Mr Topaze *** (1961, Peter Sellers, Nadia Gray, Herbert Lom, Leo McKern) – Classic Movie Review 9517

Peter Sellers directs himself in the 1961 British comedy Mr Topaze, starring in an old role previously played by John Barrymore in Topaze back in 1933, as an upright French school teacher fired when he refuses to make a bad pupil’s marks look better. But Mr Topaze (Sellers) soon takes to a life of crime when he is hired by crooked government official Castel Benac (Herbert Lom), who runs a bent financial business.

Benac’s musical comedy actress mistress Suzy (Nadia Gray) persuades him to hire Mr Topaze as the business front man, and he becomes another greedy, bent financier.

Mr Topaze is a mild but pleasant and amusing comedy, worth while checking out if only for the vintage cast, and of course for Sellers. But the story and characters also carry it.

It is based on Marcel Pagnol’s play, also filmed with Louis Jouvet as Topaze (1933) and Fernandel again as Topaze (1951). It is brave of Sellers to invite comparisons with three great names — and to direct himself too for the only time.

It was released in the UK as Mr Topaze and in the US as I Like Money (also its re-release title).

Also in the cast are Leo McKern, Nadia Gray, Martita Hunt, John Neville, Billie Whitelaw, Michael Gough, Joan Sims, John Le Mesurier, Anne Leon, Pauline Shepherd and Michael Sellers as Gaston.

Mr Topaze is directed by Peter Sellers, runs 97 minutes, is made by Dimitri De Grunwald Productions, is released by 20th Century Fox, is written by Pierre Rouve, based on Marcel Pagnol’s play, is shot (Eastmancolor) by John Wilcox, is produced by Dimitri de Grunwald and Pierre Rouve, and is scored by Georges Van Parys, with Production Design by Donald M Ashton.

Michael Sellers was the son of Peter Sellers and Anne Howe. He was born on April 2, 1954 in London and died of a heart attack on July 24, 2006.

It was shot at MGM British Studios, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, England.

© Derek Winnert 2020 Classic Movie Review 9517

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