Customer Reviews

The Notorious Landlady

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

 

 

I saw The Notorius Landlady for the first time December 2008.It's a breezy,even-paced,smart little funny film with Fred Astaire,Kim Novak and Jack Lemmon, and a host of English stars comprising a wonderful cast. The film takes place in England. It begins like a Hitchcock film with people going about their business when a shot rings out in a house,and next we see a body being dragged into a garage and a car with the body in it emerges and speeds away.The main protagonists are Kim Novak as a landlady(zingingly gorgeous throughout the movie) who is suspected of killing her husband,but no body can be found;Jack Lemmon as a State Department lackey and sometimes angstful bumbler(as some of his roles were) who immediately falls in love with the landlady; and Fred Astaire as the State Department boss(straight actor,sans dancing.)The film then proceeds to establish a quickly developed romantic relationship between Kim and Jack although he is warned by his boss not to get involved with her because of her reputation as a suspected murderer.Then the film develops an air of mystery with weird organ music in the house at night,suspicious meetings in the London Fog,pesky neighbors who peer through windows and over balconies,listen, and spy on the couple's every movement within the rooms/house that Kim has rented to Jack,Scotland yard visiting the State department,creepy noises in the house,strange notes under the door and all kinds of twist and turns in the plot that will keep you guessing about what's going on and how things will turn out.Blake Edwards wrote the script and you kind of get a sense of what will come later in his PINK PANTHER films because slapstick is embedded throughout and appears unexpectedly amidst moments that should be suspenseful or as people try to solve the murder. The film kept my interest because I am a big fan of all three stars. Novak is delightful throughout to watch as she has to express a wide gamut of emotions.Lemmon is a bit cloying as a romantic lead. He is better when he plays it straight.Fred Astaire dresses classy and and acts classy with some funny moments for him thrown in.Overall I like the film. It is filled with hijinks and fun.

I bought this copy of "The Notorious Landlady", which is one of my favourite movies, fully conscious it would probably have been totally unwatchable and unlistenable and I must admit I wasn't disappointed.
It is unwatchable and unlistenable.
I waited ten years (ever since I bought my first DVD) hoping sooner or later the production company would publish a remastered version of this film, starring Kim Novak, Jack Lemmon (at the peak of their careers) and Fred Astaire, but to no avail.
For some obscure reason they don't seem interested, so the only way to finally see it, after the first time at the theatre, 46 years ago, was to buy this copy, by Hollywood's Attic...
Nothing wrong with that, but the problem is that whoever mastered this version had serious problems with his declining eyesight, since the black and white images are so blindingly brilliant and lacking contrast that I had to reduce brightness on my Sony Bravia TV to 0 (zero) to watch it!!!
Of course, this didn't help in any way the dirt, scratches and assorted defects of the copy used for mastering the DVD.
Audio quality is on a par with video quality, that is, horrible.
At times, especially at the start, when Ms.Novak attempts a fake-sounding British accent, you have to strain your ears to try and catch the words.
A real pity, because even after all these years, the film is still very funny, romantic and pleasing, thanks to the beauty of Kim Novak, the acting skills of Jack Lemmon and the sophisticated humour of the master of modern slapstick comedy, Blake Edwards, who wrote the script and fine direction by Richard Quine (Bell, Book and Candle).
Extras and subtitles are totally absent and the screen is slightly cut at the sides, like a partial pan and scan.
Do I need say more?

Director Richard Quine, along with writer Larry Gelbart, created this wonderfully sly, campy film, one of the best and most well-reviewed comedies of 1962. Columbia Pictures' big success that year was "Lawrence of Arabia", so this one was somewhat relegated to the back burner, then forgotten. A shame, because it's really one of Kim Novak's better performances, and features a fun comic performance by the great Jack Lemmon. Fred Astaire is along for the ride, and having fun in a relatively small role. As in all of Quine's films, the most fun comes from supporting characters, namely Lionel Jeffries & Estelle Winwood. I won't blab away the plot, since many of you likely haven't seen this film, but it's a murder-mystery, very clever with loads of laffs. I thought that, by now, someone would've come up with a retropective of Lemmon's career; if anyone gets that idea, "The Notorious Landlady" should be near the top of the list, regarding his comedies (which he did with the same aplomb as his riveting dramas; this was the same year as "Days of Wine & Roses"). I love and admire the career of Mr. Lemmon, a true American original; his role here as an American dealing with culture clash in England adds to my admiration. PLEASE... Where's the DVD?!

