Product Details

• Actors: John Cleese, Connie Booth, Graham Crowden, Desmond Jones, Freddie Jones
• Directors: Robert Young
• Writers: John Cleese, Connie Booth, Robert Young, Anton Chekhov, Bill Owen
• Producers: David King, Ian Gordon
• Format: Color, DVD, NTSC
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: White Star
• DVD Release Date: July 15, 2003
• Run Time: 40 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B0000A5FBS
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #42,180 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV)

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  Movies & TV > Comedy > Comedy Stars > John Cleese

• For more information about "John Cleese - Romance With A Double Bass" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

John Cleese and Connie Booth star in this delightful tale of comic romance based on the short story by Anton Chekhov. On a hot summer's day a musician (Cleese) decides to skinny dip in the royal lake, not knowing that the princess (Booth) has done the same. A passing thief steals both their clothes, and their attempt to return to the castle proves to be a hilarious adventure.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Comedic genius in czarist Russia., July 9, 2003

By	Tom Knapp "Rambles.NET editor" (Lancaster, PA USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)    (VINE VOICE)

This review is from: Romance With a Double Bass [VHS] (VHS Tape)

This film doesn't deserve to be lost in the depths of cinematic memory. Based on a short story by Anton Chekhov, the tale of a Russian musician and a beautiful princess is delightful even after repeated viewings.

While the humor isn't painted with quite so broad a brush as Monty Python or "Fawlty Towers," it certainly captures Cleese's trademark humor. "Romance With a Double Bass" is a charming film, one I recommend highly.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Unusual romantic comedy, August 22, 2004

By	L O'connor (richmond, surrey United Kingdom) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

John Cleese is a put-upon double bass player in an orchestra which has been engaged to play at the engagement party of a Russian princess (Connie Booth). When Cleese arrives too early for the party he is turned away by a haughty footman, so he goes off to bathe in the lake. The Princess has also decided to take a dip in the lake, but while they are swimming disaster strikes and a thief steals their clothes. John Cleese is faced with the daunting task of getting himself, the princess and the double bass back to the house without anyone seeing them. How he accomplishes this is very funny, and the journey is frought with peril. This is a slight but very amusing comedy with a charming ending, based on a Chekhov short story, but it has greatly improved on the original.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Cleese at his absolute finest, March 2, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Romance With a Double Bass [VHS] (VHS Tape)

When this aired many years ago I was spending an evening alone, with nothing to do, and bummed out about it. This came on, and so completely turned me around I was smiling for days. John Cleese's absurdity gets its full range here, and his wife at the time, Connie Booth, co-stars. A period piece, Cleese is a bass player, who is quite inept. His big break is to play for the princess' engagement party. Unfortunately he goes for a swim in a nearby lake, and his clothes are stolen. The same theif takes the princess' clothes. Finding each other, stark naked, they must make their way to the castle, retrieve her clothes, and still make his rehearsal for the big event. But it is the small touches, as always, that make this so memorable. It's a wonderful piece. Go for it.