Lady L (1965) User Reviews

LADY L (Peter Ustinov, 1965) **

[Bunuel1976 · 4/10 · 20 March 2007]

Blake Edwards' THE PINK PANTHER (1963) not only made an international film superstar of Peter Sellers and created a popular cartoon character but also made star-studded comedy extravaganzas a fashionable commodity in the film industry for the rest of the decade. In retrospect only a handful of these proved to be as successful and as durable and, alas, the film under review here is definitely not one of the lucky few. Frankly, LADY L has been shown so incredibly often on TV in my neck of the woods in the last 20 years or so that I can't believe I had never watched it from beginning to end until now! The credentials were unquestionably promising, even mouth-watering: Sophia Loren and Paul Newman in a Peter Ustinov-directed comedy epic (who even has a cameo as a Bavarian prince) also featuring David Niven, Claude Dauphin, Philippe Noiret, Michel Piccoli, Marcel Dalio and Cecil Parker; indeed, how could it possibly miss? Well, a lame misfire it most certainly turned out to be with only the occasional bright spot provided by (surprisingly enough) Dauphin - as a befuddled but dogged Police Inspector on the trail of anarchist thief Newman (who was never comfortable with comedy and this is no exception) - and, even less frequently, by Noiret as a lecherous Minister of the Interior. Both Piccoli and especially Dalio are criminally underused and even the usually reliable Niven looks bored in his rather thankless role as a dying aristocrat who takes Loren under his wing.

Which brings me to Lady L herself: beautiful as she is, I've never been particularly impressed with Loren's acting capabilities (particularly in her international ventures) and since Sophia is the whole show here - metamorphosing from a timid Italian laundress to a ravishing British lady to a cantankerous 80-year old celebrity - the film's success (or lack thereof) is clearly subject to one's impressions of her. Even so, its real death-knell is the sheer fact that, for such a conglomeration of talent, big-budget and comic potential, LADY L is a witless and distinctly unmemorable enterprise. Apparently, the film was originally to be helmed by director George Cukor and was intended for Gina Lollobrigida, Tony Curtis and Sir Ralph Richardson...which I don't think would have improved matters all that much!

Sophia and Newman look great together...

[Nazi_Fighter_David · 6/10 · 1 July 2005]

Newman is a charming, Robin Hood-style thief in turn-of-the-century Paris… He meets Loren in a bordello, where she works as a laundress, and they fall in love… Then he joins an underground revolutionary movement in Switzerland, and plans to assassinate a prince; in the meantime Loren meets a lord (David Niven), who offers to save Newman from the police if she will marry him… She makes an arrangement whereby she can have both men—a bizarre ménage-à-trois that lasts for decades…

Witty, elegant, stylishly photographed in color, and beautifully detailed in sets and costumes, the film is entertaining moving from the dignified to the eccentric, from full seriousness to a rather crazy way, from sentiment to cynicism, from nostalgic romanticism to anti-romantic parody

The film looks absolutely lovely...and often makes little sense.

[planktonrules · 5/10 · 16 November 2015]

This film was directed by and the screenplay was written by Peter Ustinov. You even see him in a bit part as a Prince and he's apparently dubbed his voice into the film a few times.

"Lady L" begins in what appears to be about 1965. Everyone in this English tableau is celebrating the 80th birthday of their beloved Lady (Sophia Loren). Soon she begins talking about her life story for a biographer and the movie begins in earnest. About 60 years earlier, Louise (Loren) is a laundress who works for a house of ill repute. Along the way, she meets a handsome revolutionary, Armand (Paul Newman) and she inexplicably falls for him. I say inexplicable because apart from being handsome, there's never an apparent reason for her loving him--even after he neglects her and spends most of his time plotting to kill nobles since he's an anarchist. There also isn't much chemistry between them--just a woman putting up with a neglectful man. Along the way, she also meets the nicest Duke you could imagine (David Niven). He gives her everything, treats her like a queen and loves her...yet, she still holds on to her love for Armand during much of the film. It never makes any sense whatsoever....but at least the leads look nice and the film obviously cost a lot to make because of all the great costumes and sets. However, like a pie made out of just meringue, this film looks great but never really satisfies--much of it also because the humor never really pays off. A lovely looking misfire.

