The eccentric Aunt of a middle aged bank manager persuades him to accompany her on a series of adventures across Europe. This was intended as a film for Katherine Hepburn who apparently wrote the screenplay. Hepburn was replaced by Maggie Smith who gives a very eccentric performance wearing some very eccentric costumes.
The film was directed by George Cukor. Cukor was one of the few directors who knew how to film and compose in wide screen, this is a great looking film. The production was designed by John Box who had worked with David Lean on his super epics. Douglas Slocombe who photographed the first three Indiana Jones films and major pieces of Close Encounters of the Third Kind was the cinematographer. The technical credits for this film are very high.
Cukor hadn't lost his touch with the cast, future star of the horrible Laverne and Shirley TV series Cindy Williams gives a very good performance. Alec McCowen who I had only seen in Hitchcock's Frenzy as the nephew has a light comedy touch and Louis Gossett Jr. channeling some kind of odd ball character is interesting as a man probably a little to devoted to Aunt Augusta for his own good.
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| George Cukor directs Maggie Smith |
This was never a film that was probably going to have a wide appeal to a 1970's audience. The era of sophisticated comedies was a thing of the past. The screenplay leaves a little to be desired as it takes a while to warm up to the Maggie Smith character. However once the film gets going, this is a real pleasure in watching the skill that this team brought to the film.
109 minutes.
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