 |  | Where the nuts come from! |  |
If you liked the play, you'll like the movie. If you've never seen the play, you may need to remind yourself of when this story was written, and when it was filmed. I could never picture Jack Benny in this role, and yet he was excellent. As for the DVD itself, the audio is a little weak in places, but the picture is remarkably sharp. Well worth the purchase if you enjoy this genre of classic comedy.
July 20, 2008Cross dressing men as women to create comedy is an honorable custom that goes back to the Greeks. It's success depends a lot on the writing, and a great deal on the acting. "Charlie's Aunt" is an English play dating back to the beginning of the last century, well served by an earlier film version starring Charlie Ruggles, and a memorable stage musical starring the great Ray Bolger. I hoped for years that the Jack Benny version would be revived at some point, and was delighted when it became available, only to have my dreams shattered by what I should have expected, sly comedy turned into broadly coarse burlesque. Benny, with the right director, such as Lubitsch, was capable of great comedy, but in this, the effort of pushing the point that Benny was really a butch male and couldn't have a gay bone in his body turned the comedy to coarsness which undermines an otherwise splendid cast, including Kay Francis looking her best and most charming....
June 7, 2008Ordered early for requested birthday gift, this DVD arrived in a timely manner but when played, skipped in several places but too late for refund. Tried on several different DVD players, still skipped. We are not happy with this product. Very disappointing for a good movie.
May 7, 2008Jack Benny was a very fine comic actor which we all have seemed to forget--his performance in this is execellent..as are the other players. Oh it's an old farce to be sure, but it has great characters and great character actors along with a very young Ann Baxter and a very beautiful Kay Francis. For those of you who like a great comedy, and fine acting this is one you will love.
February 13, 2008The filmmakers rode roughshod over the play, adding dialogue and story elements and eliminating a whole character. The production values don't look that great either, with obvious studio settings. Jack Benny's British accent comes and goes - mostly goes - but he's terrific as the cross-dressing "aunt" and the comedy is fine. Fun to spot Richard Haydn, who played the agent in The Sound of Music, here as one of the Oxford undergrads. The DVD also includes a wonderful promotional short with Benny, Tyrone Power and Randolph Scott.
December 22, 2007More reviews at Amazon.com ...
Daily Birthdays
(16 reviews)
