Darling Lili (1970)

Regardless of which of the three extant versions one sees, there are simple facts about all of the Blake & Julie movies one can only ignore if one is locked in a time warp. Let's face it, Julie was a =terrific= technical vocalist of the archaic "bel canto" style. As well as an actress of the suspension-of-observation and buying-of- belief mode that was popular when bel canto singing was popular. If one likes Gilbert & Sullivan, Julie is truly one's cup of tea. However, if one expects to see something other than Andrews's standard, patently demure ingénue projection of feminine behavior, this will no more be the place than anything else she and Blake ever put together. Had the film laid on more of the pretty decent -- if at times fantastical -- aerial combat scenes and far less of the numbing melodrama, it might have almost been in a class with "The Blue Max" of more or less the same vintage. (The reliably Teutonic Jeremy Kemp, provided much of the character intrigue -- such as it was -- in both films.) One has to have a particular taste and value set to enjoy Blake & Julie movies. This is no different.

Darling Lili may have been a major flop at the time, but to me it is not a bad film. Not great, uneven is a good way to describe it, but it is much better than its reputation. It is overlong, the comedy/slapstick scenes at times feel out of place and compared to the other themes that make up the film at odds with the rest of the film, the film can get muddled, the film can drag and Rock Hudson while likable is rather stiff- compared to his usual performances- and doesn't have the strongest of chemistrys with Julie Andrews(though not without its moments). Julie Andrews though is great though, her acting and presence are charming and she as ever sings like an angel. Lance Percival shines also in possibly his best film role and one of his best performances. The film looks gorgeous, the highlights being the marvellously shot aerial dogfight sequences and the visuals that accompany the song Whistling Away the Dark. The music is distinctive Henry Mancini, it fits the film adeptly and is a very memorable score and one you can re-visit more than once. Much has been said about the hauntingly beautiful Whistling Away the Dark, how Andrews sings it(like an angel and with so much nuance and emotion) and how it's staged and for good reason, simply put it's a beautiful song that is beautifully sung and beautifully staged. The script and the story aren't great but they're not disastrous either. The script is intelligent with some snappy moments, it didn't feel that talky, and the story at least has some entertainment value despite moments being muddled and the spy thriller, drama and musical themes being far more convincing than the comedy and romance ones. Overall, uneven but Darling Lili a decent film and is much better than it's made out to be, though it's somewhat easy to see why it was a flop. 6/10 Bethany Cox

