Caprice
by Frank Tashlin
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DVD details
Actor: Doris Day, Edward Mulhare, Jack Kruschen, Ray Walston, Richard HarrisDirector: Frank Tashlin
Brand: N/A
Writer: Frank Tashlin
Producer: Aaron Rosenberg
Producer: Barney Rosenzweig
Producer: Martin Melcher
Writer: Bob Kane
Writer: Jay Jayson
Writer: Martin Hale
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono; English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono; Spanish (Dubbed), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono
Format: Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 2.35:1
Running Time: 98 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2007-01-30
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: 20th Century Fox
DVD Reviews of Caprice
DVD Review: "Caprice" Finally Gets It's Due On This Fab DVD Release
Summary: 5 Stars
"Caprice" was one of the films which first introduced me to the truly exceptional and unique magic of Doris Day. When I first saw it, I completely fell under her spell of beauty and talent - a talent for both comedy and drama which was so disarmingly genuine and effective that it simply communicated in a direct line, consistently hitting a bullseye either to my funnybone or to my heartstrings.
Everyone has the perfect right to be critical of a film - indeed, every film you see cannot - and will not - wind up among your favorites. However, in the case of "Caprice" - a film which HAS always been a favorite of mine (entirely because of Doris' sexy, funny and dramatically real performance) - it was particularly disheartening to constantly find so many negative references made to it over the years. The majority of the reviews were not favorable to the film when it was first released in 1967 ("...a long Day's journey into naught.") and in one book written about Doris' films, words and phrases like "abomination", "unattractive", and "a disaster" were used. Perhaps the ultimate blow to the film came from Doris herself, when she singled out "Caprice" (in her book "Doris Day - Her Own Story") as a film she disliked, and was forced to make only because her husband-manager, Marty Melcher, had signed her to do it without her knowledge. In spite of her indifference to the project, Doris -as usual - gave her "all" to the film, providing "Caprice" with a thoroughly professional and effective performance in both the suspenseful and comedic sequences. Ms. Day always knew the true secret of how to play comedy in the most effective way - that is, to play it as seriously and truthfully as possible!
Consequently, the film somehow was never released on home video in the United States (although it was released in Britian), and it didn't seem that it would EVER be released on DVD. In my view, there seemed to be a kind of "prejudice" against the film and against releasing it for so many years, while - in the interim - so many negligible films of lesser quality were readily released and received their moment in the sun. Now, that "Caprice" finally IS available on DVD in a deluxe packaging and a pristine, restored print - with many wonderful "extras" - one hopes that people might view the film again and possibly begin to see the many positive and entertaining elements of the film which actually DID work quite well.
While the age difference between Doris and Richard Harris has sometimes been noted (and, I feel - exaggerated), I could never detect it - Doris looked beautiful, and she and Mr. Harris had an easy chemistry together. Also, Doris' natural athleticism and expert use of props has never been more in evidence, and these skills are consistently placed on effective and entertaining display throughout the film. Doris always wore clothes extremely well, and while the conservative mod fashions she donned for the film were very much a product of their time (1966-67), they were beautifully designed by Ray Aghayan and - considering that the film was, to a great extent, a spy "spoof", they really added so much to the "fun" element in the film. (An interesting conversation with Mr. Aghayan is included concerning his designs for Doris in the film.) In addition, it should be noted that - while the preceding string of Doris' films had fallen into a somewhat familiar pattern of sophisticated "bedroom" farce, "Caprice" presented her in a dramatically different atmosphere of espionage and danger which her previous film "The Glass Bottom Boat" merely hinted at. In "Glass Bottom Boat", her Jennifer Nelson is humorously accused of being a "spy" - while in "Caprice", Patricia Foster actually IS a spy - an indomitable and determined heroine who - amid all the duplicity and artificiality surrounding her - remains independent and true to herself in her quest to avenge her father's murder.
The director, Frank Tashlin, keeps the energy level extremely high throughout the film. His previous, extensive work in cartoons is certainly evident - for instance, the set piece with Doris hanging onto a girder (for dear life) underneath a wooden deck, attempting to cut a lock of Irene Tsu's hair - is presented much like so many schemes that were doomed to certain failure concocted by Wylie Coyote against the Road Runner. The supporting cast is first rate, highlighted by a spirited (almost "psychotic") performance by Ray Walston as the (supposed) scientific genius/inventor of cutting edge cosmetics. On the negative side - perhaps the greatest element which ultimately worked against the film is that the abrupt changes from slapstick to suspense did not work as well as hoped, and the storyline got a bit confusing (although I always suspected that any confusion in the narrative was a deliberate comment on the spy genre and part of the satire).
For me, one of the most interesting revelations I discovered from the DVD (which was made by Day author/expert Pierre Patrick on the optional commentary track) was that - in a conversation he had with Ms. Day in the late 90's, her response to the news that a recent screening of "Caprice" (at UCLA in California) was enthusiastically received by many younger film buffs (in much the same way they have embraced the "Austin Powers" spy-spoof films) - was that she was going to go back to "Caprice" and have a look at the film again, hinting that maybe there were certain positive elements of the film that she had missed.
I would offer a similar recommendation: if you have once seen "Caprice", you should take a look at it again, and afford it some additional consideration. And, if you happen to be a younger film fan who has never seen it, you should definitely do so, especially now that it is (finally) available, and in it's bright, new guise. Like me, you might also fall under the talented spell of one of the most gifted and beautiful performers of the 20th Century: Doris Day.
Description of Caprice
Plunge into a world of high-flying adventure, pulse-pounding excitement Â? and outright hilarityÂ? in this captivating comedy-thriller starring Doris Day and Richard Harris. Featuring breathtaking stunts, tantalizing romance and exotic locales from the Swiss Alps to the shores of Southern California, this ingenious spy spoof is a gorgeous "kaleidoscope of international intrigue" (The Hollywood Reporter)!Industrial spy Patricia Fowler (Day) is hot on the trail of a secret formula with the power to change the world...by keeping ladies' hair dry in the water! So important is this miracle hair spray that cosmetics operatives everywhere have mobilized to find it. But when Patricia crosses paths with sexy spy Christopher White (Harris), she discovers something much more sinister behind her quest...a plot that could cause bad-hair days the world over!
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