Um Marido de Morte

Tony Curtis is Nick Johnson, a man who uses his irresistible charm to use women to his personal, financial gain. He goes through a string of women whose untimely deaths give Johnson more wealth than he could earn on his own (at least with the same, minimal effort). He meets his match in wealthy, young, beautiful, fabulously gorgeous widow Francesca di Rienzi (Rosanna Schiaffino). The problem is he actually finds himself falling in love with her.

My 5/10 rating should indicate that I found Arrivederci, Baby! mildly amusing. I wasn't rolling in the floor laughing, but most of the movie is at least passable entertainment at its worst. The final act where Curtis and Schiaffino go toe-to-toe is the film's highlight. They're on equal footing. With most of the other women, Curtis has the upper-hand before they realize they're being had. It's not fair. I think my favorite bits might have been either the croquet match or dance floor fight scenes - really good stuff. Other than the creepy bits where Curtis tries to play a "boy", he's good. I didn't care for the instances where he breaks the fourth wall, but that's not his fault. Schiaffino is in fine form. What a woman! After I watched her in The Witch, I wrote, "I don't know where these Italian producers found these incredible women. It's not a stretch of the imagination to believe Schiaffino could force any man to fall for her." I could say exactly the same after watching this film.

I've already mentioned my problem with Curtis as a "boy", but I had other issues with his NIck Johnson. I get the feeling that Arrivederci, Baby! was meant to be a light-hearted romp. But there's a really dark undercurrent that I found troubling. Johnson isn't just a typical, loveable con-artist stealing money from rich women. He's also a murderer and a rapist. Not the characteristics you find in most rom-coms.

A couple of final points: 1. The European locations are to die for in this movie. And here, they're presented in all their 60s glory. What visions! 2. The supporting cast is especially strong. Lionel Jeffries, Zsa Zsa Gabor (yes, even Zsa Zsa), Nancy Kwan, and especially Anna Quayle add a lot of flavor and variety to the film.

I remember seeing this movie on afternoon on TV in the early 80's. It took a while to figure out what was going on as the plot goes from present to past.

I must admit as much as the movie was light hearted and had it's funny moments, I found it quite disturbing as the main character goes around killing beautiful woman for no better reason then to get their money.

The most disturbing to me was the demise of Lady Fenella. She did nothing annoying to her new spouse, outside of being an active woman. As she would come on to her new man He seemed to become more and more annoyed and angry until his plot to kill her.

A few good lines in the movie were from Zsa Zsa, actually one of her best roles as she made fun of herself. She was asked why she divorced her last husband for which she replied "I needed the closet space" and the other one, after her constant talking said, "if you don't get me out of her I'll never speak to you again"

So all in all not a bad pic, but still disturbing

Saw 'Drop Dead Darling' as part of my Tony Curtis completest quest after being recommended many of his films here in the recommended for you section. It was not something that was intended initially but actually it has proven to be a generally worthwhile experience, even with a couple of missteps.

While there were and are better actors about and he didn't always look comfortable in his early films, Curtis was always immensely likeable and had a charming charisma with many good and more performances under his belt. The cover and premise (haven't admittedly read the source material) were great and the cast is a talented one, have always liked Lionel Jeffries in particular.

'Drop Dead Darling' turned out to be watchable with enough strengths to keep it afloat, but it did disappoint and could have been much better.

The cast is its main selling point and the best thing about it. Curtis exudes both charm and creepiness in a despicable "Bluebeard" sort of role, with enough to him to make it easy to see what others see in him, one doesn't associate with him. Rosanna Schiaffino is an alluring presence and is no slouch in the acting stakes. Jeffries could have had more to do but makes much of what he has. Zsa Zsa Gabor, in briefly but one of her better performances actually, and Anna Quayle bring some welcome very funny light-heartedness, especially Quayle.

Other than those two's scenes, the other highlight is the tense chemistry between Curtis and Schiaffino, followed by the croquet match. There are enough moments of amusement, especially in the first half. 'Drop Dead Darling' looks good, with beauty and atmosphere in the way it's shot.

However, 'Drop Dead Darling' fares less good in the darker elements, where there is not enough tension or suspense let alone creepiness or surprises. It feels bland and sometimes tasteless, and some of the final act is aimless. Tonally the film feels muddled, mixing light hearted comedy with a dark undercurrent that jars too much and makes it all rather mean-spirited. The comedic scenes fare better but are similarly uneven and could have been more. While the cast are more than game, Nancy Kwan has practically nothing to do and makes no impression at all.

Found the script weak in spots, with some clumsy attempts at breaking the fourth wall. The direction is workmanlike at best with no real distinction or inspiration. The music does its job alright on its own, but it's also somewhat forgettable and didn't seem to fit particularly well or be harmonious with the film's tone. The pace can be dreary in the latter stages.

In summation, not bad but nothing special. The cast and some good scenes make it watchable, it's just let down by most of everything else. 5/10 Bethany Cox

I know nothing of the history of this movie, but I suspected it started out with this pitch: "Let's do 'How to Murder Your Wife' but with Tony Curtis.'" While there was no actual murder in the aforementioned movie (made a year earlier), there are several in this one. Curtis has a fine time playing his dark side in the first half of the movie and mostly getting away with it. The last half of the movie goes nowhere, though, and Nancy Kwan really has nothing to do in the movie, even if she is on the video box cover nowadays. However, Zsa Zsa Gabor has her one perfect, if brief, role of her otherwise inexplicable career in the first part of the movie.

Tony Curtis marries women for their money then kills them. But then he marries a beautiful Italian woman who does the same for her husband. Who will wind up on top?

Most negative reviews focus on how the man kills his wives but neglect the culpability of the woman. Figures. It's the sort of sexual discrimination we've been fighting all these years. Ignore the bigots who have one standard for men and another for women and have a blast.

The movie is actually hilarious. And Curtis has no shame. Early on, describing his life, he plays a little boy in short trousers. He's a delight.

His victims include Anna Quayle and Fenella Fielding, both known for their comedy work; and Zsa Zsa Gabor, who is eventually the funniest.

The primary scene-stealer, of course, as usual, is Curtis's manservant, played by Lionel Jeffries.

Lots of taboo subjects were being explored at the time this movie was made, particularly respect for death. "The Assassination Bureau" with Oliver Reed and Diana Rigg, and Sid Caesar's "The Busy Body" also fall into this territory. And, what may be my favorite movie of all time, "The Wrong Box" with Michael Caine.

The fact is, for the open-minded, who can laugh heartily at death, this movie is hilarious right up to the final scene, which leaves a bad taste in the mouth. Every time I watch it I skip that part

It's one of Tony Curtis' most successful comedies, counting laughs per capita.