Absolutely Fantastic

A different way of telling a story

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

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.

As a production, "Caprice" is slick and colorful. As a film, it is muddled; the characters seems to be changing sides every five minutes or so, and the tone wavers clumsily from (relatively) serious spy thriller to slapstick comedy. Films like "Charade" have gotten that balance right, but "Caprice" misses the target. And at the risk of sounding unoriginal, I also have to point out that Richard Harris is miscast in the Cary Grant / Rock Hudson type of role. On the other hand, the film (which predates "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" by two years) does have a good ski chase, and one mind-bendingly "meta" sequence in which Doris Day goes to a movie theater to watch...."Caprice", with Doris Day and Richard Harris! ** out of 4.

It's pleasing to note that after the disappointing Spy in Lace Panties, director-writer Frank Tashlin has now returned to form with this madcap, screwball comedy-thriller about industrial espionage in the cosmetic business. Doris Day's efforts to cut off a lock of Chinese hair, her inspired attempts to sabotage a listening device and her being the subject of an unwanted attention in a cinema are three of the funniest scenes I've seen in any movie. To have all three together as here, is value for money indeed. Yet in addition to these outstanding comedy sequences, Tashlin presents a triple climax of thrills rivaling those of Hitchcock himself. The superb aerial photography by Nelson Tyler also deserves commendation here! As for the acting, it is never less than excellent. Ray Walston in particular imparts a delightful edge to his performance. Available on an excellent 20th Century Fox DVD.

So many people hate Caprice, including Doris Day herself, that I was quite surprised, when I finally saw it, to find how enjoyable it was. Admittedly, it is not high art or even subtle, but it is an engaging spy romp, in true '60's fashion, with Doris and Richard Harris exhibiting nicely judged performances. They make an excellent team and look well together. Richard Harris is, admittedly, not renowned for comedy roles, but the character of Christopher is surely meant to be rather sinister. The script makes certain that we don't know whether to trust him or not. I think his is a very underrated performance. The fashions and make-up are truly of the period, and there are some very exciting and funny set-pieces. I'm all in favour of films like Caprice, which set out to entertain, and I will certainly watch this film again and again.