No comment on the quality of the disc since I watched on equipment hardly designed to reflect contemporary expectations.The film dates from a time when we were trying to get accustomed to a Fred Astaire film without singing or dancing; it must have also have been one of the early Blake Edwards scripts, as well. Add in Jack Lemmon that fine comic actor and Kim Novak, that fine looking woman, and you have a delicious stew. There is a certain piquancy to the story-line which maintains our interest, a woman with a husband who simply vanished, her tenant, a diplomat newly arrived in the country- on his best behavior to hold his job at the American Embassy, and his boss who wants no trouble. Most of the fun comes, however, from Lemmon, for whom the other two are second bananas against whom he bounces his often physical but usually funny, responses. Looking at the film now, I am somewhat surprised to see how well Astaire handles the switch from song and dance man to straight actor.
All-in-all, this film which I enjoyed so much 45 years ago still has plenty to offer. In that sense, it is timeless fun.

Although dated, corny and rather slow, this 1962 film penned by Larry Gelbart and Blake Edwards is fun to watch. Jack Lemmon is a pre-cursor to Gelbart's Hawkeye (MASH)--the smooth and acerbic ladies man; Kim Novak is gorgeous as the titular heroine; and Fred Astaire quite restrained in a rare non-dancing role. But Estelle Winwood as the wheelchair-riding busybody ("Wheee!") and Lionel Jeffries' droll inspector who steal their all-too-brief scenes.
The final scene at the old folks retreat is priceless. A good film for light entertainment.

Please release this movie again. I remember this movie from when it first hit the theaters and have never forgotten it. It was a light romantic comedy with a mystery. One of the funniest scenes occurred at the end. I laughed until my sides ached and tears fell. I saw it at a later date and had the same reaction.

I watched this as soon as it arrived. This was a good "British" who done it.

A few days prior to buying this DVD on Amazon, I had purchased a copy of it at a local store, or so I thought. Due to a misprint of the actual DVD itself I ended up with a copy of an earlier Lemmon classic named "Pffft!" with Judy Holliday and Kim Novak. Although mildly entertaining, it found "Pffft!" disappointing overall. I decided to take a chance and purchase the DVD I wanted online. Once it arrived, I found that it was the correct film that I wanted. "The Notorious Landlady" was an enjoyable comedy centered around a newly assigned young American diplomat in London (Lemmon) who finds himself in a compromising position when he rents a room from a woman (Kim Novak) who has been accused of murdering her now-missing husband. Despite pressure from his boss (Fred Astaire) to move to another flat and avaoid a possible scandle, Lemmon's character is more interested in proving the innocence of his landlady as he finds himself falling in love with her...

This movie is largely set in London ,but no location shooting was involved ,the city being wholly recreated(in black and white) on the Columbia Studio backlot .This gives the movie a slighly stagebound feel to it which slightly weakens its impact
Kim Novak plays the title role -a woman suspected of having killed her husband .The police problem is that they cannot produce a body as the spouse in question has simply vanished .She is shunned by most of her neighbours apart from one wheelchair bound woman who thinks it all good fun having a scandal to liven up the area
Jack Lemonn plays a newly arrived US diplomat who unsuspectingly rents an apartment in her large and spacious Mayfair residence and the two gradually fall in love ,to the evident consternation of his boss at the US Embassy -Fred Astaire.He is presured by the seemingly avuncular policeman in charge of the case (Lionel Jeffries )to spy on her and unearth evidence of her complicity in the death of the husband.Only problem is -he is not dead and when he turns up she is forced to shoot him for real in self-defence .Cue a finale involving a trial ,a false witness,blackmail and a cliffhanger of an ending

Uniformly well acted and blessed with a sharp script from director Richard Quine this should be revived a lot more than it is and it is a good ,sharp little movie with a few neat red herrings to keep audiences on their toes .Keep your eyes out for nice cameo roles from Henry Daniell and Estelle Winwood

An enjoyable film with great cast, pity it was not in colour. Story line initially appears obvious but then it changes and keeps you guessing. Well worth being in one's collection.