Sextette - A Grande Estrela

Antediluvian legend Mae West shuffles about in the feathers and beads of her youth, callomaniacally adoring her petrifying visage in anything that casts a reflection...beneath the golden locks of her enormous and very obvious wig, there must have been at least 15 pounds of Scotch tape and rubber bands straining to reverse the gravitational causatum of many passing decades. An unlikely multitude of men fall over themselves in awe of her bewitching feminine mystique while the very pallid and disoriented looking Ms. West spouts her famed pre-code one-liners as though they were fresh as a spring rose. There's some narrative nonsense in the folds concerning the U.S. government's plan to ease political tensions by enlisting Mae and her irresistible animal prowess.

A tacky, jaw-dropping trainwreck boiling over with callithumpian musical numbers, SEXTETTE is also a treasure trove of unpremeditated humor. Essential viewing for those with a fondness for kitsch, but true-blue fans of Ms. West might opt to cover their eyes and ears. Mae's true age during production remains speculative, as her birth certificate is a thus far unpublished papyrus fragment excavated at Oxyrhynchus.

3.5/10

To truly appreciate "Sextette" one has to truly appreciate Mae West!And to truly appreciate Mae West one must know and understand her life and her persona!Just forget any other Hollywood actress!Mae West stands alone in a class by herself!She is entirely her own creation and spent her lifetime maintaining and nurturing that creation!There exists a few GOOD books about her!And even her autobiography sheds light on HER view of herself and her effect on the world(as she believed it revolved around her!) Mae West was a small,husky,talented,brassy girl from Brooklyn who decided early in life to become a sexy,living legend long before she finally arrived in Hollywood (at age 39) She succeeded at a time when overweight and overaged leading ladies were unheard of!(they still are!) Everything from her golden hair,her hourglass figure,her purring voice and sassy,hip-swinging strut she devoloped through years of self-discipline and self-worship!By the time she became a world-famous movie star she was already in her 40s,wearing wigs,corsetts,wedge-heels,practicing exercises and birth-control devices decades ahead of her time! Which,of course,brings us to "Sextette" Based on a musical play of her own creation it would seem almost inconcievable to have anyone else portray her character!And remember,Mae West WAS her own character!The blond wigs,slinky gowns,diamonds and furs were STILL part of Mae's everyday persona well into her 80s!This was a woman who never had children nor cared for anyone but herself!SHE BELIEVED in her ageless,sexy siren and all that came with it!By all accounts Mae was remarkably agile and well-preserved!It would have been nice to have seen her WITHOUT the gauzy photography and artificial get-up!

SEXTETTE is a throwback to the early years of cinema, where stars were larger than life and films threw in song and dance routines at regular intervals in the name of popular entertainment. It's also a vehicle for elderly starlet Mae West, at the tail-end of her career, playing a man-eater celebrating her wedding to a young toyboy (a visibly embarrassed Timothy Dalton). As the credits rolled, I had no idea what I'd just seen.

Clearly the director is in love with West and the film has been concocted as a tribute to her. But the format is very odd and old fashioned and West's appearance is rather shocking; her age is never mentioned so it's pretty weird to see her trying to play herself some fifty years previously. Often the narrative will break off to feature some filmed insert of West making one of her trademark wisecracks, which is bizarre in itself.

The music is pretty poor although there are endless guest appearances from a wide variety of folk in an attempt to entertain: Tony Curtis, Ringo Starr, George Hamilton, and Alice Cooper all show up here. Overall though, SEXTETTE is a ludicrous film, and I can't help but think that it would have been better to remember West as she was rather than as she is here.

Sextette is a much maligned movie. There have been far worse films released. The new Region 2 English release on DVD simply has to be seen to be believed in contrast to the US Rhino version, which makes no attempt at a remastered print. The UK version is as crisp and sharp as it can be, saturated colours, good clear mono sound, and has obviously made this rather difficult movie more watchable.

Neither Mae West or anyone else in the movies finest hour this film has a few enjoyable moments. The whole premise that Timothy Dalton would be anxious to ravish the 83 0r 84 year old siren is unlikely! Dalton and Wests version of Love Will Keep Us Together is something that will stay wioth you forever despite years of therapy!!

I remember the late Vincent Price discussing a screentest (on British chat show host Michael Parkinson's show a few years back)for the role of one of her husbands only to be turned down because he was too old for the part!!

A Time magaazine review said the film could be enjoyed because it was so bad it was good!!

Worth catching if your taste runs to the outrageous!!

There are only a very few moments of absolute awe which I can recall in my life. What is not reflected in the blurb about this film, and the comments referring to Miss West's embarrassing appearance in this film, is the effect she had on the cast and crew when she entered the set on the Paramount lot. We were in the "gym" waiting to begin shooting, talking and yapping away as actors will do at 7 AM before anything gets going, when the double doors to the set opened, and as each person turned and looked at the lady entering and realized it was Mae West, they fell silent - until you could have heard a pin drop or your heart beating just a bit faster and louder. Miss West may have been a poor shadow of what she had been years before, but she was still Mae West. Incredible as it may seem, at eighty years old she radiated a presence I have felt from very few others. Later on, while shooting a scene with her, and the director was loudly yelling at her through her ear-piece, rather than becoming angry at the rude treatment she was getting, she simply turned to me with that Mae West smile; and in one look she said, "It's okay kid, I'm Mae West, who the hell gives a damn about him." When I looked back at her, somewhat in awe, she winked. Ultimately, she did the take the way she wanted to do it. Maybe the public will never see that scene as I saw it played out, but I will never forget it.