Caprice (1967)

I watched the preview for Caprice and decided I never wanted to rent the movie. It looked so unbelievably silly and stupid, completely fitting in with the lousy movies Doris Day made before her retirement. Against my better judgement, I rented it, fully expecting to turn it off after twenty minutes and pop in a real movie. Not only did I watch Caprice all the way through, but it wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be!Sure, the absurd 60s music by Frank De Vol and the ridiculous yellow wardrobe designed by Ray Aghayan made me roll my eyes and groan at the silliness of the decade. But, besides that, it's just a regular ol' spy flick, with tons of twists and turns that kept me guessing. Doris Day is paired up against Richard Harris, and as she tries to smuggle out a secret formula from a cosmetics company, he tries to catch her in the act and report back to his boss. When romance gets in the way, will they abandon their missions, or is the wooing itself just an act? This isn't nearly as bad as The Glass Bottom Boat, another late-sixties Doris Day flick, but it's a far cry from being a fantastic movie. If you don't mind mediocre movies from the sixties, or you happen to like the bold fashion style from that time period, you can check this one out. The funniest part was when Doris goes to the movies and the marquis displays the advertisement for "Doris Day and Richard Harris in Caprice". Then we hear Doris singing the title song over the opening credits while the real Doris finds her seat in the theater!DLM Warning: If you suffer from vertigo or dizzy spells, like my mom does, this movie might not your friend. There are two extensive skiing scenes where the camera uses POV angles, and that will make you sick. In other words, "Don't Look, Mom!"Kiddy Warning: Obviously, you have control over your own children. However, there's one scary scene involving a tarantula and one scary scene towards the end, so I wouldn't let my kids watch it.

...but didn't.What is there to say? Four writers screwed up. The story doesn't find a balance between espionage thriller and comedy. The writers obviously never decided whether they want to make fun of the 1960's beauty craze, spy movies, "Psycho" ("Stuart Clancy" tries to kill "Patricia Foster" while he's dressed up as a cleaning woman), the French or the 1960's US corporate world.I wouldn't bother to see this flick in a theater or rent it. Nevertheless: If it's on free television, record it and enjoy the few funny scenes (and fast-forward the rest). Doris Day's wardrobe and makeup is a hoot! "Stuart Clancy" ranting about a woman without makeup that he declares so ugly her husband would rather kiss the bus driver. The "bug in a sugar bowl" scene! ("Potato chips? What kind of diet is that?") "Patricia Foster" risking her neck while trying to snip off a wisp of "Su Ling's" hair...

Surely Fox had intended this one for Raquel Welch but dusted it off when Doris needed to complete her three picture deal with the studio. She had saved their necks at Christmas time in 1963 with MOVE OVER, DARLING (the re-tooled SOMETHING'S GOTTA GIVE), but two years later she was rewarded with DO NOT DISTURB, a second-rate farce based on a third rate play. Then along came this attempt to turn Doris into a go-go mod spy with BATMAN trimmings. Well, Doris is always watchable and there are a few funny and/or exciting set pieces, and the photography is gorgeous, but really, I am shocked that a major MAJOR talent like Doris Day settled for this feeble outdated-the-minute-it-was-released effort. There isn't even a decent ending! The way films were being made and watched and reviewed and studied was changing rapidly (mostly for the good) in 1967, and it is a shame that an iconic performer like Miss Day could not ride the wave to a nice third act to her movie career. Still, this does have the makings of a cult film, and perhaps when viewed in context of the time it was made and released (Spring of 1967) future audiences will appreciate it for what it is rather than what it is not. Watch anyway!

MASTER PLAN: steal a formula for water resistant hairspray. The director and star of "The Glass Bottom Boat" returned for another stab at comical intrigue. This one starts as a seemingly serious thriller about someone getting killed on the snowy Alpine slopes and others involved in some sort of espionage in Paris; the ski chases even precede the ones in the James Bond thriller "On Her Majesty's Secret Service"(69). But, we soon find out it involves corporate espionage, not the other kind; it's all about stealing formulas for perfumes and fragrances, with Doris Day playing a private secret agent in the employ of a tycoon (Mulhare). We're not sure who Richard Harris works for; he might be working for Mulhare's character; or, for one of his enemies; or, both; then again, he might be working for someone else entirely. Walston (of "My Favorite Martian" and "Picket Fences" TV shows) is the intense chemist and odd ladies man, obviously a little sinister. They all take the proceedings quite seriously, as if he who ends up with the special formula for hairspray shall rule the world. I found it difficult to get too excited as the story wore on, especially since I was expecting to laugh for a good portion of it. There is some mystery attached, I will give it that, as we wait for everyone to reveal what they're really doing by the conclusion.This is a bit more stylish than "The Glass Bottom Boat" and has some real nice sets, trying to capture the elegance of a James Bond-wannabe suspensor, but it also lacks the breezy qualities of the previous Doris Day comedy. Since it is supposed to be a comedy when all is said and done, it fails to capture that easygoing tone of the better laughers, with barely any chuckle-inducing scenes, despite some silly slapstick involving Day's clumsiness (again). This is probably because it has trouble deciding what it wants to be - a comedy or a thriller - and the two tones scrape against each other uncomfortably rather than jell. Day and Harris have no chemistry and Harris was obviously miscast - this type of role is for Rock Hudson, James Garner or Rod Taylor to breeze through; Harris is known for his intense dramas & realistic thrillers, and his intensity still seeps in despite his efforts to be carefree. When he and Day are telling the audience that they've fallen in love in the last act I didn't buy it for a second; I expected him to start slapping her or just shoot her as the movie was ending. There's also not much surprise as to who the real villains are; Mulhare, for example, was best known for his dastardly role in "Our Man Flint" at this point. The actress Tsu was quite cute in a secondary role and it's too bad she didn't have a bigger career. Watch for actor Pollard ("Bonnie and Clyde") hamming it up as Tsu's boyfriend in one scene. The filmmakers also broke a fourth wall here by having Day's character in a theater which is playing the movie "Caprice." This was the one genuinely amusing moment. Heroine:6 Villain:6 Male Fatales:5 Henchmen:4 Fights:4 Stunts/Chases:5 Gadgets:5 Auto:5 Locations:6 Pace:5 overall:5