The story line to this offering suggests that World War 1 was the time(1914-1918) and place(European Continent)that the film,"Darling Lili" is set.There is no actual relationship to the World at War and the Motion Picture "Darling Lili" is for arguments sake merely the backdrop.This offer is perhaps a bit racy and if there is a fault it is allowing for such contrivances to be taken if you will seriously.Lili Schmidt or Lili Smith played by Julie Andrews portrays a popular entertainer who unbeknown to any is in fact a German Spy.It is made more undaunted the task, is that this masquerade is being performed in front of packed houses of both English and French citizens.A darkened theater opens with a spot light on Lili Smith as a Henry Mancini song,"Whistling away in the Dark" is performed.Its performance is approved off in rousing fashion with an enthusiastic applause.Lili Smith is on stage of course when a German dirigible is sited and it is suggestive of the outbreak of hostilities. Sirens Go off and people start to race for the exits in something of a near panic.In order to maintain some semblance of normalcy, Lili Smith while on stage engages the Orchestra with some well established favorites.There is a German U-Boat-U-29 that surfaces and establishes a formidable presencewhen a German Espionage Agent disembarks the Sub.Played by Jeremy Kemp in one Col.Kurt Von Ruger.Ms.Lili arrives home only to be welcomed byCol.Von Ruger.This virtual nest of vipers seems to suggest a hub of secret information which there is transmitting equipment on site.It is here that we learn that the face of the war is changing and indeed the war is moving to the air.Air planes are having an affect with The Red Baron and his infamous Tri-Winged being part of the conversation.This is in fact a planning by German Espionage Agents to infiltrate and usurp vital information as to the plans of the Allied Air Strategies.There is one,a Major Larrabe played by Rock Hudson whose Eagle Squadron have achieved some degree of success and whose brain she is out to pick.It is planned and indeed there is an attempt to meet Major Larrabe at his "informal headquarters",the café Cancan, when Lt.George Youngblood Carson almost steals the show when he introduces himself at the café CanCan.There is a lovely and enjoyable time on the screen in this particular action as a kiss is just a kiss but oh! what a kiss.Though almost put off when not present Major Larrabe irregardless arrives at Lili Smiths residence with an entire company of violin players,chefs and asks Ms.lili to a picnic at three in the morning.The two from that point on are very much involved with each other with a falling out being worth the price of admission.This price of admission is the cost to watch the entire film because there is nothing salacious as to these scenes however what is suggested is that the two are falling in Love.Apparently Lili Smith has gotten to involved, emotions get the better of her.The problem is not the fits of jealousy but that perhaps at first unwittingly Major Larrabe does not know what he is up against.His exploits in the field if you will however un-nerving this may of in fact been they are common conversation.There is one such admission by her Uncle, Von Ruger stating that the information is better than he hoped as a German Agent and as well there is the ever so encroachment of Lili Smith going into one room and talking on the telephone with Von Ruger while in the adjacent room she is kissing Major Larrabe.The concept of a divided loyalty is hard to ignore though that is what is accomplished.There is though another cause as to these fits of jealousy and in fact it is thought to be another women.Operation Crepe Suzette is thought at least initially to be a top secret military operation when in fact Crepe Suzette played by Gloria Paul is a Dance Hall Entertainer.Gloria Paul as Crepe Suzette does a very seductive strip tease number whereby Lili Smith,who is in the audience fumes and then she,Lili Smith that is, adopts the strip tease for her own show. A very sentimental song is sung by Lili Smith at a Hospital with many wounded and all are in wheelchairs on a lawn.The song, "The Girl in No Mans Land" is in fact about "the distance between the two sides(British-French on one side)(German) trenches along the Western Front."This is where the Chlorine and Mustard Gas attacks occurred,it was as well where much of the war was fought,in the trenches.The land in between and not protected by a trench was called No Mans Land.It is somewhat hard to tell what gets her goat more is it that the information she is divulging to her uncle or if in fact there is anything to this relationship. Nearing the end while on a train attempting to escape to Switzerland,both Her Uncle and Lili Smith are being held at gun point by a German Agent.The Train has been targeted by the German Air Force and is indeed attacked.The German Agent was killed by the strafing with a subsequent attack beaten off by the arrival of Eagle Squadron.In one of the many heroic gesture's Major Larrabe throws his flying helmet and scarf to the ground as Lili Smith runs across an open field to pick it up.The final scene is demanding as now the headlines read "Infamous Spy to Perform"This most certainly is a stretch as even here her uncle is in the audience singing while all the while peace has been declared.It is to me a rather difficult task to ask such things but to ask such things this picture does.Whatever there is here it certainly was not there then and indeed this is merely a sort as such however entertaining it ultimately proves itself to be.

David Bryce's comments nearby are exceptionally well written and informative as almost say everything I feel about DARLING LILI. This massive musical is so peculiar and over blown, over produced and must have caused ruptures at Paramount in 1970. It cost 22 million dollars! That is simply irresponsible. DARLING LILI must have been greenlit from a board meeting that said "hey we got that Pink Panther guy and that Sound Of Music gal... lets get this too" and handed over a blank cheque. The result is a hybrid of GIGI, ZEPPELIN, HALF A SIXPENCE, some MGM 40s song and dance numbers of a style (daisies and boaters!) so hopelessly old fashioned as to be like musical porridge, and MATA HARI dramatics. The production is colossal, lush, breathtaking to view, but the rest: the ridiculous romance, Julie looking befuddled, Hudson already dead, the mistimed comedy, and the astoundingly boring songs deaden this spectacular film into being irritating. LILI is like a twee 1940s mega musical with some vulgar bits to spice it up. STAR! released the year before sadly crashed and now is being finally appreciated for the excellent film is genuinely is... and Andrews looks sublime, mature, especially in the last half hour......but LILI is POPPINS and DOLLY frilly and I believe really killed off the mega musical binge of the 60s..... and made Andrews look like Poppins again... which I believe was not Edwards intention. Paramount must have collectively fainted when they saw this: and with another $20 million festering in CATCH 22, and $12 million in ON A CLEAR DAY and $25 million in PAINT YOUR WAGON....they had a financial abyss of CLEOPATRA proportions with $77 million tied into 4 films with very uncertain futures. Maybe they should have asked seer Daisy Gamble from ON A CLEAR DAY ......LILI was very popular on immediate first release in Australia and ran in 70mm cinemas for months but it failed once out in the subs and the sticks and only ever surfaced after that on one night stands with ON A CLEAR DAY as a Sunday night double. Thank god Paramount had their simple $1million (yes, ONE MILLION DOLLAR) film LOVE STORY and that $4 million dollar gangster pic THE GODFATHER also ready to recover all the $77 million in just the next two years....for just $5m.... incredible!