Word: film
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Dates: during 1960-1960
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Eddie, Gloria's chaste boy-friend in the book, is named Steve in the movie, because Steve is played by Eddie in the film, and you wouldn't want Liz to be calling Eddie Eddie, would you? It would be terribly confusing. It is legitimate, I suppose, to change Eddie Fisher's movie name to Steve, but it is harder to see why producer Pandro S. Berman would go to even that much trouble to insert Mr. Fisher into a role which he plays with a total lack of distinction...
...ambitious French A student will find the film's dialogue not very difficult to comprehend, translated adequately by the subtitles (though, of course, without the many nuances which were important to the film) and, in general, much more fun than a language lab. Actually, though, much of the humor was wordless; director Rene Clair has not lost his touch for creating telling little dramas without dialogue (also without subtlety, as was most of the film...
Indeed, many movie-goers could enjoy the film while ignoring both dialogue and subtitles, for the costumes and decor were, in themselves, a treat for the eye. I cannot say how faithful they were to the period, but it doesn't matter; the multi-colored uniforms of the dragoons, the lively dresses worn by the bevies of pretty girls, and the luxurious furniture made a very impressive spectacle...
Unfortunately, there is less to The Grand Maneuver than meets the eye. The plot is about what one would expect of an Italian opera buffa, and, despite the brevity of the film, one's interest in the story often wanes. The hero, Armand, is a philandering young dragoon in the French army who would undoubtedly swagger if Gerard Philippe had put a little more spirit into the role. Armand wagers that he can, before the company goes on maneuvers, "win the favors of" some young mademoiselle, who has yet to be selected. At the provincial Red Cross ball Armand decides...
With mediocre actors, a hackneyed story line, and dialogue that sounded at times like exercises from an elementary French textbook, any merits of the film must be credited to the settings and the direction, and the latter was inconsistent. While the film as a whole lacked cohesion, and the quick shifts from one scene to another were often confusing, the individual vignettes were executed with just the right mixture of subtlety and brashness...