Caprice

For me, this movie had two strengths: 1) Doris's FABULOUS late '60s wardrobe (I would die to have a few of her coats hanging in my closet) and 2) a surprisingly sexy and appealing performance from Richard Harris as the male lead. Having experienced Hawaii and about fifteen minutes of Camelot (at which point I puked and felt it unadvisable to risk my health by watching any more), I have always thought of him as irritating and gross. For some reason, I ate him up in this role, though. The movie thankfully finds a number of opportunities for him to lose his shirt, which is a blessing.

The plot, however, is a mess. Not only does it become impossible to follow who the characters are working for and what they are trying to do, it even becomes difficult to discern what city we are in at any given time (the action veers back and forth between Paris and L.A., with some scenes in Switzerland thrown in and certain sequences on a plane flying God knows where). It mainly held my interest until the stupid ending, which is like a kick in the face to anyone who has devoted an hour-and-a-half of their life to this movie. Halfway through it becomes a whodunit, except with no suspects, and the "resolution" is even less satisfying than you fear it's going to be.

I would also like to have a few serious words with Doris's hair and makeup designers... She looks like a 45-year-old who thinks she's still 20, and it's not a pretty sight. Her wigs are way too light, and her dark eye makeup and layers of false eyelashes border on the grotesque. It's almost astonishing to see her in the shower scene because she looks so natural and charming, and it's quite a contrast to the borderline-Mae-West-in-Myra-Breckinridge look she is going for during the rest of the picture.

I don't know whose idea it was to have Doris go see the movie Caprice starring Doris Day and Richard Harris, and then to have her voice singing the film's title song when she gets in the movie theatre. But it wasn't funny, it was just disconcerting and bizarre. For a minute when they first showed the marquee I thought it was going to turn all meta and reveal that everything up to then had just been scenes from the movie and we would now commence with a story of the "real" Doris Day and Richard Harris. But no such luck. The scene in the movie theatre did at least provide the film with its best performance, by Michael J. Pollard.

Final note... I now have the first two notes of the title song stuck in my head. I can't remember any other parts of it, but I am sure Doris will be singing "Ca-price" in her coy annoying way inside my brain for many days to come.

I don't know why the most people think, that "Caprice" is a mad movie, it is no true. This one is the follow-up of "The Glass-Bottom Boat" and is in every case bigger an greater, but not better. Frank Tashlin did a very good job, when he first cooperated with Doris but he used her for his crazy and hardly understandable sense of humor. You have to laugh about the whole movie, you can't take anything in it seriously. That's the trick of it. There are very funny moments, e. g. when Doris goes to cinema to watch "Caprice" and when she strikes again a sexual attack. Perhaps a few of you really enjoy this movie as I do. Take it easy and with a little smile. For all others: Doris didn't like the movie herself.

The talents of Frank Tashlin and Doris Day would seem to be a Hollywood combination made in heaven but, with "The Glass Bottom Boat" (made at M-G-M a year earlier than "Caprice') and this one, their fans were doomed to a certain degree of disappointment. The main trouble with this film is its impossibly convoluted and ridiculous script, giving little opportunity for anyone to shine, except, perhaps, the set and clothes designers, though one must appreciate that their efforts look very, VERY much of the dreaded "Mod" period when this one was conceived.

Technical credits are, for the most part, top-notch, especially that old pro Leon Shamroy's lush cinematography (although I do recall that the back projections were very obvious when I saw this on a 40-foot wide CinemaScope screen when it was first released).

I've never been a particular fan of Richard Harris and he was most definitely miscast opposite Doris. His too-clipped delivery of some of his lines can be attributed, I suspect, to Mr. Tashlin's rather slack direction (unusual for that comic master).

All in all, when one considers that producer Martin Melcher, Doris's husband, was, at the time, squandering her hefty paychecks in unwise investments, it's easy to understand why Ms. Day has since been content to retire form the screen and allow us to remember her better, earlier efforts.

