Day and devoted a good deal of their shrinking print space to her having become a middle -aged actress. "If all the spy pictures modeled after James Bond were piled one on top of the other, "Caprice would be at the bottom" Paul Zimmerman declared in Newsweek " Hollywood should stop casting Miss Day as the bubbly young girl. Her love scenes with an obviously younger Harris are unpleasant to watch and faintly ridiculous. Tashlin who also co-wrote the script, undoubtedly intended it to be a spoof --with all the gadgetry of Bondiana turned to the conquest of the powder room. But nothing is funny"


These are exceptionally cruel and unfair reviews. Richard Harris was born in 1930 and was eight years younger than Doris . No criticism was offered on Doris' male co- stars who were much older than her ( Clark Gable (1901- 21 years older than Doris - James Stewart (1908 14 years older- )Cary Grant - 1904- (18 years older) - James Cagney -1899- 23 years older).Rex Harrison - 1908- 14 years older)

Ironically , In 1967, Doris was offered the part of Mrs.Robinson in The Graduate which was played by Anne Bancroft. Interestingly , Anne Bancroft was born in 1931 and Dustin Hoffman was born in 1937 where there was a 6 year difference in ages. One of the central celebrated themes in the Graduate is the older married woman preying on the younger man.

Hollywood is often an unforgiving situation for talented older actresses where male actors continue successful careers. ( Actors listed above who were cast opposite a much younger Doris Day)

[howard]

The film industry has always been notoriously ageist when it comes to females. And as for the love scenes between DD and Richard Harris - unpleasant to watch and faintly ridiculous? That's ridiculous in itself. It was perfectly understandable that Harris would be attracted to one as beautiful as Doris.

[jmichael]

The film industry has always been notoriously ageist when it comes to females. And as for the love scenes between DD and Richard Harris - unpleasant to watch and faintly ridiculous? That's ridiculous in itself. It was perfectly understandable that Harris would be attracted to one as beautiful as Doris.

Perfectly said, thank you, hg.

Michael

[Johnny]

Thank you Howard and Michael. It is so nice to see you visit with the DD Forum.

The film critics of yesterday and today, specifically male critics , continue to demonstrate negative attitudes towards aging actresses with younger romantic relationships on film. Why is this their focus ?There are so many other elements in a film that deserve a commentary. It really says more about the critic than the film. It looks like a classic case of projection.

[Johnny]

An earlier post asked about who wrote the song Caprice that Doris sang in the film of the same name.

The lyrics were written by Larry Marks and released on November 4 - 1966

LarryMarks was born in Los Angeleson October 3 - 1939. He was a songwriter, executivewho worked for Columbia, A&M Recordsand Warner Bros. He died on February 24 - 2013.

[jmichael]

An earlier post asked about who wrote the song Caprice that Doris sang in the film of the same name.

The lyrics were written by Larry Marks and released on November 4 - 1966

LarryMarks was born in Los Angeleson October 3 - 1939. He was a songwriter, executivewho worked for Columbia, A&M Recordsand Warner Bros. He died on February 24 - 2013.

The title song is lovely. Underrated too, IMO. I particularly love the French accordion which gives it a European touch. As usual, Doris takes it up a notch with her expressive phrasing. I quite like it.

Michael

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5GKgg38Db-I

[Johnny]

"In his dismissive review ( on Caprice), in the Village Voice , Andrew Sarris com0limented Tashlin's direction as being "better" than the picture " deserves" before citing his real problem with the film: " The optical obscurities that now enshriud any Doris Day project. Even the subject...cosmetics espionage ...conspires to remind us that we have been on a l9ng Day's journey into naught".

Such vicious comments were , of course, were painful for its' star.When Caprice came up during a retrospective look at her entire film career. Day simply said, " I do not care to discuss Caprice, so I won't . Thank you"