The Art of Love
This has been screening on Foxtel lately.
Starring James Garner Dick Van Dyke Elke Sommer Angie Dickinson
Director - Norman Jewison
Screenplay - Carl Reiner story by William Sackheim Richard Allan Simmons
Not a bad line up.
Set in Paris , Dick plays a struggling artist who falls into the river Seine to save Elke Sommer. When they both go missing James Garner hatches a plan that Dick has committed suicide so that the price of his paintings goes sky high.
That's about the gist of it and that is a good idea for a comedy.
Meanwhile Elke is falling in love with him while he is waiting for his fiance Angie to fly in from America. Ehh Ehh. The Elke bit makes sense but the Angie bit is ho hum.
Anyway with all this talent involved you'd think this could be a laugh riot. well it's not.
Both Garner and Van Dyke were emerging films stars at the time after television success. Elke was the new Swedish babe on the block and Angie was a big co starring name. But they don't seem to gel. I have trouble believing that Angie Dickinson would be flying over for Dick Van Dyke. Of course she ends up with James Garner and that makes sense as does Dick ending up with Elke. Makes sense but none of this is funny.
Norman Jewison was an emerging director. Two years later he made the very over rated, oscar nominated The Russians Are Coming The Russians Are Coming. ( I think the title sucked people in) it's like a boring telemovie.
Carl Reiner was a TV comedy writing superstar.
The Actors :They all seem miscast or more importantly it's just not the right cast. Carl Reiner has a totally unfunny cameo as well.
The Direction: It's ordinary at best.
The Screenplay: I'd like to hear Carl Reiner's thoughts on this because it would have to be the worst thing he's ever done. Just no laughs. No funny lines. There's just nothing here.
I thought this would be one of those under rated Dick Van Dyke films from the 60's but in fact going from the IMDB rating of 6.1 it's hugely over rated.
