Waltz of the Toreadors ** (1962, Peter Sellers, Dany Robin, John Fraser, Cyril Cusack, Margaret Leighton) – Classic Movie Review 7434

Jean Anouilh’s French farce Waltz of the Toreadors is filmed in Britain in 1962 by director John Guillermin as a vehicle for Peter Sellers playing a lecherous old general, Gen Leo Fitzjohn, who retires to his Sussex manor house to write his memoirs.

But his attractive old French mistress Ghislaine (Dany Robin) turns up and he has to hide his old flame from his nagging, hypochondriac shrew of a wife Emily (Margaret Leighton), who unfortunately still loves him. Ghislaine wants to get Emily out of the picture and have the General all to herself.

Despite a first-class funny turn by Sellers and very decent character acting from John Fraser as Lt Robert Finch, Cyril Cusack as Dr Grogan and Prunella Scales as Estella Fitzjohn, Wolf Mankowitz’s lukewarm screenplay, which makes the mistake of transporting the story from France to England, yields disappointing results. However, it was nominated for a BAFTA award for Best British Screenplay in 1963. Prunella Scales and Denise Coffey have fun as Estella and Sidonia Fitzjohn, the daughters the General dislikes.

The film had its world premiere on 12 April 1962 at the Odeon Leicester Square. London, and went on to be the 11th most popular movie at the British box office in 1962.

Guillermin’s strength was adventure movies like The Blue Max (1966), The Bridge at Remagen (1969), El Condor (1970), Skyjacked (1972), Shaft in Africa (1973), The Towering Inferno (1974) and King Kong (1976).

Also in the fine character actor cast are Denise Coffey as Sidonia Fitzjohn, Jean Anderson as Agnes, Raymond Huntley as Court President Ackroyd, Cardew Robinson as Midgley the Undertaker, John Glyn-Jones as Jenkins the Innkeeper, John Le Mesurier as the Reverend Grimsley, Vanda Godsell as Dress Shop Proprietor Mrs Emma Bulstrode and Catherine Feller as Rosemary the young maid.

The film looks a treat in John Wilcox’s Technicolor cinematography and Wilfrid Shingleton’s set designs.

Fraser did all his own horse-riding stunts, having learned to ride as a British Army commissioned officer stationed in Germany.

© Derek Winnert 2018 Classic Movie Review 7434

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