Customer Reviews

Champagne for Caesar

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

"Champagne for Caesar" was a film I saw in my early days of film going. I've always remembered it as a smart and funny film, especially notable for Celeste Holmes sophisticated turn as Ronald Coleman's charming nemesis and Vincent Price's off-the-wall performance as the eccentric manufacturor of "Milady Soap, The Soap That Sanctifies."

I looked forward to this DVD but must report that technically it falls too far short to recommend. About a quarter of the way into it, the sound turns extremely harsh and is almost unlistenable. Later still, intrusive scratches and smudges-- that surely could have been eliminated--suddenly intrude, spoiling the moment.

"Champagne for Caesar" remains a charming romp but not in this presentation.

I won't go into the story line as others before me have covered that. Let me instead deal with the quality of this DVD. It stinks! Mainly because of the sound. At points it sounds like the actors are talking under water. At first I thought I had a bad disc, so I returned it for replacement, but got the same problem. So I wrote to the company that put this out on DVD and this was their response: Thank you for your inquiry. We are sorry to hear that you are disappointed with your latest Image Entertainment purchase. Unfortunately the problem that you are describing concerning the soundtrack of this film is the result of damaged film stock. Image Entertainment made three attempts to find the best available master for this film and the finished product was made using the best remaining film stock available.

Bottom line is, buy this ONLY if you can't do without this film. Otherwise there are lots of other wonderful films on better DVDs.

This film is a gem! A friend passed on the VHS to me knowing that I was looking for a copy, having opted against the DVD after reading the Amazon reviews. The entire cast is marvelous, in particular Art Linkletter as the perfect foil to Ronald Colman's acerbic smart-aleck. Everyone, however, pales a bit in comparison to Vincent Price who is almost unbelievably funny as the scheming CEO of a company that manufactures soap in addition to sponsoring a broadcast quiz show; his performance alone is reason enough to make this a keeper rather than a rental.
The sound on the VHS, BTW, isn't very good either at times, however, it's just in few spots; the picture is okay. If the DVD is no better than this, it might be worth picking up, but not at list.
Incidentally, Mr. Price possessed an unbelievable range--one has only to see him in the films in which he appeared prior to his becoming a horror icon (which isn't to be disparaged; those films are great fun) to know what I mean. In addition, he was an incredibly cultured man, kind and courteous, who was considered an authority on the finer things in life, such as art and food. I had the privilege of seeing him perform live in 1979 when he was touring in a revival of a one-man show called Diversions and Delights in which he played a post-Reading Gaol Oscar Wilde. The show ran in the tiny Roundabout Stage One theater on West 23rd Street here in Manhattan, our seats were practically onstage, and I can't honestly say that I've ever enjoyed an evening of theater more. Mr. Price was electrifying and to this day I can't watch his films without regretting that no one had the foresight to film a performance of Diversions and Delights. The world lost a great actor, a great connoisseur, and--most importantly--a great gentleman with his passing.

This film has Oscar winner Ronald Colman's last starring performance. (He only had small roles in two later films.) After its failure at the box office, Colman did a radio show ("The Halls of Ivy"), and in 1954 starred in a TV adaptation of that radio show for a year. Meanwhile, "Caesar" developed a cult following when it was shown on TV (appropriately, since it is all about the way TV saturates a nation's consciousness). Now that the film's available on DVD, perhaps it can find a new audience. Colman is matched by two strong character actors in this film: Vincent Price, even more flamboyant than he was in "His Kind of Woman" (1951), and Celeste Holm, another Oscar winner (for supporting actress in "Gentleman's Agreement"), who doesn't appear until halfway through but dominates the second half as a wide-eyed femme fatale. The surreal offices at the Milady soap company show superior art directors at work. The dialogue is crackling and quotable, but the plotting has problems (several times, we are told what's about to happen before it does). Moreover, the two love relationships aren't convincing (Colman's character looks happier living his sister, played by the lovely and charming Barbara Britton). The continuing gimmick with the drunken parrot (voiced by Mel Blanc) is hysterical. All in all, a film well worth seeing.

Several years ago, I saw Vincent Price on a talk show, and he was asked what his favorite was of all the movies he had made. He replied that it was a movie he considered "way ahead of it's time", titled "Champagne For Caesar". I was very excited to hear him say that, because it has been one of my favorite movies since I discovered it late one night on a local tv station back in the 60's.

