Caprice (1967)

Simply A Masterpiece

Just perfect...

There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

A clunky actioner with a handful of cool moments.

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.

It's amazing sometimes how certain films get made and reading in both books about Doris Day and Richard Harris, how Caprice was made just might be a subject for a film itself. Ironically the motive for both these stars was economical.According to a recent biography of Richard Harris by Michael Feeney Callan, Caprice came between two big budget epics for Harris, Hawaii and Camelot both of which are better films. He and his then wife Elizabeth were living in the high end gated community of Bel Air and Harris was feeling squeezed. What to do, but take a film offer strictly for the money. As for Day this was one of many film offers negotiated by her Svengali of a husband Martin Melcher which she hated but as she later learned Melcher had depleted their savings with horrible investments.Also according to Harris since this film was about espionage, Day thought she was getting Sean Connery as her leading man. She plays an industrial spy who is double dealing a pair of cosmetics tycoons played by Edward Mulhare and Jack Kruschen. But she has another mission agenda. Her father was killed because he had found a narcotics smuggling ring working inside one of the firms. She's out to find the guy behind the ring who may have personally killed her father who was an Interpol Agent.Enter Richard Harris who plays a mysterious agent himself and keeps pulling Doris out of harm's way. Doris upon signing for the film had the parts switched so that she was the industrial spy, that was to be a male role originally. The film is the only one that calls for her to be an action hero.Caprice's biggest problem is that it can't seem to make it's mind up whether it is a spoof or somewhat serious. I can see why Doris would have wanted Sean Connery in the role, who better than the screen's James Bond for a spy film. Connery might have had the good sense to pass on this, but Harris needed the money.They did not like each other these two, but then again Harris got along with very few of his colleagues during his early hell raising days. He was quoted in the book as saying kissing Day was like kissing his old maiden aunt. Frank Tashlin who certainly did a lot better stuff in his career directed Caprice. The whole project reeks of indifference from its director and its stars.

MASTER PLAN: steal a formula for water resistant hairspray. The director and star of "The Glass Bottom Boat" returned for another stab at comical intrigue. This one starts as a seemingly serious thriller about someone getting killed on the snowy Alpine slopes and others involved in some sort of espionage in Paris; the ski chases even precede the ones in the James Bond thriller "On Her Majesty's Secret Service"(69). But, we soon find out it involves corporate espionage, not the other kind; it's all about stealing formulas for perfumes and fragrances, with Doris Day playing a private secret agent in the employ of a tycoon (Mulhare). We're not sure who Richard Harris works for; he might be working for Mulhare's character; or, for one of his enemies; or, both; then again, he might be working for someone else entirely. Walston (of "My Favorite Martian" and "Picket Fences" TV shows) is the intense chemist and odd ladies man, obviously a little sinister. They all take the proceedings quite seriously, as if he who ends up with the special formula for hairspray shall rule the world. I found it difficult to get too excited as the story wore on, especially since I was expecting to laugh for a good portion of it. There is some mystery attached, I will give it that, as we wait for everyone to reveal what they're really doing by the conclusion.This is a bit more stylish than "The Glass Bottom Boat" and has some real nice sets, trying to capture the elegance of a James Bond-wannabe suspensor, but it also lacks the breezy qualities of the previous Doris Day comedy. Since it is supposed to be a comedy when all is said and done, it fails to capture that easygoing tone of the better laughers, with barely any chuckle-inducing scenes, despite some silly slapstick involving Day's clumsiness (again). This is probably because it has trouble deciding what it wants to be - a comedy or a thriller - and the two tones scrape against each other uncomfortably rather than jell. Day and Harris have no chemistry and Harris was obviously miscast - this type of role is for Rock Hudson, James Garner or Rod Taylor to breeze through; Harris is known for his intense dramas & realistic thrillers, and his intensity still seeps in despite his efforts to be carefree. When he and Day are telling the audience that they've fallen in love in the last act I didn't buy it for a second; I expected him to start slapping her or just shoot her as the movie was ending. There's also not much surprise as to who the real villains are; Mulhare, for example, was best known for his dastardly role in "Our Man Flint" at this point. The actress Tsu was quite cute in a secondary role and it's too bad she didn't have a bigger career. Watch for actor Pollard ("Bonnie and Clyde") hamming it up as Tsu's boyfriend in one scene. The filmmakers also broke a fourth wall here by having Day's character in a theater which is playing the movie "Caprice." This was the one genuinely amusing moment. Heroine:6 Villain:6 Male Fatales:5 Henchmen:4 Fights:4 Stunts/Chases:5 Gadgets:5 Auto:5 Locations:6 Pace:5 overall:5

The only thing one can say about "Caprice" is that it will not be mentioned along with the name of Doris Day, but as the end of a glorious era of technical innovation in film. Cinemascope, Fox's answer to television, gave theater-goers new thrills, new vistas, and greater entertainment value for their hard earned dollar. We take the wide-screen process for granted, but thanks to an enterprising Frenchman, we have widescreen films to this day. Alfred Newman, the genius composer and conductor, wrote the extension for his Fox opening. For ten years, no one heard the famous opening until May 25, 1977 at the premier of "Star Wars." Unfortunately, Cinemascope ended on a whimper and not a bang, as "Caprice" is simply forgettable in every way.