Rating: PG
Genre:
Comedy
Release Date: 06/04/2002
SubTitles: English/French/Espanol/Por/Japanese
Dubbed: English/French
Sound: DD5.1/DD1
Run Time: 133 Minutes
Flags: Adult Situations, Questionable for Children, Adult Language
Distributor/Studio: Warner Home Video
On the verge of starvation in 1930s Paris, erstwhile entertainer Victoria (
Julie Andrews) is rescued by gay cabaret performer Toddy (
Robert Preston). What she needs to succeed, opines Toddy, is a gimmick. What if she becomes a male impersonator? Better still: what if she becomes a male impersonator, pretending to be a female impersonator? As "Victor/Victoria," s/he becomes the toast of Paree, and an object of fascination for big-time Chicago gangster King Marchan (
James Garner), who can't quite understand the teasing sensations he experiences whenever watching her in action-especially since he, like everyone else, assumes that she is a he. Enjoyable though the stars of
Blake Edwards' comedy may be, the film is stolen by
Lesley Ann Warren, who won an Oscar nomination as King's screechy-voiced moll, and
Alex Karras as King's chief henchman, who, assuming that his boss is "that way," literally comes out of the closet.
Victor/Victoria was a remake of the 1931 German film
Viktor und Viktoria, which had previously be reworked in 1937 as the
Jessie Mathews vehicle
First a Girl. In 1996,
Victor/Victoria was transformed into a Broadway musical, again directed by
Edwards and starring
Andrews.
~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