This is a very funny satire of quiz shows and of tv advertisers, backed by a stunning cast which includes Ronald Colman as Beauregard Bottomly, a genius who knows everything except how to keep a job. He embarks on a quest to destroy a sponsor of a tv quiz show, by answering enough questions to bankrupt them. Celeste Holme co-stars as the beautiful, intelligent femme fatale sent to find his weakness. Vincent Price is the owner of the soap company who sponsors the quiz show, and his performance as the wickedly funny "Dirty Waters" is one of the many bright spots of this film. Art Linkletter has a supporting role as "Happy Hogan", the host of the quiz show, with some very funny moments between him and Vincent Price. Mel Blanc is the voice of "Caesar", an alcoholic parrot. Everybody in this film is excellent, and this is a movie that shouldn't be missed.

I have just one word for this film: HILARIOUS!!!! I am a HUGE Vincent Price fan and tracked this film down... I've seen it a ton of times and laugh hysterically every time I see it. I think that Price absoultely steals the film. The highlight is when Coleman has to describe a theory of Einstien. The answer that he gives is said to be wrong-but then Einstien himself calls on the phone to verify the answer. The reaction by Price is hilarious. He missed his calling. Although he was an awesome horror actor, he would have made a marvelous comedian.

This understated flick is a "reel" sleeper that will sneak up on you. I saw it originally 35 years ago on late night television and finally just bought it this week.

UPDATE: MARCH 31,2006 - Now that I have seen this film numerous times since getting it 5 years back from Amazon, I can tell you it is still a treat, but the video quality was rather disappointing. There were lines, snow, spots and artifacts, plus flickering, and a blurring of the audio throughout. The problems varied in intensity, but they were and are fairly constant, along with a rather grainy picture. Having said that, the film is still quite watchable, and I am glad I bought it as it is still quite a treat to see.

-----*- CAST -*

Ronald Colman - Beauregard Bottomley
Celeste Holm - Flame O'Neil
Vincent Price - Burnbridge Waters
Barbara Britton - Gwenn Bottomley
Art Linkletter - Happy Hogan

-----*- PRODCUTION TEAM -*

Richard Whorf - Director
George Moskov - Producer
Harry M. Popkin - Producer
Fred Brady - Screenwriter
Hans Jacoby - Screenwriter
Paul Ivano - Cinematographer
Dimitri Tiomkin - Composer (Music Score)
Hugh Bennett - Editor
George C. VanMarter - Art Director
Jacque Mapes - Set Designer


LAST THOUGHTS:

A remastered version in the future is needed to really appreciate this film. In the meantime, the film is still quite watchable and appears essentially in its original un-cut form.

If you love Vincent Price, and have a dry sense of humor, settle in. Don't miss this rare opportunity to see him use his sorely underused comedic talents!

Champagne for Caesar is a film about a man (Ronald Colman) who finds television game shows incredibly stupid and a waste of time. He is disgusted to find that people enjoy seeing others answer mindless questions for small prizes, and even more so when the owner of the company that sponsors the program (Vincent Price) refuses to hire him because he has a sense of humor. To get his revenge, he goes on the show to answer intelligent questions about anything ever and becomes a sensation, winning more and more money each week to the detriment of the company. In an attempt to shake this parasite, the company utilizes every tactic it can think of with entertaining results.

If I were judging this film simply on Vincent Price's performance, I would have given this film 5 stars. He is absolutely hilarious as a man best described as a cross between the eccentric Willy Wonka and a hysterical child. He is the best part of the film and is sadly not in enough scenes.

The drawback to the film is that it stars to slow up when Celeste Holm's character comes into the story because a relationship must be formed between two characters. Although she adds more depth to the story, she also hinders the flow of it.

Overall, however, this film features accessible comedy and is a shining example of old Hollywood carrying over into modern film.

Ronald Colman is perfectly cast as reserved, erudite and unemployed scholar Beauregard Bottomley the possessor of an encyclopedic array of knowledge. Colman is spurned for a chance of employment at the Milady Soap Co. by wacky and devious owner Burnbridge Waters played by Vincent Price due to a personality clash. Price who shows an undeniable penchant for comedy in his role, really raises Colman's ire. Colman decides to get even by becoming a contestant on a Milady sponsored quiz show.

Colman quickly proves that his knowledge is all encompasing in the double or nothing quiz show hosted by Happy Hogan played effortlessly by Art Linkletter. He decides to keep on going until he amasses 40 million dollars which will put Price out of business. Price tries by any means to derail Colman and finally hires Celeste Holm playing Flame O'Neil to distract Colman with her charms.

Alls well that ends well and everybody lives happily ever after. The interplay in dialogue between actors especially Colman, Price and Linkletter demonstrates excellent and witty screenplay writing and makes the film fast moving and enjoyable.

Incidently Caesar refers to Colman's loquacious pet parrot who has a partiality for alcohol especially champagne.