Der größte Liebhaber der Welt

Back in April of this year I heard that The Worlds Greatest Lover was going to be on AMC and I was like yes I'm finally going to get to see this movie, I'm a big Gene Wilder fan so.....yeah, anyway the only problem was that it was going to come on at 3 in the morning on a Monday which was a school night for me so I asked my mom to record it for me, so when I came home from school I saw it and thought it was awesome, two or three months later I ordered the DVD off of Barnes and Nobles and I now have it on DVD what I had heard from this movie was that Gene not only stars in this movie but writes, directs, produces, and surprisingly wrote a song for the film as well, I think Gene's take on Rudolph Valentino was pretty cool and I think he came up with some clever ideas like "histerical laryngitis" and sticking your tongue out or twisting your words around whenever his character is nervous. I also thought Carol Kane was wonderful as Rudy's wife Annie and Dom Deluise was as funny as usual as movie mogul Adolph Zitz, one thing you probably found annoying was Gene Wilder's constant screaming and going into hysterics all the time but he does it brilliantly, plus the character of Rudy was very high-strung kinda like Leo Bloom right? so if you like slapstick comedy or if your a fan of Gene Wilder, I highly recommend this and I'd say its another one of Gene Wilder's forgotten films and its a great one to look out for, I'd give it a 7.5 out of 10.

Gene Wilder was a great comedic actor but unfortunately he was not a very good director. The film is chock full of funny people, with the exception of the always obnoxious Dom Deluise, and by the end you wonder why you didn't laugh more. Gene Wilder did not a very subtle touch when it came to film comedy and tended to beat the audience over the head rather than allowing the comedy to come naturally. The sole reason for watching the film is Carole Kane. Her performance is absolutely enchanting,especially once she goes off on her own adventure.

The film is a virtual remake of the Federico Fellini film The White Shiek but adds the "world's greatest lover" contest, but it does have the female character go off in search of the silent movie star who is inspired by Rudolph Valentino, who is actually a character in this remake.

The story follows Wilder as he loses job after job for a nervous tic that involves him sticking out his tongue whenever he is stressed. He and Carole Kane head out to Hollywood to enter this contest designed by a studio to boost its sagging ticket sales. Everything involving the Wilder character falls flat and never gets much more than chuckle. I cannot contain my gushing praise over Carole Kane. She plays her role in direct opposition to the manic style of her co-star. She is genuinely sweet and she has a face that feels straight out of that period of the 1920's. I probably found the film funny when I saw it in '77 but upon watching it in recent years it just does not work. It is not on account of the year of its release as proven by Young Frankenstein released in '74 and still funny. When a film tries too hard to be funny it oftentimes comes across as desperate and fails at its objective. It's worth watching but don't go in thinking it's going to be another Young Frankenstein or Blazing Saddles.

This production was built around the search for the next Rudolph Valentino. While this work has become dated, it was filmed as a pseudo-retrospective at the time, so it was already "dated" the day it was filmed.

This is a total Gene Wilder vehicle. He wrote the screenplay, directed the movie, and was the movie's sole credited producer. He is also THE star of the movie. He does share the limelight with Carol Kane (a pure delight, as usual), but this was one of Wilder's brightest moments. By this time, the world realized they had a comedic genius on their hands and after this work Wilder pretty much had the Midas Touch for a while.

Kane plays Annie Hickman, the world's greatest Valentino fan. Wilder portrays a Milwaukean baker who is at the end of his rope. His idiosyncrasies are so severe, he finds it impossible to maintain employment. Upon learning of a contest held by Rainbow Studios (NOT the #1 studio) to find the next Rudolph Valentino, Rudy Hickman just "knows" this is his ticket to a better life. His wife leaves him to go find Mr. Valentino. But once Hickman is in the middle of it all, he realizes his wife is what is most important to him and he sets the works in motion to woo her away from Rudolph Valentino. The formula makes for some of the best heart-warming entertainment that's hit the big screen. It's endearing and funny in its bittersweet malaise.

It also goes a long way towards showing what CAN be done with no effects and no locations beyond the Studio Backlot and a few, cheap but decent sets.

While it is frayed about the edges, this classic favorite is one ripe for a DVD restoration...perhaps even a 2-disk director's cut for those of us fans who have BEEN fans since the beginning.

It rates an 8.8/10 from...

the Fiend :.

Gene Wilder and Carol Kane make a wonderful couple in this very funny movie about a guy's romantic hubris and his journey to prove himself in silent movie Hollywood. It's silly and romantic and lots of run - wonderful music by John Morris (I'm lucky - I have the record!)... If you can find it, you should see it. I wish it would come out on DVD!

This movie studies a handful of themes, among them: romantic problems, issues of the individual versus conformity, and beauty versus mediocrity. It is set during the Hollywood silent movie days, when Rudolph Valentino was the rage. Wilder plays the lead role, the husband of a Valentino fan, who has to muster up the sexy man in himself in order to save the day. The sets are lush, Carol Kane is gorgeous, Wilder gives one of his most heartbreaking performances, and Harry Nilsson devotes his song "Ain't it kind of wonderful" to the soundtrack. Very ambitious, especially considering that Wilder wrote, directed and produced it.

Yes, it's true some of the gags are dated or overdone, but there are other things to enjoy. It's in the same league as Woody Allen's early slapstick comedies, like "Sleeper" and "Play it again, Sam", as well as the Mel Brooks' oeuvre.