The Art of Love

Director: Norman Jewison Norman Jewison

Overview

In this comedy, a struggling American painter and an aspiring author share a Parisian apartment. When the artist decides to return to his wealthy lover, the author realizes that he will be unable to afford the flat should the roommate leave, and he does all he can to keep him there.

Product Details

Release Date:	09/22/2020
UPC:	0738329250218
Original Release:	1965
Rating:	NR
Source:	Kl Studio Classics
Region Code:	1
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Stereo]
Language:	English
Time:	1:39:00
Sales rank:	17,580

Special Features

Audio commentary by film historian and critic Peter Tonguette; Theatrical trailer

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

James Garner	Casey Barnett
Dick Van Dyke	Paul Sloane
Angie Dickinson	Laurie Gibson
Elke Sommer	Nikki
Ethel Merman	Mme. Coco
Carl Reiner	Rodin
Pierre Olaf	Carnot
Miiko Taka	Chou Chou
Roger C. Carmel	Zorgus
Irving Jacobsen	Fromkis
Jay Novello	Janitor
Naomi Stevens	Mrs. Fromkis
Renzo Cesana	Pepe
Leon Belasco	Prince
Louis Mercier	Judge
Maurice Marsac	Prosecutor
Fifi D'Orsay	Fanny
Marcel Hillaire	Executioner
Dawn Willere	Couchette
Nancy Martin	Margo,Margo
Victoria Carroll	Yvette
Sharon Shore	Betti
Astrid De Brea	Cerise
Ralph Brooks	Man at Art Show
Jean Del Val	Magistrate
George DeNormand	Man at Airport
Émile Genest	Cesar
Cy Coleman	Composer
Forbes Murray	Airport Extra
Rolfe Sedan	Cab Driver
Olan Soule	Tourist
Hal Taggart	Tourist

Technical Credits

Carl Reiner

Ross Hunter	Producer
Norman Jewison	Director
Carl Reiner	Screenwriter
Waldon O. Watson	Sound Effects

Editorial Reviews

A 1960s comedy with a cast including Dick Van Dyke, James Garner, Angie Dickinson and Elke Sommer, with writing by Carl Reiner and direction by Norman Jewison should be a heck of a lot funnier than The Art of Love turns out to be. Not that there aren't laughs, for there are, and a few of them are pretty close to belly laughs. But the laughs are spaced out too far, and the time between gets a bit difficult to endure. Part of the problem is simply that there's too much going on, and neither the writer nor the director figured out a way to organize things so that the events play off against each other rather than getting in each other's way. As a result, Art is a big muddle for most of the time. It also doesn't help that both of the leading male characters have traits that make them a bit hard to like, even with such experts as Van Dyke and Garner playing them. And the main gimmick -- an artist faking his suicide so that his paintings will be worth more -- is simply too familiar and therefore demands a more imaginative approach than it receives here. Still, the cast is very easy to take, and there's the bonus of some great Ethel Merman moments (along with some unbelievable Merman wigs). Neither cast nor the wigs can save Art, but they do make it worth a glimpse or two.