Sophia makes for a visual feast!

[appleita · 18 April 1999]

This movie is a "bit of fluff" but a very lovely "bit of fluff". The costumes are wonderful and Sophia Loren makes them look even better. Entertaining story told in vignettes about a pretty racy lady who may, or may not, be even racier than intimated. Also, she has a chauffeur to die for. Yum!!!

To Hell with Lady L

[macpet49-1 · 3/10 · 26 January 2010]

First, I am a fan of Loren's but never when she plays ladies! She belongs in the world of Fellini and Italia. She is Mother Earth, the masses, Roma after the war. She has no business playing women courting royalty. She looks like a gay man playing a woman in these pictures that Hollywood and Pinewood placed her. I'm just sorry she didn't realize it herself, but I'm assuming she did some for money and others for friends like Ustinov. The distressing thing is everyone else is awful around her as well. These films like 'A Countess from Hong Kong' 'The Millionairess' all exhibit this yearning for the upper classes which I find detestable. It is anti human. She behaves and nothing is more boring than watching Loren behave! Gone are the tirades in Italian that endear her to us all, the larger than life gestures that say, "Pay attention, I'm talking here, and I represent the people!" It's sad that she finally became this caricature of a fine lady and lost her humanness. BTW, Paul Newman played Paul Newman in this.

Ustinov winks at society

[JuguAbraham · 7/10 · 15 March 2003]

Viewing this movie after a 30-year gap, I realize I need to appreciate the movie as a Peter Ustinov film rather than as a Sophia Loren film. While Sophia Loren is a delight for the eyes with her hour-glass figure, she proves that she cannot act competently as an elderly lady--her hoarse voice is as phony as phony can be.

Ustinov and Romain Gary carry the film. I have had the good fortune to have met Ustinov as a film critic in 1984 and discussed the few films he had directed. He was delighted as a small boy that someone remembered that he was once a director as most people recall him as actor. Ustinov the director is a superb wit and his visual digs at French and Russian society are hilarious (Romain Gary, I guess, contributed to the verbal digs at the Poles). Ustinov and Gary do not even spare the British. The farcical comedy is at its best in the opening 15 minutes with some good camerawork and some fine, witty dialogues.

Ustinov is not a top notch director but he can provide sufficient material for the laughs to keep flowing. For instance, he does not show the face of Paul Newman as the car driver, but the audience can guess that the director is hiding a crucial fact. The brothel scenes, the escape in the balloon, the actions of the police, are orchestrated with admirable finesse for a director who is detailing a farce.

That Carlo Ponti allowed Ustinov to direct this venture is a credit to Ponti as the outcome was more rewarding for Ponti's wife Loren than for Ustinov for the average viewer. The French actors were superb: Phillipe Noiret, Michel Picolli, Claude Dauphin, Jacques Dufilho, and Marcel Dalio. Claude Dauphin stood out as the best among the range of French talent.

The images of a prince playing with a bomb as though it were a plaything reduces the farce to absurdist black humour as is the choice of the assassin's dress (a priest's cassock!). So is the coughing signals alerting members of the police force during a concert. It is fun that can be enjoyed at all levels--thanks to Ustinov and Gary more than due to the contributions of the formidable line-up of actors.

Catastrophic.

[brogmiller · 4/10 · 20 December 2020]

An Anglo/French/Italian mishmash in which Peter Ustinov cannot make up his mind whether he is directing farce, satire or absurdist comedy. It has quite deservedly been consigned to cinematic oblivion as it is a monumental waste of talent and was no doubt an acute source of embarassment to all concerned.

Mr. Ustinov claimed that he was given too lavish a budget which must surely be the lamest excuse for making a stinker that one is ever likely to hear.

It was his intention to give us a combination of Rene Clair and Preston Sturges. Little evidence alas of either here except perhaps to remind us how truly great were those two directors.

What a Comedy !

