“Victor Victoria” brings together Julie Andrews, Robert Preston and James Garner. Directed by Blake Edwards in 1982, this movie is quite ahead of its time.
A woman claims to be a man who claims to be a woman.
Let’s resume.
Victoria (played by Julie Andrews) is a penniless lyric singer in 1930s Paris. To survive, she follows the idea of her best friend Toddy (played by Robert Preston), by posing on stage and in real life for a man who claims to be a woman, Count Victor Grazinski. She is very successful and everyone thinks Victor is in a relationship with Toddy, who is notoriously gay.
Things get a little complicated when King (James Garner), a Chicago gangster – the perfect incarnation of the virile macho – falls under the spell of Victor, whom he initially thought to be a woman but who nevertheless poses as a man. Confusion is everywhere.
Love at first sight is mutual, which does not simplify things.
In its own way, I think that “Victor Victoria” takes up the torch of “Some like it hot” by stating that love can take many forms and that everyone is lovable in their own way. When King is about to kiss Victor for the first time and Victor tells him he’s a man, he replies “I don’t care if you are a man”.
It’s not really about cross-dressing, it’s more about incarnation. The Victoria of the 30s understands that the possibilities open to a man are wide, and this is why she has a hard time letting go of her masculine alter ego Victor. A few decades later, I still can understand how she feels.
Beyond all that, the film is really funny and feels so good. “Victor Victoria” is luminous, moving and sublimely carried by a solar Julie Andrews.
March 5, 2021
L.I.L.A.R suit – Max Mara coat – Gucci heels – YSL handbag – Céline Robert hat
