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Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Binding: DVD
EAN: 9786305186762
Format: Color, DVD-Video, Letterboxed, Widescreen, NTSC
ISBN: 6305186766
Label: Image Entertainment
Manufacturer: Image Entertainment
Number Of Items: 1
Picture Format: Letterbox
Publisher: Image Entertainment
Release Date: December 22, 1998
Running Time: 105 minutes
Sales Rank: 130503
Studio: Image Entertainment
Theatrical Release Date: 1962
Editorial Review:
Description:
The immortal Peter Sellers is hilarious as a pompous retired general who still has a taste for the ladies in French playwright Jean Anouilh's philosophical farce. A lusty comedy of manners, 'Waltz of the Toreadors' tempers its treatment of an old rake's delusions with generous dollops of wit and compassion.
Amazon.com:
Based on the bittersweet stage comedy by Jean Anouilh, Waltz of the Toreadors is graced by the superb performance of Peter Sellers as a celebrated British Army general whose retirement, just prior to the outbreak of World War I, leads to a midlife crisis that's both comedically rich and dramatically compelling. Faced with the horrifying prospect of retirement with his wealthy, shrewish, hypochondriac wife (Margaret Leighton), he finds himself lost in the fond memory of his platonic affair, 17 years earlier, with the beautiful French girl Ghislaine (Dany Robin), whom he has never forgotten. When Ghislane surprisingly reappears with a desire to consummate their past relationship, the general must postpone their rendezvous and suddenly finds himself competing with his young aide, who has managed to steal Ghislaine's heart during the general's brief absence.
This tale of a bruised male ego, the vanishing of youth, and the delightful persistence of amorous impulse allows Sellers to pursue a brilliant combination of light comedy and emotional depth. The actor's appearance in a chubby bodysuit and aging makeup completes the picture to flawless effect, but as played by Sellers, this frisky hero is far from past his prime. Shifting gracefully from fuming frustration to mischievous romance, Sellers (with an assist from director John Guillermin) succeeds in giving the film the crucial balance of humor and sadness that Anouilh intended. A pure delight right up to its hopefully upbeat ending, Waltz of the Toreadors is the kind of literate, clever, revealing look at human behavior that never goes out of style. --Jeff Shannon
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating:  - Sufficient wit at the expense of imagination.
Based quite loosely upon a play of the same name by Jean Anouilh, this film has been designed not merely as a showcase for the oversize comedic talent of Peter Sellers, but also, due to excessive producer interference, as a sex farce where character predominates over language, after the manner of a well-wrought and linear work of theatre. A droll script by Wolf Mankowitz transposes the action from post World War II France to early 20th century Sussex, arranging the characters in the story-propelled ... Read More
Rating: - One of the best movies ever made
In my humble opinion this is one of the best movies ever made.
Of course it is a funny movie - Peter Sellers is a genius, but this picture is art, and literature as well. The story, the casting, all excellent.
Waltz of the Toreadors is a brilliant metaphor for this story - man without God, stuck in a dizzying dance of his own passions and fears. Life can be wonderful, and yet troubling and depressing. This movie explores the great question - what is the meaning of life? Is ... Read More
Rating:  - A very satisfying film
A very enjoyable film. It's both a comedy and a drama. Peter Sellers gives a wonderful performance which binds the film together. It was adapted from a play by Jean Anouilh (remember Becket?), and it's a very enjoyable film. But I have a single caveat - there are some early parts of the film where you may be disappointed by the dramatic nature of the plot, but if you just keep watching, you'll find a film that's both funny and moving - and there aren't many of those! I think the ending must ... Read More
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