[whpratt1 · 6/10 · 6 June 2008]

Enjoyed seeing a very young Sophia Loren, (Lady L) and a very handsome Paul Newman, (Armand Denis) both playing unbelievable comic roles. Lady L is a woman who takes in laundry to make a living and visits a bordello to collect dirty clothes and meets up with Armand who manages to fall in love with her and it is not too long before they have a baby. Lady L finds that Armand is more interested in making a bomb and and joining a secret spy ring that wants to kill a nobleman in high office. Lady L meets up with David Niven who owns a great deal of money and wants to marry her even though she is already married to Armand. As soon as Lady L obtains fancy jewelry, Armand wants to give it to the poor like a Robin Hood of his day. There are flashbacks as Lady L recalls her past to a man who wants to write her biography, however, it is so immoral, he decides to change his mind. A real crazy comedy, but enjoyable from 1965, enjoy.

beautiful people in non-sense comedy

[SnoopyStyle · 5/10 · 11 September 2022]

An elderly Lady Louise Lendale, Lady L (Sophia Loren) is celebrating her birthday with a large group of well-connected men from all branches of the establishment. She recounts her great loves starting from her time in a Paris brothel. She and revolutionary Armand Denis (Paul Newman) go on the run from the police. While on a mission, she meets Lord Lendale (David Niven).

This seems to be a comedy but I didn't laugh once. That's the basic measuring stick for all comedies. It's a rather personal assessment. The Loren Newman pairing is gorgeous but maybe too much. It's almost fake in their impossible beauty. Also, they're trying to do a screwball comedy which doesn't take off. Niven comes in and disrupts any chemistry in the relationship. It's all non-sense anyways.

This is the British Aristocracy, when the legend becomes fact print the legend.

[bkoganbing · 6/10 · 17 April 2012]

Sophia Loren is cast in the title role of Lady L whom we first see like Jeanette MacDonald as an 80+ woman who with some prodding from her dear friend poet Cecil Parker is about to tell her scandalous life story. Believe me this woman has seen things and done things that would shock the proper British society that she's married into. MacDonald in Maytime had a story to tell in flashback and come to think of it so did James Stewart in The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance.

Back in the day Sophia was a laundress and one of her main clients was a prominent French brothel and it was there she met thief and anarchist Paul Newman and her later husband David Niven who provided a title and the good life in the United Kingdom. How both effect her life and story is the basis of Lady L.

Loren while in old lady character sounds a lot like Martita Hunt, I wouldn't be surprised if she dubbed her, if not Sophia does a real good imitation. Newman is not quite right for the part, they should have gotten someone really French like Yves Montand.

As for David Niven he just saunters through the film as David Niven. His good friend Peter Ustinov both wrote and directed Lady L and Code restraints being what they were Niven if it were done today would be more explicitly gay. That would far better explain his position and the relationship that develops afterward between all three of the principal characters.

Lady L is not bad, but it suffers from some miscasting and too much Code imposed discretion.

Moments of Quality Surrounded By Silliness

[atlasmb · 5/10 · 26 August 2014]

This film is not rated very highly, but the reviews here are mostly positive. Perhaps that is due to the enjoyment people receive seeing older films with actors they enjoy.

Sophia Loren plays Lady Lendale, an octogenarian recounting some memories from her wacky past. She had been married to Lord Lendale (David Niven) until his death in 1924. Before that she was involved with Armand Denis (Paul Newman), an anarchist whose only goal in life was to destroy things owned by those with money or position.

The portion of the film that starts with the meeting of Lord and Lady L is enjoyable. Niven plays a unique character. He seeks love, and desires a woman who is not the usual society bore. Loren, as she opens to his strange concept of love, is an interesting foil to his intelligent perspective. Their relationship is the highlight of the film.

Newman is out of place here, filling a silly role. After Lord L leaves the story, things devolve into a pointless collection of sight gags, on par with "The Apple Dumpling Gang".

