willie-14

I saw this movie over 30 years ago on late night television. I was expecting a dry costume drama, but ended up laughing my head off at one of the classiest comedies I have ever seen. And unfortunately that was it. I have never seen it again, on TV or on video. In fact I don't think it has ever been released on video. Talullah's film appearances were few, and this showed her at her forte, comedy.

Granted, she was also one of the great dramatic actresses of her day (her performance in The Little Foxes on Broadway is considered to be one of the finest of the 20th century), but more marketable actresses always won out over her in Hollywood (she never forgave Bette Davis for stealing the Foxes role from her).

When can a larger audience expect to see this comic gem? (and when can I find out if my childhood memories can stand up to my adult tastes?)

When first I saw this film, I felt that I had missed a detail by the end of the story. I rented it again a few years later and had the same feeling. By chance I met the costume designer a while back. She informed me that Greenaway edited out a pivotal scene towards the end of the movie, which filled in the gap in the plot.

Aside from this egregious edit, this is a lush and sumptuous film, one of Greenaway's best. A puzzle with a few pieces missing, but quite a lovely picture when (almost) completed.

Whether you are a fan of Danny Kaye or not (and many find him overbearing), you'll be hard pressed to dismiss this film. Every detail falls into such perfect place that you wonder how the cast (and it is a marvelous one) could have done it without months of rehearsal or a Broadway run. The knighting ceremony, the fencing, and of course---the piece de resistance---the famous "pellet with the poison" scene, are all worth the price of admission. But the performances of the rest of the cast are also first rate. And it is visually a stunner too. All around this is a movie worth seeing again and again. Get it? Got It. Good!