Caprice (1967)

Comedy-thriller starring Doris Day as an industrial designer who gets herself into a whole heap of trouble when she sells a secret cosmetics formula to a rival company in Paris.System Requirements:Run Time: 98 minutesFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: COMEDY Rating: NR UPC: 024543400684 Manufacturer No: 2240068 Product Description

Agreat DVD for Doris Day fans

I waited a long time for this movie to be released on DVD. It was a favorite of mine when my parents took me to see it when I was a little girl. If you love Doris Day, the wonderful mod fasions of the 60's and sappy old movies, you need to watch this one.

January 27, 2008

Clunky But Appealing In A Cult-Film Sort Of Way

By her own admission Doris Day greatly disliked the script--but found to her horror that husband Marty Melcher had signed her to the project without her knowledge. Director Frank Tashlin and writer Jay Jason resculpted the script, altering plot lines and characters in an effort to win Day's confidence in the project--but she still didn't like it and is on record as considering CAPRICE the worst of her films.

It isn't difficult to see why. Released at the height of the "spy movie" craze of the 1960s, CAPRICE seeks to emulate such films as CHARADE with a mixture of wit and suspense, only to arrive at lackluster farce and a series of absurdly obvious plot-twists. The story concerns Patricia Foster (Day), who becomes an industrial spy for a cosmetics company in order to uncover her father's killer. Unfortunately, the elements never hang together in any consistent way: the movie is too eager to throw away plot points for the sake of a laugh. This might be forgiven if CAPRICE was actually funny, but the laughs involved are few, far between, and very slight indeed.

Script and plot aside, the film's other great failure is the mismatch of Day with leading man Richard Harris. Although she was a beautiful woman, she is obviously quite a bit older than Harris, who plays a womanizing counter-agent surrounded by nubile, sultry models; the romance between the two consequently has an awkward quality. More than this, Day and Harris come from two extremely different acting styles and traditions. Try as they might they never quite succeed in making them mesh. And the direction certainly doesn't help: although directed such memorable bits of fluff as THE GIRL CAN'T HELP IT, Frank Tashlin is best remembered as the creator of numerous Jerry Lewis vehicles. To say it shows would be a significant understatement.

CAPRICE was alternately ignored and savaged by both critics and audiences in 1967. But a funny thing happened as time went by: it began to acquire cult status. The film is oddly appealing in a clunky sort of way. Doris Day bounces along in a series of Harlow-white wigs and pop-art dresses; Richard Harris' bed really swings (literally); models squirm, Ray Waltson snarls, women scream, popcorn is spilled, flowers are thrown. It has the same sort of "What on EARTH were they thinking?" appeal that graces such films as THE VALLEY OF THE DOLLS. Consequently, CAPRICE isn't really as unentertaining as many would have you believe--it just isn't entertaining in the way its creators hoped it would be.

The DVD edition is surprisingly fine. The film has received a nice clean up; the colors are sharp and clear and the sound is generally good. And there are a surprising number of bonuses, ranging from an interview with costume designer Ray Aghayan to a profile of the Day-Melcher relationship to radio interviews Day and Harris gave to promote the film. There is also an audio commentary track by Pierre Patrick and John Cork. This is occasionally as unintentionally amusing as the film itself, for both are extremely, extremely uncritical of the film, but they do offer occasional bits of interesting insight along the way.

When all is said and done, CAPRICE will never challenge the likes of PILLOW TALK, but hardcore Doris Day fans will enjoy it--and every one else will enjoy looking at the eye-popping visuals and making fun of the rest.

GFT, Amazon Reviewer January 17, 2008

Doris Don't!!!

This is a movie for the rainy (Day) you don't have anything else to watch. Ray Walston is a joy to watch, but you can see how strained Doris is in this movie. October 31, 2007

A favourite of mine since I was a child. Fantastic Extras as well.

I first saw this film on television when I was quite young, I thought it was very entertaining. As an adult, I still have a soft spot for it and this newly remastered print is exceptional. Crammed with extras it is even more enjoyable especially in wide screen. Apart from Doris herself, Richard Harris, Ray Walston and Edward Mulhare are at their best. Michael J. Pollard and Jack Kruschen also add to the fun. October 7, 2007

Doris, you make my Day!!

Doris Day's image has sometimes been mocked as 'the good girl.' To me she's the 'good girl who got the guy'--and what guys! Cary Grant, Rock Hudson, James Garner, Rod Taylor...and in "Caprice" Richard Harris gets the honor as a 'cockney James Bond' double-agent who becomes Doris' worst and sexiest complication as she goes undercover in the cosmetics industry to find her father's killer and bring an international narcotics ring to justice. I have always loved this movie and was delighted to find it on DVD at last. The plot is, well, the ultimate hair spray/swinging beds, but who cares? It's a lot of fun, great music, the clothes and sets are gorgeous, and as usual, Doris gets her man. If you're a fan of the goofier spy spoofs of the '60's as well as "Austin Powers," get "Caprice." You won't regret it. August 29, 2007

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