S.O.B. [DVD]

Once upon a time a highly successful film director named Blake Edwards teamed with his very popular actress wife to make a big budget Paramount musical called "Darling Lili". Released in 1970, the WWI-era movie was a major flop. Edwards blamed studio head Robert Evans for having made significant cuts to the final version of the film, though Paramount maintained that the film's budget had gone out of control and they had to exercise their right to salvage it through whatever means necessary. Several years later, Edwards had a contentious relationship with MGM that was exacerbated by the studio altering his final cuts of "The Carey Treatment" and "Wild Rovers". Hell hath no fury like a director scorned, especially a director who was not lacking in self-esteem. Ultimately, Edwards sought his revenge with the release of his notorious 1981 madcap comedy "S.O.B." The movie is a take-down of the film industry, presenting an ugly picture of Hollywood as a place populated by crooks, shnooks, disreputable studio brass and disloyal hangers-on all willing to sell their souls to advance their careers. Doubtless, Edwards was done wrong by certain studio executives but by all accounts, he wasn't "Mr. Popularity" either. Edwards had fractious working relationships with many people including Peter Sellers, with whom he made several successful "Pink Panther" films despite the fact the men came to loath one another.Edwards was indeed multi-talented. He was capable of directing successful dramas ("Days of Wine and Roses") and the occasional thriller ("Experiment in Terror") but his niche was comedy and for a period of years he produced some great successes including "Operation Petticoat" and "Breakfast at Tiffanys" as well as the best-received Inspector Clouseau films ("A Shot in the Dark" and "The Pink Panther".) By the 1970s, however, his films were under-performing. In 1975, more out of necessity than sentimentality, he and Peter Sellers returned to the "Pink Panther" franchise and scored three more hits. "S.O.B." was his most personal film, however, and allowed him to figuratively put his considerable list of enemies in his cross-hairs. Edwards wrote, produced and directed the film which boasted an impressive all-star cast, including Julie Andrews, who would break new ground in her career by famously baring her breasts (thus causing Johnny Carson to quip to Andrews that he was thankful to see that "the hills were still alive!")The film begins with a comical suicide attempt by once-esteemed film director Felix Farmer (Richard Mulligan), who can't cope with the demise of his career due to the catastrophic boxoffice returns on "Night Wind", his mega-budget family musical starring his wife Sally Miles (Julie Andrews). Felix bungles the attempt which will become a running gag throughout the film as fate keeps preventing him from taking his own life. Now suffering from a mental illness, Felix is convinced that he has heard advice from God about how to salvage his film and career. He approaches the Machiavellian studio chief David Blackman (Robert Vaughn, whose character is supposedly based on Robert Evans.) Felix offers to reimburse the studio for their investment in the musical so that he can own all the rights and reshoot it as a pornographic production complete with the songs intact, only with an S&M take. Blackman jumps at the chance to redeem his own reputation and agrees, but Sally is a tough sell. Her entire career has been built on playing sweet, innocent characters, much as Andrews's career was defined in the early days. She is appalled at Felix's mental state and the fact that he hocked their entire net worth to pull off this madcap scheme. She turns to the film's original director, Tim Culley (William Holden) for advice and he and their mutual friend, quack physician Irving Finegarten (Robert Preston) for counsel. They both convince her the daffy scheme might work and would prove to be a good career move. With Sally reluctantly immersing herself into a sex-filled musical, word around Hollywood gets out that Felix might actually be creating a potential blockbuster. This causes Blackman to renege on the deal. Felix now goes entirely off the deep end and "kidnaps" the reels of his completed film in order to thwart Blackman from exploiting him.Movies that present Hollywood as a soulless climate are as old as the film industry itself but "S.O.B." is in a class of its own in this regard. There are no sympathetic characters. As Felix devolves into complete madness, his family, confidantes and friends all conspire to take advantage of him for their own selfish purposes. Edwards presents a Devil's Playground of cheating lovers, emotionless sex and untrustworthy partners. It was a parlor game back in the day to guess which real-life personalities were being portrayed on screen. For example, there was little doubt that Shelly Winters' obnoxious talent agent was based on the much-feared Sue Mengers. Loretta Swit, playing the film's most grating character, seems to be a compilation of every gossip columnist who Edwards grew to loathe. Other well-known stars are also used to good effect including Larry Hagman, Robert Webber, Robert Loggia, Marisa Berenson, Stuart Margolin and Craig Stevens. Ostensibly, the star is Richard Mulligan, who gives a very spirited performance that is ultimately undone by Edwards having him cross over into theater of the absurd. Because of the large cast, most of the actors don't get much screen time but those who do resonate very well especially Andrews, Holden, Preston, Webber and Vaughn. The latter has a show-stopping scene that almost rivals the unveiling of Andrews' prized bosoms when it is revealed that his character of the macho studio executive has a passion for making love to his mistress (Berenson) while he is attired in female lingerie."S.O.B." is genuinely funny but, as previously stated, Edwards goes overboard into silliness especially in the last third of the film. Until then the events that we witnessed have been mostly plausible but Edwards goes over the top and resorts to almost slapstick as well as introducing some characters such as a manic Asian chef and an Indian guru (played respectively by Benson Fong and Larry Storch) who would be far more at home in a Pink Panther movie. Still, it remains a biting satire that is mostly quite enjoyable- and it's all accompanied by a score from Edwards' frequent collaborator, Henry Mancini.The Warner Archive Blu-ray looks gorgeous and contains the original trailer.

