Victor Victoria (1982)

"A struggling female soprano finds work playing a male female impersonator, but it complicates her personal life."

- IMDB Synopsis

Julie Andrews is a lifelong hero of mine. I, like so many others, grew up knowing her for Mary Poppins, Sound of Music, & Princess Diaries. I've expanded my knowledge of her career in recent years, and that includes watching/listening to Camelot, My Fair Lady, and this film - Victor Victoria. 

When I first saw the musical number - Le Jazz Hot - I literally cried. I spent my life watching her, but seeing her perform something that wasn't only new to me at the time, but also very different from what I knew her for, was an emotional experience for me. She was almost 50 when she did this movie, and was in her 60s by the time she performed the Broadway adaption of this movie in the 90s. It's just so impressive how timeless she was even back then, and how talented and dedicated she was to the performing arts.

This is a huge recommendation for any Julie fan out there. As we all know, a surgery gone wrong resulted in her losing her angelic voice forever. Something that I didn't know until recently is that the surgery took place right after her Broadway run in Victor Victoria. The songs from this movie were probably the last songs she ever performed. Just a little something to appreciate when watching.

This film is very slow pacing, and dragged out a little too long. Several scenes could've been cut to keep a nice flow with the story. That's probably my only criticism. Of course Julie Andrews was great, and Robert Preston was excellent as Toddy. The final number was very fun and amusing. In fact, all the musical numbers were fun and well done. Definitely a must for musical theater nerds.

Victor Victoria was made in 1982. In the last 40 years since its release, the LQBTQ+ community has achieved much, at least in the United States. But even now, discrimination is still an obstacle, and there are plenty of people who refuse to accept anyone that's gay or otherwise. If that's how it is now, imagine how it was 40 years ago. For a movie about cross dressing, gay lovers, and gender equality, it was a huge win and stepping stone for Hollywood at the time. There were a handful of other movies that brought these topics to mainstream, like Tootsie. The early 80s was a huge breakthrough for LQBT in the industry, and now seeing a gay couple in a movie or show is pretty much normalized in the 21st century.

I'm just gonna end this review with a quote from "Victor" that really meant a lot for me to hear:

"Your problem, Mr. Marchand, is that you're preoccupied with stereotypes. I think it's as simple as you're one kind of man, I'm another. One that doesn't have to prove it. To myself, or anyone."

 

My Rating: ★★★★★★★★★☆