Have always loved Doris Day since forever and would see anything with her in it. Not all her films were great, a few of them not even good, but Day was an incredibly talented performer, was always watchable and always gave her all even in her lesser films.

Despite being her lowest rated film (as of now) on IMDb, critical reception not being kind to it at the time and even Day herself (Richard Harris apparently too) disliking it, while a long way from a flawless film and the weaker of the two films Day did with director Frank Tashlin (the other being 'The Glass Bottom Boat), 'Caprice' to me wasn't that bad. Again from personal opinion, it is not Day's worst film, that distinction goes to 'Where Were You When the Lights Went Out?' and 'Lucky Me' and 'Starlift' are not far behind. She has certainly done much better, especially 'Calamity Jane' and 'Pillow Talk' for films and both of those and 'Love Me or Leave Me' for performances.

'Caprice' certainly could have been much better. Its most problematic element is the often hopelessly convoluted (things get so complicated at times figuring out what was going on was not always easy) and daft story that was in more need of excitement and suspense overall. The script suffers from the same problems, and, while there are some undeniably funny and thrilling moments, tonally it felt muddled. It didn't seem to know whether it wanted to be a comedy or spy/espionage thriller, instead trying to do both with varying results, and when to be. The comedic elements fare much better, with some witty dialogue and some wildly entertaining set pieces, while the thriller elements only work in spurts with the lack of suspense and the convolution working against it.

Richard Harris is a rather ill-suited leading man. Very like Richard Widmark in 'The Tunnel of Love', Harris does step out of his comfort zone, which is laudable, but there is a real sense that he was completely out of his depth, to say that comedy isn't his forte is being generous. He plays the role too heavily and broadly instead of the lightness of touch and urbane charm needed here. It also was rather hard to take him seriously with the blue eye shadow and he visibly looked embarrassed wearing it, it just looked strange even in this particular context.

On the other hand, Day is a warm and natural presence and she shows a gift for a deft balance of comedy and drama, her chemistry with Harris had some nice moments. There is effortless support from Ray Walston, Edward Mulhane and Michael J. Pollard, and Tashlin's direction is both restrained and witty on the most part.

'Caprice' looks great too, apart from some cheap multi-layered gauze, the eye shadow and some obvious back projection. The cinematography is one of the film's biggest merits, full of ravishing colours and an atmosphere that one wishes was matched in the story. Production design is similarly audacious, and the clothes are like their own characters (worth seeing 'Caprice' for them alone).

Music score is quirky and slinky while also with an understated ominous touch, also loved the title song and it is beautifully sung by Day. As said, 'Caprice' does sport some fine moments. They are the chase sequence in the apartment complex that's entertaining and thrilling, the hilarious elevator scene (genius comic timing by Day) and especially the delightful scene in the theatre. The film could have done with more kick sometimes but was never what one would call "boring" (highlighted seeing as it has become one of my most hated words to its overuse and how it's constantly abused on the internet).

In summary, not great (couldn't help thinking of 'Charade', also with a mix of comedy and thriller-mystery, and how much better that was) but a long way from a disaster. 6/10 Bethany Cox

Drug smuggling in the cosmetics industry, with Doris Day and Richard Harris as industrial spies. Wild Frank Tashlin slapstick--funny gadgets, double agents--mixes curiously with serious action sequences involving a sniper; there's also a transvestite reveal (!) and at least one movie in-joke (Day's father, seen in a photograph, is Arthur Godfrey, who played her dad in Tashlin's "The Glass Bottom Boat"). Certainly an odd choice for Day, who later claimed her manager-husband signed her to the project before she could read the script (it was later tailored to her--and very well). She's dryly sarcastic throughout, and very appealing in her scenes with Harris. Incredible Leon Shamroy cinematography, terrific locations, plus a hilarious bit by Michael J. Pollard as a hippie. A strange one, indeed, but fun. *** from ****