As many would be aware there's 3 versions of this film. A (Can you believe it?) 3 hour+ original roadshow version which was last seen around the traps eons ago, the theatrical version of 136 minutes edited by Paramount and a 107 minute director's cut, which I haven't seen. I'm reviewing the the most commonly seen, theatrical cut, which Paramount wanted to distribute primarily as a musical to cash in on Julie Andrews's general popularity. In my opinion they should have stuck with director Blake Edwards's idea of eschewing most of the music and comedy sub-plots and concentrated on producing a darker war time romance, perhaps best imagined as a predecessor to something like 2016's very passable Robert Zemeckis directed Allies.
I have to be honest. The roadshow version must have been dire. I just couldn't imagine Darling Lili going on for almost another hour. As it is, it is way too padded out. The Rock/Julie courtship seems to go on interminably any way, before he finally sweeps her off her feet and carries her passionately towards the bedroom. Much of the singing footage doesn't really stand out much either and the comic stuff is strictly third rate material which was likely out-takes from Edwards's Pink Panther movies. In other words, mainly visual gags we've all seen before.
Having said that Darling Lili still has quite a bit going for it and is not quite the disaster, the early critics would have had you believe. It's wonderful to look at and has amazing visuals and glorious cinematography from Russel Harlan. This includes the fine aerial combat content with Rock Hudson's Major William Larrabee, a top American pilot flying with the British Royal Flying Corps and running into encounters with The Red Baron among others. The costuming and the selected locations (mainly Ireland and Belgium) can only be described as splendid. Rock and Julie do make a great pair and have a fun sexy chemistry, though as mentioned earlier, the preliminaries were endless and repetitive. We'd already got the message that they were very fond of each other, at least 30 minutes earlier.
I need to do myself a favour now and try and see the Edwards director's cut at some stage in the future. It sounds like it's going to make an interesting contrast with this version.
I have to be honest. The roadshow version must have been dire. I just couldn't imagine Darling Lili going on for almost another hour. As it is, it is way too padded out. The Rock/Julie courtship seems to go on interminably any way, before he finally sweeps her off her feet and carries her passionately towards the bedroom. Much of the singing footage doesn't really stand out much either and the comic stuff is strictly third rate material which was likely out-takes from Edwards's Pink Panther movies. In other words, mainly visual gags we've all seen before.
Having said that Darling Lili still has quite a bit going for it and is not quite the disaster, the early critics would have had you believe. It's wonderful to look at and has amazing visuals and glorious cinematography from Russel Harlan. This includes the fine aerial combat content with Rock Hudson's Major William Larrabee, a top American pilot flying with the British Royal Flying Corps and running into encounters with The Red Baron among others. The costuming and the selected locations (mainly Ireland and Belgium) can only be described as splendid. Rock and Julie do make a great pair and have a fun sexy chemistry, though as mentioned earlier, the preliminaries were endless and repetitive. We'd already got the message that they were very fond of each other, at least 30 minutes earlier.
I need to do myself a favour now and try and see the Edwards director's cut at some stage in the future. It sounds like it's going to make an interesting contrast with this version.