Riotous Satire Well Told By Veteran Cast

[rollo_tomaso · 10/10 · 17 April 2001]

I had stayed away from this film because the critics panned it so viciously. Serves me right, because it was absolutely wonderful from beginning to end. Ustinov punctuates the rich satire in the script just perfectly with his grandiose direction. The cinematography is lush, and Sophia is outrageously good, as the strongly principled woman ahead of her time, who sees and is amused by all the rich ironies of life. Cecil Parker gives the movie it's opening tone and it never misses a best. But the writing is the strongest single aspect of the work, always remaining true to its characters, while making pungent observations on UK moral codes, class struggles, the battle of the sexes, the institution of marriage, and many others. Enjoy! 10/10

Cute comic romp

[HotToastyRag · 6/10 · 10 January 2022]

In this charming romantic period piece directed by Peter Ustinov, Sophia Loren starts the movie off completely unrecognizable from her usual 1960s glamorous appearance. She's elderly with a padded matronly figure, wrinkles, white hair, and stooped posture. Her voice is wobbly and she barely recognizes her own family. When asked to tell the story of her life, she treats us all to a gigantic flashback.

A poor girl rises to the top in very unlikely circumstances. A laundress in a brothel, she meets Paul Newman when he's running away from the scene of the crime. He's just planted a bomb in a bank, and he seeks refuge by pretending his alibi was at the brothel. Since he's cute, she agrees to cover for him. The movie will have you think they fall in love, but if you're paying attention you'll see that she falls in love with him and he treats her like garbage. All he cares about is his anarchist rebellion and occasional bombs and assassinations. When Sophia meets David Niven, an extremely wealthy and powerful man, she tries to steal from him so she can pass the jewels onto her lover.

Why does she keep holding a torch for Paul Newman? The Niv is handsome, classy, a legitimate member of society, wealthy, forgiving, generous, and loves her. Paul is a scoundrel, a criminal, and cruel. Just as an example: The Niv gives Sophia an exquisite necklace, she lets Paul pawn it, The Niv finds out about it and brings it back from the pawnbroker to give to her for a second time, and Paul rips it off her neck and throws it to a homeless woman. How horrible is that? Adding insult to injury, the homeless woman is so shocked, she dies on the spot.

I love the comic touches of Peter Ustinov, and I can only imagine how much funnier the overall film would have been had he written the screenplay, too. Sophia is beautiful in the movie, and her comic timing is great. But why does Paul have to be so rotten? The Niv is sheer perfection, so how is there any contest? Watch the movie to see if you agree. You'll get to see some beautiful costumes and enjoy a couple of twists in the plot.

a Peter Ustinov, but this one not so good.

[ksf-2 · 5/10 · 9 June 2019]

If one reads the Trivia section on imdb, one sees that the production was pretty cursed to begin with, which probably explains the pretty low ratings as of today. Peter Ustinov has a great sense of humor, and we see that in HOT MILLIONS, with the awesome Maggie Smith. There was a real magic between them. In Lady L, there are certainly big names, Loren, Newman, Niven, but the magic just isn't there. It opens with Lady Louise (Sophia Loren) being honored, and then we go back in time to relive her life and loves. There ARE some clever lines and turns of phrases, but it's SO much work. The cast just isn't having fun. some fun scenes where Louise started as the laundress in a house of ill repute, but it's not fun or funny. Period pieces are usually slow to begin with, and this one just DRAGS.... skip it. watch Hot Millions instead. Story by Romain Gary, who had a bunch of novels made into films. Directed by Ustinov, but this isn't his best work.

Silly Satire , has its funny moments. Worth a watch.

[csab-39797 · 6/10 · 10 December 2018]

If you're looking to see SL and PN in an out of character film then this is it. I'll admit the beginning was a bit scary when I saw SL and heard that accent but once the flash backs started it began to catch my attention. It's filmed in a very Mary Poppins type set where all the buildings and characters are over the top ..a satire it definitely is. Also fun to watch the cast , especially DN who always excels in these types of films.

Strangely Compelling Absurdist Farce

[aromatic-2 · 9/10 · 20 April 2001]

Ustinov has imbued this "sleeper" with an outrageously twisted sense of humour, and Loren celebrates every nuance of its irreverent edges. She is as marvelous as the ancient dowager worshipped by Cecil Parker as she is as the irrepressible Corsican laundress who falls for anarchist Newman but never loses her sense of the absurdity of man. What a treat!

S is for Sophia, L is for Lady.

