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Victor/Victoria (1982)

Reviewed on 2026 April 26

It's funny how much the right movie can brighten things up. Two very good friends of ours were amazed we didn't see this one before, and sent me a copy. One night when we were trying to accomplish things during Covid no less, we popped it in and it made things better. I learned that the review vanished, so I redid it. This movie deserves it.

Victoria Grant (Dame Julie Andrews) is singer trying to succeed in Paris in 1934, a soprano, and like many, her gift is not recognized. Another performer, Caroll “Toddy” Todd (Robert Preston), takes her under his wing when things go south for him. He's marginalized too and wants to help a fellow performer. He doesn't have much but Victoria borrows his clothes one fateful day. Toddy has seen more that a few things and he knows a good gimmick when he sees one. Victoria wasn't recognized. Perhaps Victor will succeed.

Blake Edwards remade the Weimar era Viktor Und Viktoria, which I have yet to see, and then added James Garner, Alex Karras, and John Rhys-Davies, among others. The music is excellent, with Andrews and a score by Henry Mancini, though the real win is how funny it is. One of the best bits is a silent stretch towards the beginning, after mayhem Grant and Toddy unleash in a fancy restaurant.

Four morsels. Thank you, Ed and Julie.

— Shukti