The Owl and the Pussycat

This is another film I had missed out on a number of times on Cable TV in the past. It's considered something of a censorship milestone with the treatment of taboo subjects such as prostitution, homosexuality and pornography – not to mention the proliferation of bad language throughout (unfortunately, the DVD is said to contain the slightly edited PG-rated version, which cuts some brief nudity involving female lead Barbra Streisand and her use of the f-word in one scene)!

With this in mind, one has to consider the development which the comedy genre underwent during this time: from the mildly risqué sophisticated antics of the Doris Day/Rock Hudson films of the early 1960s to the cynical anxiety-ridden variety that started emanating towards the tail-end of the decade – with which the likes of Jack Lemmon, George Segal (the male lead of this film) and, in particular, Woody Allen (since he was his own writer and mostly directed himself as well) are forever associated.

THE OWL AND THE PUSSYCAT is also notable for giving the current female singing sensation – Barbra Streisand – her first non-musical role; in fact, it led to other wacky comedy vehicles: foremost among them WHAT'S UP, DOC? (1972; Peter Bogdanovich's updating of the Howard Hawks classic BRINGING UP BABY [1938]) and FOR PETE'S SAKE (1974; whose trailer, included on the Columbia R2 DVD of the film under review, makes it seem like a good deal of fun). Thanks largely to his role in the film, Segal went on to do his fair share of sex comedies up till the early 1980s – with the most successful among them being A TOUCH OF CLASS (1973), which I should be acquiring shortly.

Anyway, to get to the main item: the film can be seen as a modern variation on the perennial "Pygmalion" theme – with Segal as intellectual but, at the same time, neurotic and Streisand the uncouth yet liberated woman. There's no plot to speak of – instead, we follow the two stars on a logical pattern of location-hopping around New York throughout which their relationship blossoms: from his apartment when she's evicted because of his snitching (which leads to both of them being given the gate by the landlord), to them shacking up at the flat of Segal's pal (who drives them out because of their constant bickering), then going their separate ways till they meet again (after he has learned about her movie experience – a hilarious scene – and a 'colleague' of hers has gone to see him at his workplace) and go out together (where they're harassed by a band of thrill-seekers), after which they find themselves at the house of Segal's fiancée (a scene with an unexpectedly ironic punchline), to finally deciding to be completely honest with one another (beginning with their real names).

In this respect, the film emerges to be overly talky (betraying its stage origins) but there is a reasonable amount of invention and wit in the undeniable comedy highlights: Segal dressing up as Death to scare the hiccupping Streisand; Segal using an aquarium as a TV set – with him delivering an impromptu news flash – to humor the insomniac Streisand (her addiction to TV is illustrated by a surprising reference to the Lionel Atwill/Lon Chaney Jr. horror pic MAN MADE MONSTER [1941]); the couple's argument over "the sun spat morning" line in the opening paragraph of a book by aspiring novelist Segal; Streisand's account of the sordid activities her clients invariably came up with (prompting Segal to describe her as "a sexual Disneyland"), etc. The film's soundtrack is highlighted by several songs from jazz/rock band Blood, Sweat & Tears.

The Owl and the Pussycat seems stuck between two worlds - the stage and the screen. While the screenplay has done wonders to make the story feel less cramped and claustrophobic, the performances haven't always been modulated to better fit the screen with Streisand coming across as a bit too shrill, loud, and grating for most of the film's first half.

When the film finally settles into its groove, it can be quite charming and funny, but you just have to get past that initial hump. There are a few pacing issues even with its relatively short 96 minute runtime, but the charm of Streisand and Segal make up for any major shortcomings.

It's great to see "Pussycat" in widescreen at last. Streisand and Siegel make a good team and the movie is still pretty racy, even by today's standards, although it would have been racier still if some bluenose hadn't removed one of Barbra's more notorious expletives from the soundtrack. Fans of the original well remember the scene in which she tells a bunch of hooligans that are harassing her and Siegel to "F---- off!" Amazingly, this line has now been dropped from the DVD version so that the two scenes that come next make little sense, including her follow-up line, "people are so touchy these days, you have to watch every word." The cropped VHS tape may have looked terrible but at least it did retain the line with the F-word, probably the first time it was ever uttered by a big female star in a major motion picture. (Of course, now screenwriters have over-used it to such an extent that you suspect they wouldn't be able to get along without it if it were ever banned from use.) Some aspects of the film would probably be politically incorrect today, such as certain homophobic slurs the hooker screams at the writer, and it's pretty hard to imagine this relationship lasting too much longer after the fadeout. Still the stars are compulsively watchable.

Adaptation of the Broadway play casts George Segal as an uptight New York City book-clerk who hopes to be a writer but can't get anything published; after calling the landlord one night on prostitute-neighbor Barbra Streisand, he finds her on his doorstep. She tells him she's a model and an actress--her third time on TV is in front of the elevator security camera! The two lovable losers banter back and forth before falling into uncertain love, and you could say the film is either nicely devoid of major plot devices or is an exceptionally thin romantic comedy. Streisand, her Brooklynese so thick she sometimes lapses into Cockney, wears tacky, hilarious hooker-outfits, but her shrillness isn't modulated (at least not in the first act) and she can sometimes be grating. The sex-talk is dated now, and the picture tends to look like a relic from a bygone era, yet it's an often funny film about opposites. Although too soft in its final scenes, director Herbert Ross changes speeds enough to keep things bubbling, even though his rhythm may put some viewers off. *** from ****

I also read the play. Streisand and Segal have great on-screen chemistry. This film will keep you laughing non-stop. Barbara Streisand's performance of the character being "neurotic" is excellent. George Segal's character is equally good in his response to her behavior. If you like this, it is one you may want to watch over and over again.