A Little Night Music ** (1977, Elizabeth Taylor, Diana Rigg, Len Cariou, Hermione Gingold, Lesley-Anne Down, Christopher Guard, Laurence Guittard) – Classic Movie Review 8644

Director Hal Prince’s 1977 musical A Little Night Music tells the tale of a weekend in the country, so exciting, for philandering middle-aged actress Desirée (Elizabeth Taylor), her canny old mother Madame Armfeldt (Hermione Gingold), Desirée’s married lover Count Carl-Magnus Mittelheim (Laurence Guittard) and his wife Charlotte (Diana Rigg), and Desirée’s old flame Frederick Egerman (Len Cariou), now married to 17-year-old virgin, Anne (Lesley-Anne Down). Despite all the complications, Desirée sets her sights on settling down with Frederick. Ah yes, Send in the Clowns.

Stephen Sondheim’s smart Broadway musical would always be a minority taste in the theatre, but this film version is a near fiasco. The Desirée part was written for Glynis Johns who didn’t need a singing voice to be a sensation on Broadway, but Elizabeth Taylor (who might have seemed ideal casting) is terrible in the role of the world-weary actress and old flame of the hero Len Cariou. The show’s hit number ‘Send in the Clowns’ is totally ruined by Taylor.

Elsewhere things aren’t much better (with Diana Rigg and Lesley-Anne Down in trouble too), but at least there are Len Cariou and the delightful Hermione Gingold (as Taylor’s wicked mother) to record their memorable stage performances.

Not since Mame has such a great stage show suffered so badly on its transfer to celluloid. The show is based on Ingmar Bergman’s Smiles of a Summer Night [Sommarnattens leende]. Or rather, here Hugh Wheeler’s screenplay is suggested by Ingmar Bergman’s film Sommarnattens leende.

Theatre luminary Prince directs as he did on Broadway. Jean Simmons and then Virginia McKenna played the lead role in the original London production, and another famous non-singer Judi Dench starred in the 1995 British National Theatre revival.

However, Jonathan Tunick won an Oscar for Best Original Song Score and Its Adaptation or Best Adaptation Score and Florence Klotz was nominated for Best Costume Design, admittedly beautiful.

Also in the cast are Christopher Guard, Chloe Franks, Lesley Dunlop, Heinz Marecek and Jonathan Tunick (conductor).

Christopher Guard is married to Lesley Dunlop.

A Little Night Music is directed by Hal Prince, runs 124 minutes , is made by Sascha Filmverleih Vienna, S&T-Film Berlin, Elliott Kastner Productions, is released by New World Pictures (1977) (US) and Barber International (1982) (UK), is written by Hugh Wheeler, shot in Eastmancolor by Arthur Ibbetson, produced by Elliott Kastner and scored by Jonathan Tunick.

© Derek Winnert 2019 Classic Movie Review 8644

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