What's New Pussycat? (1965)

A film that's not that bad, with some great things, but not hugely great either. Because there were for me a number of good as well as an equal amount of bad, What's New Pussycat initially was not an easy film to rate, as of now it personally was a mixed bag. The sets/scenery are pretty and while very 60s the costumes and fashions are as well(eg. Peter O'Toole's green jacket). Paris also has a very nostalgic atmosphere which really suited the film well. One of the best things about What's New Pussycat is the music, with a score that's full of energy and endearing sentiment and Tom Jones' title song more than deserving of its iconic status(being one of his most well-known songs). Other great things were the well-animated and brilliantly done animated title sequence, Peter Sellers- while at times trying too hard- who is hilarious and has the best moments and Paula Prentiss who is very sensual and she certainly tickles the funnybone. Woody Allen overacts in places(ie. the sauna scene) but is also very funny, almost as funny as Sellers in fact. Romy Schneider and Ursula Andress ooze sex appeal and have degrees of charm and Capucine is classy elegance personified. And there are some great moments, especially the nightclub, Richard Burton's very brief cameo in a nice 10-seconds-at most exchange between him and O'Toole and the mock suicide scenes. On the other hand, much of the camera work and editing is so chaotic to the point it is enough to induce a dizzy spell or two. Clive Donner's direction is both erratic and unimaginative, rather too serious when compared to the manic energy in the script. Speaking of the script, there is a fair share of witty, hilarious lines but some of it is forced and contrived, this was Allen very early in his career where he was yet to find his feet properly for some years yet. While mostly very energetic, it also could have done with a lighter touch. Peter O'Toole was a great actor and while ardent he doesn't yet look very comfortable in comedy, when you compare him to Sellers and Allen O'Toole did seem too subdued and while a lot might like that it was jarring to me afraid to say. The climax also felt very drawn out and instead of being genuinely amusing there was a feeling of trying too hard. As well as the editing and the direction it was the story where What's New Pussycat is least good, not dull as such but it was very all-over-the-place, was constantly jumping around and was not easy to follow. All in all, not terrible but very mixed feelings here. 5/10 Bethany Cox

I like to rank movies on a basis of whether I'd pay to see them in a theater, pay to rent them from a video store, borrow them from a library collection, or simply watch them on free cable. What's New Pussycat qualifies for none of the above. It is a poorly edited, poorly conceived "romp" filled with overacting, lame jokes (fortunately Woody Allen got better) and stupidity. It's like one of those SNL skits that should have never been aired. Trying to watch this movie last night was like having a root canal, without the anesthetic. Many films age poorly (MASH, or Easy Rider) but it's hard to imagine that this "romp" was even viewable back in the day. Just take one look at Peter Sellers' wig in the opening scene and the camera work and that's all you need to know about what's coming up. It's a dog's breakfast.

This is a movie that took me by surprise in the sense that when a boy at school it was shown in the national television but I had not seen it although it was much talked about. I remembered that Peter Sellers played the role of a psychoanalyst and that the content of the movie had vaguelly to do with human relationships between the sexes but not much more. When I rented it from the video-club and watched it, I was amazed because it is a movie that while it appears silly is in fact quite multi-layered. First of all it unmistakably carries the zeitgeist of the time it was made, that is the sixties and the culture of sexual liberation. While the philosophy of relations the movie portrays is libertarian, great care has been taken to avoid sexual explicitness which is something that contrasts those times with the present, even if the message of a modern movie may be more conservative as such despite having stronger sex scenes.The cast is also stellar at least for someone who is of a different age and therefore tends to idealize the actors of a bygone if emblematic era. Some scenes as the attempt to woe the girl by Sellers and O'Toole down from the window which resulted in the intervention of the police or the dream with Sellers appearing as Richard the 3rd, or the mess in the hotel and even Sellers mock attempt at suicide while Allen had his birthday solo-feast are classic having theatrical, surreal and farcical elements.Another point to make is the sheer attractiveness of the female protagonists without ever boarding towards vulgarity which is something admirable to achieve in the movie. A constellation of very classy people appear on screen to use that trite but apt expression.The essence and feel of the city- Paris, comes out very well, at least the impression of it one has formed from films, photographs and books although I have been in Paris and certain things I saw in the movie are still there at least to the time of my last visit.A very positive impression has been created to me by this film which portrays the 60's Paris and the human relationships formed there as hedonistic light-hearted paradise full of consumers of pleasure and and beautiful things, with personalities larger than life and weak superegos, living in a panacea of gratification and only ineffectually harassed by ridiculous figures of authority and repression such as the police. If only actual human reality was like this!

Michael James (Peter O'Toole) loves the ladies.The problem is his fiancée Carole Werner (Romy Schneider) and the difficulty of staying faithful.But cheating is too easy when there are dozens of women around you all the time.So he tries to seek help from this shrink, Dr.Fritz Fassbender (Peter Sellers) who's a little eccentric.You can't get too much help from Dr.Fassbender since he's busy stalking his patient Renée Lefebvre (Capucine).Eventually Renée falls for Michael.And there's also this little man called Victor Shakapopulis (Woody Allen) who's in his dream job.He's the un-dresser for strippers.Poor Victor! What's New Pussycat (1965) was Woody Allen's debut in the movie world.He's behind the screenplay.He could do it then and he can do it now.Great writing and acting that's so typical to Woody.It was directed by Clive Donner and partially by Richard Talmadge.The legendary title song was made by Burt Bacharach and Hal David.It's sung by the one and only Tom Jones.Peter O'Toole is fantastic in the lead.It was hilarious to see him as a schoolboy in the flashback sequence.Peter Sellers is hilarious as always.This time with an accent.Richard Burton appears as Man in Strip Club.And let's not forget all those lovely ladies.I mean, Romy Schneider and Capucine, with Paula Prentiss (Liz) and Ursula Andress (Rita).I found a VHS version of this movie yesterday so I decided to buy it for 1 euro.The movie is highly sexual and therefore not for kiddies.It has got a lot of horny men and busty women.In other words all the things a good movie needs.