Search - Victor/Victoria [20th Anniversary Celebration] on DVD

MPAA Rating: PG Content Advisory: Adult Situations, Questionable for Children, Adult Language Movie Release: 1982 DVD Release: 06/04/2002 Format: DVD - Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV Edition: Restored/Remastered Audio Tracks: English, French Subtitles: English, French, Japanese, Spanish SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 2 hrs 13 mins Studio: Warner Home Video Members Wishing: 33 Genres: Comedy, Musical, Farce, Comedy of Errors, Sex Comedy, Showbiz Comedy

On the verge of starvation in 1930s Paris, erstwhile entertainer Victoria (Julie Andrews) is rescued by gay cabaret performer Toddy (Robert Preston). What she needs to succeed, opines Toddy, is a gimmick. What if she becomes a male impersonator? Better still: what if she becomes a male impersonator, pretending to be a female impersonator? As "Victor/Victoria," s/he becomes the toast of Paree, and an object of fascination for big-time Chicago gangster King Marchan (James Garner), who can't quite understand the teasing sensations he experiences whenever watching her in action-especially since he, like everyone else, assumes that she is a he. Enjoyable though the stars of Blake Edwards' comedy may be, the film is stolen by Lesley Ann Warren, who won an Oscar nomination as King's screechy-voiced moll, and Alex Karras as King's chief henchman, who, assuming that his boss is "that way," literally comes out of the closet. Victor/Victoria was a remake of the 1931 German film Viktor und Viktoria, which had previously be reworked in 1937 as the Jessie Mathews vehicle First a Girl. In 1996, Victor/Victoria was transformed into a Broadway musical, again directed by Edwards and starring Andrews. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Julie Andrews - Victor/Victoria
James Garner - King Marchan
Robert Preston - Toddy
Lesley Ann Warren - Norma
Alex Karras - Squash

Warner Brother's long-awaited DVD edition of Victor/Victoria isn't as feature-heavy as the film's fans might have hoped but still manages to serve up this classic comedy in style. The skillfully-remastered video transfer captures the rich, understated color palette of Dick Bush's cinematography with panache and also restores the film to its full, lavish 2.35:1 widescreen glory. Victor/Victoria also benefits from a sharp Dolby Surround 5.1 remix of its soundtrack that adds plenty of punch to the film's many musical numbers. In terms of extras, the handful of cast and crew filmographies are a bit skimpy but this disc also includes the film's exciting theatrical trailer and a commentary track featuring Blake Edwards and Julie Andrews. This commentary suffers from occasional gaps of silence (both participants frequently catch themselves getting caught up in watching the film when they should be making comments) but still manages to deliver some interesting tidbits about the film's genesis. The most interesting moments include Edwards and Andrews reminiscing fondly about Robert Preston and Henry Mancini and the revelation that Edwards wrote the film's complex script in one month. All in all, the intimate tone and the fondness the two participants show for each other on this commentary track make up for its occasional silences. It provides a nice capper to a high-quality DVD, thus making Warner Brother's edition of Victor/Victoria a great way to get acquainted with this film. ~ Donald Guarisco, All Movie Guide