[nibiruorr · 8/10 · 28 June 2014]

Shortly after winning her 1961 Oscar for her harrowing portrayal of a woman struggling to protect her daughter from the ravages of war-torn occupied Italy during the Second World War (some closest to Loren insist the film is semi-autobiographical) in "Two Women", Loren ably demonstrated to the critics of the world that she could not only handsomely dress a set but could be a force to reckon with as a serious actress. That being said, she was off to the races, figuratively speaking, selecting her next projects, again, "ably" assisted by her producer husband Carlo Ponti ("Doctor Zhivago"). It's not too surprising that she would choose a film in a lighter more comedic vein, for, just as every comic longs to play Shakespeare, every serious actor enjoys slipping on a banana peel every now and then. The ever versatile Peter Ustinov (two time Oscar winner, "Spartacus", "Topkapi") wrote and directed, adapting Romain Gary's novel to the screen with characteristic flare and panache, and, has a minor stint in the film as a befuddled crowned head of some remote principality or other, the target of a would-be assassin's bullet that of her anarchist husband Paul Newman (also, an Oscar winner, "The Color of Money"), and, wooed and romanced by her all too understanding entitled affluent husband (yep, you guessed it, yet another Oscar winner, "Separate Tables") David Niven. Personally, I'm a sucker for sumptuous elegant films and "Lady L" is mounted on fairly lavish scale, albeit, those exteriors and interiors which were obviously filmed on locations elsewhere, as well as, period costumes which are both stunning and ravishing to gawk at especially as worn by the curvaceous Loren.

All Style and No Substance

[Michael_Elliott · 20 January 2016]

Lady L (1965)

** (out of 4)

Lady Louise Lendale (Sophia Loren) recounts her younger years and the relationship she had with two different type of men (Paul Newman, David Niven).

LADY L was a box office flop when it was released and it's never really been beloved by fans of any of the three leads or director Peter Ustinov. Later in life Ustinov blamed a lot of different things for the film's failure including the fact that the Loren and Newman apparently didn't get along and the director also said the budget was simply too big for the type of film it was.

I actually agree with both of those statements. For starters, the story itself is extremely flat and there's just no energy, no spark or any real point to anything we're watching. Loren and Newman sleepwalk through their roles and I'd agree that there's not an inch of chemistry between the two. The first portion of the film is like a bad comedy but when Niven enters the picture is just becomes boring and flat. I really don't recall too many times where the three leads were as bland as they are here.

Another major problem with the film is that it looks terrific but there's no substance to it. Perhaps this is why the director blamed the budget. I'm going to guess that his main focus was on making the picture look like a big budget instead of getting anything better on the page. LADY L certainly didn't destroy the leads careers but at the same time it's easy to see why the film has pretty much been forgotten.

There's No Accounting For Taste

[Better_Sith_Than_Sorry · 8/10 · 17 March 2024]

Most of the recent reviews here are down on this film, one calling it 'catastrophic' and another reviewer claiming to have not laughed once. Well, I don't know what film they watched. Sometimes there's just no accounting for taste.

Plot In A Nutshell: An elderly British aristocrat (Sophia Loren) recounts her earlier life and love affair with a petty criminal and budding anarchist (Paul Newman), while being pursued by a British lord (David Niven).

First off, this is a comedy and needs to be understood as such. Second, it's very much a British comedy, screenplay and direction by the esteemed Peter Ustinov. Not much slapstick. It's all in the dialogue. And while there are comedic situations throughout, I'd say the best lines are reserved for Niven's character, the British lord. Here are a few examples:

Lord Lendale (Niven) is trying to identify an assassin among a crowd of people. He picks out a man and asks Loren's character if he is right. "No," she says, "that's the Paris Chief of Police." Lendale replies "Oh, so close!" Lol how can you not laugh at that. Another time, Loren's character steals a valuable object from Lendale. Lendale readily forgives her and says "it's OK. I'm a duke, so that just means my ancestors learned to steal earlier than other people." Hilarious! If you don't find these lines funny, I don't know what to say. I was amused throughout this film and am glad I didn't listen to the naysayers here.

This is not an Oscar winner and it's not trying to be. It's a fun bit of satire and in that vein, I think Ustinov succeeded rather well. I'm not sure what other reviewers expected to see here.

8/10. Would I watch again (Y/N)?: Yes, absolutely.