PROMISE HER ANYTHING
US/UK, 1966, 97 minutes, Colour.
Warren Beatty, Leslie Caron, Hermione Gingold, Lionel Stander, Robert Cummings, Keenan Wynn, Cathleen Nesbitt.
Directed by Arthur Hiller.
Promise Her Anything would be the fluffiest of all Warren Beatty's films. Introduced in the early 160s in such films as Splendor in the Grass, All Fall Down and The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone (William Inge, Tennessee Williams), Beatty was to make an impact with Bonnie and Clyde in 1967. A specialist film-maker and actor, he has invested his personal stamp and interest in the films in which he has appeared, culminating in his acting, co-writing and directing Reds, for which he won the Oscar for Best Director.
This often amusing piece of fluff was written by William Peter Blatty (John Goldfarb Please Come Home, What Did You Do in the War Daddy?) who was to write The Exorcist and Twinkle, Twinkle. Killer Kane (which he directed). Direction is by Arthur Hiller, who was soon to make an impact with Love Story and direct entertaining competent films during the '70s and '80s.
The film was made in England, stars Leslie Caron and a host of English supporting actors. Warren Mitchell, Hermione Gingold and especially, Cathleen Nesbitt are excellent. After fifteen minutes into the film, one can glimpse Donald Sutherland in an early small part as a father seeking Bob Cummings' autograph.
The film takes some shots at the media, the making of mail order sex films and the trends in the film industry during the '60s. These seem somewhat dated now, although they have their amusing moments. The film has Beatty acting a lot of the time with a precocious baby called Michael Bradley. An example of the perennially popular light comedy, American style.
1. An entertaining comedy? Life in Greenwich Village? Mail order film makers? Expert baby doctors and their pretensions? Fun at the film industry? Eccentric types? Romance? A satisfying blend?
2. British production and the use of American location shots? The atmosphere of New York and Greenwich Village? Sets, decor, the tones of the mid-60s? The musical score and the Bacharach- Hal David (sung by Tom Jones) theme song? The use of cinema techniques to parody cinema techniques, especially in Harley's filmmaking and the parody of the sex films? Baby films?
3, The conventions of the offbeat romantic comedy? The odd couple? The romantic triangle? Eccentric commentators? The forceful mother? The deceits and farcical mix-ups of identity? How well handled? The light touch?
4. The flip dialogue and the satire on the styles of the '60s? The freeze frame techniques to highlight the jokes? The echoes of comedies, especially with the finale on the moving platform? The satire on sex comedies?
5. Warren Beatty's style as hero? His war experience? His filmmaking? The sex films? His wanting to be a great artist? His poverty and apartment? The humour of his attempts to make sex films in the apartment, hiding, in the hospital? The deadpan of the dialogue? His friendship with Mrs. Luce and the paying of the rent? His friendship with the owner of the platform? With Angelo and his threats about his mogul brother? The encounter with Michelle and John Thomas? His fascination with the baby? Photographing him? Inserting him into the sex films? The pretence with Phil? The rapport with the baby calling him 'Da da? The escapades in the hospital? The expose? The proposing to Michelle? The acrobatics on the platform? The happy ending? warren Beatty and his style acting so much with the baby? His comic timing?
6. Leslie Caron's French style as the heroine? Mother and child? Her aiming to marry Phil and her devices for alluring him? Her work in the clinic? Her deceiving Phil about John Thomas? Her reliance on Harley? The outings and her warding him off? Her history with wolves? The frantic entertaining of Phil and the hiding of John Thomas? John Thomas at the clinic? The film and the truth being revealed? Her response to Phil and the happy ending with Harley?
7. Phil and his pretentious attitudes towards babies? The satire on the Dr. Spock type? His lecture and slides with the crying of the babies? His childish behaviour with his mother? Her forwardness and pushing him? The attraction towards Michelle? The subconscious urges and his visit? Suspicions? The interest in John Thomas? The truth and his behaviour? The possibility of helping his rival's wife at the end? The humorous satire in the character?
8. Phil's mother and her commonsense forwardness? Comic touches? Pushing him?
9. The gallery of comic characters helping the film: Mrs. Luce and the birds, posing for the films? Angelo and his American push, selling pets, to the deaf woman wanting fish? His brother appearing at the end? The star of the sex film and her awkward predicaments? Warren Mitchell and his comic style acting in the films? Lionel Stander and his helping with the films and the platform?
10. The impact of the baby? Cute? His dubbed in voice and comments? His expressive face? The interaction with Warren Beatty? Leslie Caron? The theme of babies and his cute comments on the behaviour of the characters? His being presented as a little adult?
11. The comic touches? Themes of true love, truth? marriage and babies? A comedy of the '60s?
