cinemabon
12-16-2010, 07:45 PM
One of the greatest comic film directors of all time just passed and I hardly know where to begin. First and foremost, I will miss his hilarious insights on life, situations, and this thing called love. Honored by the Academy recently for a lifetime of great comic films, he made us feel he was too infirm and accepted the statue in a wheelchair that suddenly took off and crashed through a breakaway wall. The stunned audience, uncertain if they should laugh or not, suddenly got the joke and burst into laughter. He had a way of catching us off guard and surprising us with fresh new humor. Blake Edwards had a keen eye for what made us laugh and delivered in spades.
He started in television directing, and of all things, the Peter Gunn series in the late 1950’s. His first film success came with “Operation Petticoat” in 1959, followed in 1961 by “Breakfast at Tiffany’s.” While it would seem natural that Edwards received Oscar nods for such work as “The Days of Wine and Roses,” or “Experiment in Terror,” the Academy did not take Edwards too seriously, since he also directed the likes of “The Pink Panther” (which is the funniest film of all time), “A shot in the dark” (the second Pink Panther film), along with a host of other Pink Panther sequels. The next year he directed “The Great Race,” followed by “What did you do in the war, daddy?” “The Party” “10,” the somewhat autobiographical “SOB,” “Victor, Victoria” “Blind date” and “Sunset” to name some of his successes and several less successful films. He directed Peter Sellers in five Pink Panther films and his wife, Julie Andrews in four.
“Victor/Victoria” arrived in cinemas at a time when critics pronounced the musical dead. Julie Andrews not only revived the genre, but her husband added such brilliant comic touches that it catapulted the film to number one status during its release. Audiences roared to jokes like: “You’d better be careful,” the salon owner said to the private investigator. “I am always careful,” the investigator answered. “No… the stool is broken…” the owner replies. Down goes the man!
Edwards knew comic timing. He knew how to pace dialogue and gave us some of the funniest moments the silver screen has ever presented to an audience.
Another classic Edwards’ moment can be found in the “Return of Pink Panther.” Inspector Clouseau comes to a Swiss resort. As he registers for a room, he asks the pipe-smoking clerk, “Does your dog bite?” “No,” the man replies. When the inspector bends down to pet the dog, the animal viciously bites his gloved hand. He jerks it away and rubs it. “I thought you said your dog doesn’t bite!” the inspector declares. Without skipping a beat, the clerk replies, “That is not my dog!”
Blake Edwards died last night in Julie Andrews’ arms of complications due to pneumonia. I found it difficult to believe he was 88. I consider him a national treasure. Blake Edwards’ loss will be felt by those who would wish for one more comedic moment in film that will now forever be silent.
He started in television directing, and of all things, the Peter Gunn series in the late 1950’s. His first film success came with “Operation Petticoat” in 1959, followed in 1961 by “Breakfast at Tiffany’s.” While it would seem natural that Edwards received Oscar nods for such work as “The Days of Wine and Roses,” or “Experiment in Terror,” the Academy did not take Edwards too seriously, since he also directed the likes of “The Pink Panther” (which is the funniest film of all time), “A shot in the dark” (the second Pink Panther film), along with a host of other Pink Panther sequels. The next year he directed “The Great Race,” followed by “What did you do in the war, daddy?” “The Party” “10,” the somewhat autobiographical “SOB,” “Victor, Victoria” “Blind date” and “Sunset” to name some of his successes and several less successful films. He directed Peter Sellers in five Pink Panther films and his wife, Julie Andrews in four.
“Victor/Victoria” arrived in cinemas at a time when critics pronounced the musical dead. Julie Andrews not only revived the genre, but her husband added such brilliant comic touches that it catapulted the film to number one status during its release. Audiences roared to jokes like: “You’d better be careful,” the salon owner said to the private investigator. “I am always careful,” the investigator answered. “No… the stool is broken…” the owner replies. Down goes the man!
Edwards knew comic timing. He knew how to pace dialogue and gave us some of the funniest moments the silver screen has ever presented to an audience.
Another classic Edwards’ moment can be found in the “Return of Pink Panther.” Inspector Clouseau comes to a Swiss resort. As he registers for a room, he asks the pipe-smoking clerk, “Does your dog bite?” “No,” the man replies. When the inspector bends down to pet the dog, the animal viciously bites his gloved hand. He jerks it away and rubs it. “I thought you said your dog doesn’t bite!” the inspector declares. Without skipping a beat, the clerk replies, “That is not my dog!”
Blake Edwards died last night in Julie Andrews’ arms of complications due to pneumonia. I found it difficult to believe he was 88. I consider him a national treasure. Blake Edwards’ loss will be felt by those who would wish for one more comedic moment in film that will now forever be silent.