This is the only movie I can recall seeing that is, essentially, about itself. It tells the story of a tortured Hollywood filmmaker whose latest film is turning into a mess, so he decides to convince his star - his wife, and America's Sweetheart - to do a nude scene. Of course, director Blake Edwards used his wife - America's Sweetheart Julie Andrews - to play the part. And the scene in which she reluctantly does the deed is one of her great acting moments, and a memorably classic comedic moment.Decades before this film was made, a "tortured" Blake Edwards fled the corrupt and corrosive Hollywood scene with Andrews and settled in Switzerland. This movie is his statement of why, and his revenge, using a whole stable of '80's A-list actors to eviscerate the industry. In addition to Andrews, Richard Mulligan (of "Soap" fame) plays the desperate, suicidal husband and filmmaker, and star William Holden is his friend and director. The rogues' gallery of film executives includes Robert Vaughan and Larry Hagman, while Loretta Switt is a shrewish gossip columnist. Most notable, however, are Mulligan and Holden's two cohorts - a very neurotic Robert Webber and, in the performance of his lifetime as a sleazy studio doctor, Robert Preston.Although the film often veers in to the slapstick, the story here is framed around a very dark theme. A once popular, now has-been actor dies alone on a beach, and as everybody parties and schemes around him, only the man's dog seems to care. And as this thread is integrated into the main plot as it climaxes, and after you've laughed yourself into delirium, you may find tears in your eyes.You won't find this movie on any lists of great comedies, on any streaming services, or on television. But why would you, given that all of those things are largely controlled by the people the movie savagely lampoons? But it is one of the very best comedies ever filmed and deserves to be seen.

A funny spoof on the film industry!! A very good cast.

Growing up as a huge fan of Classic Hollywood movies, backstories and biographies, SOB by Blake Edwards instantly became one of my favorites. This star vehicle for Julie Andrews who was at the top of her game here allows her to spoof her squeaky clean image. She's surrounded by a glorious cast of old Hollywood Legends like William Holden, Robert Preston and Shelley Winters. Add some of TV's classic Leading Men from the 60s and 70s like Craig Stevens, Robert Vaughn, Larry Hagman and Soap's Richard Mulligan as Julie's estranged husband Felix and you get a vague notion of the quality here.SOB is about the Hollywood director trying to save his latest bomb movie by completely changing the tone with eleventh-hour reshoots and turning the bomb into a blockbuster. In the bargain he has to deal with divorce, depression, stereotypically dark studio heads, hangers-on and yes men along the way. Homages have been thrown in too - like to Charlie Chaplin fighting for Creative control over his passion project and legends about the late John Barrymore. This movie may not be for everyone or every taste, but for fans of the seamy side of Tinsel Town it's a delicious sendup.

Ich hatte den Film auf Viedeo-Cassette. Beim Versuch die Video-Cassette auf DVD zu überspielen, wurde die Video-Cassette beschädigt.Seit dem bin ich auf der Suche nach einer DVD. Nachdem seit Jahren keine deutsche DVD auf dem Markt zu bekommen ist, habe ich mirdie spanische Ausgabe mit englischer Tonspur zugelegt. Da ich den Film schon unzählige Male auf deutsch angesehen habe, komme ichhalbwegs mit meinem schulenglisch mit dieser DVD zurecht. Es ist halt besser wie nix.

Well, it's the video I was looking for and it arrived early and in perfect condition. As for the movie, it's an old one, so check IMDB reviews or something to find out if you will like it or not.

Il aura fallu du temps pour enfin pourvoir se procurer ce film, et encore, grâce à une version espagnole.J'avais eu l'occasion de voir le film au cinéma et depuis, il n'en était plus question nulle part. Que l'on ne vienne pas me dire que c'est à cause du ton caustique, il me semble que c'est assez ce qui est demandé maintenant.Blake Edwards règle ses comptes avec le milieu du cinéma, tant côté financier que vedettes, voire journalistes, pour notre plus grand plaisir.Julie Andrews apparaît dans un rôle différent, bien loin de Mary Poppins.Pour ceux qui aiment l'ironie grinçante de Blake Edwards.

発表当時、Ｊ・アンドリュースのトップレスシーンがあるということで、アメリカでは話題騒然となったそうです。実のところ私もそのシーン目当てに購入したのですが、作品としての出来があまりにも悪い。いくらコメディ仕立てとはいっても、展開に無理がありすぎ。評価できるところが、これっぽっちもない。こんな駄作で脱いでほしくはなかった。年をとっても相変わらずＪ・アンドリュース美しかった。もっとナチュラルにあの美しさを表現できなかったものだろうか。夫が監督すると、得てしてこんなことになってしまうのか。

Si vous maiîrisez suffisamment l'anglais foncez voir ce film (hélas non disponible avec des sous-titres français) car c'est un des chefs d'oeuvres tardifs de Blake Edwards (et un dernier film pour William Holden qui tire ici sa révérence dans une excellente interprétation de plus!).