Arthur (1981) Orion/Comedy RT: 97 minutes Rated PG (language, vulgar remarks, a scene of violence, pervasive drunkenness) Director: Steve Gordon Screenplay: Steve Gordon Music: Burt Bacharach Cinematography: Fred Schuler Release date: July 17, 1981 (US) Cast: Dudley Moore, Liza Minnelli, John Gielgud, Geraldine Fitzgerald, Jill Eikenberry, Stephen Elliott, Ted Ross, Barney Martin, Thomas Barbour, Anne De Salvo, Lou Jacobi. Box Office: $95.4M (US)
Rating: ****
Can you believe it’s been more than a decade since the awful remake of the classic Dudley Moore comedy Arthur unceremoniously came and went from theaters? Are you even aware there was a remake? You’re not alone. Some folks don’t even recall there was a sequel in ’88. Me, I’m wondering what was going through the makers’ minds when they thought Russell Brand would be a good replacement for Moore who made the character of drunken millionaire playboy Arthur Bach distinctively his.
I have fond memories of seeing the original Arthur with my first girlfriend JB. I was 13, it was summer and I was in my happy place, the cinema. We both thought it was hysterically funny. It was my first theatrical experience with Moore whom I thoroughly enjoyed in Foul Play on network TV. What I didn’t realize about Arthur at the time is that it was a throwback to the screwball comedies of the 30s and 40s. Sure, I subsequently read it in reviews, but I didn’t become familiar with that particular genre until later in life, college specifically. It’s a dead-on assessment of 1981’s surprise hit comedy.
Arthur lives the kind of life most of us only dream about. He’s extremely wealthy and doesn’t have a care in the world. Like the theme song says, he “does what he pleases” which typically involves drinking (a lot!) and carousing. He embarrasses his upper crust family to no end. Finally, his father puts his foot down and threatens him with disinheritance if he doesn’t settle down and marry Susan (Eikenberry, L.A. Law), the boring-as-hell daughter of a brutish business acquaintance (Elliott, Beverly Hills Cop). With $750 million at stake, can you blame Arthur for acquiescing?
No life, not even that of a rich drunken playboy, is without complications. One day while out shopping at Bergdorf-Goodman with his loyal butler/companion Hobson (Gielgud, The Elephant Man), he spots Linda (Minnelli, Cabaret) shoplifting a tie. Instantly smitten, he intercedes on her behalf when she’s confronted by store security. He then asks her out on a date. Arthur soon realizes he’s in love with Linda, a diner waitress who shares an apartment in Queens with her unemployed father (Martin, Seinfeld), despite their class differences. Now he faces a serious dilemma. Does he go ahead and marry Susan as planned or be with the woman he really loves and forfeit the family fortune?
Arthur is an extremely funny movie. It didn’t need a remake because it’s absolute perfection from start to finish. Drunks aren’t always likable. More often than not, they tend to be sloppy, obnoxious and combative. They’re only charming in movies like Arthur. Arthur is what you call a funny drunk. When he’s in an inebriated state (which is almost all the time), everything that comes out of his mouth is a joke. Never mind that he’s often the only one laughing. The truth is Arthur drinks to ease his loneliness. He’s always looking for love, usually in all the wrong places. In the opening, he picks up a hooker (De Salvo, D.C. Cab) and takes her to dinner at the Plaza. At some point, he forgets what she does for a living and why she’s with him. His reaction when reminded is priceless. In the role, Moore is flawless. He creates a character we come to love and care about like a mischievous child. In fact, he’s very much like a child in that he needs to grow up. He wants the one thing his money can’t buy; he wants somebody to love that will love him back in return. Granted, it’s not wise to go about such a task while plastered for several reasons. Thankfully, none of them occur to Arthur or the writer. ANYWAY, the point is Moore is great as Arthur.
Top honors have to go to Gielgud who won Best Supporting Actor for his performance as Hobson, a father figure who only wants for his boss to be happy in spite of his controlling father’s efforts to the contrary. Theirs is NOT the traditional master-servant relationship. He has a sharp tongue and a sharper wit. He’s not afraid to say exactly what he thinks. Upon meeting Linda for the first time, he dryly tells her “usually one must go to a bowling alley to meet a woman of your stature”. When Arthur says he’s going to take a bath, Hobson dryly replies, “I’ll alert the media” without missing a beat. It’s all in the delivery; Gielgud’s deadpan style suits it well. This is the stuff that classic comedies are made of. Minnelli does quite well as tough, gutsy Linda who doesn’t give a hoot about Arthur’s money. She sees somebody that needs taking care of. Deep down though, she does want the fairy tale happy ending. She’ll never admit it, but it’s true.
Not all is hilarity in Arthur. Drama comes in the form of Hobson’s failing health. For the first time in his life, Arthur is faced with the prospect of being alone and having to take care of himself. It also means making his own decisions, something that he’s ill-equipped to do. Writer-director Steve Gordon, in his one and only directorial effort (he died of a heart attack the following year), achieves a perfect balance of comedy and drama. It never once gets maudlin.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention Burt Bacharach’s absolutely perfect score. The man is a musical genius. I knew it at 13 and it’s still true 40+ years later. The theme song “Arthur’s Song (Best That You Can Do)” by Christopher Cross is still one of my favorites. His work on Arthur is among his very best.
When the original Arthur came out in ‘81, MPAA standards were a bit different. It received a PG rating even though it absolutely glorifies drunken behavior. In one scene, Arthur drinks scotch from a bottle while driving. The same scene today would automatically qualify it for a PG-13. And let’s not forget the occasionally ribald humor. You wouldn’t hear it in a PG movie today. As always, it’s interesting to note how much standards have changed since the early 80s. Even with its PG rating, Arthur is intended for adult audiences. It’s a great counterpoint to the juvenile fare that typically floods theaters during the hot weather months. It’s a legitimately funny movie that doesn’t pander to its audience. It has a great supporting cast that also includes Ted Ross (Police Academy) as Arthur’s loyal chauffeur and Geraldine Fitzgerald (Easy Money) as the tough-cookie grandmother who can’t bear the thought of any member of the Bach family living a working-class life.
I’ll close my review of Arthur by pointing out Moore gets off his fair share of funny one-liners. When Susan tells him to take her hand at dinner, he replies, “That would leave you with one!” That’s the only one I’m going to share. There are too many gems to choose from. In any event, I think we can all agree that Arthur is an undisputed comedy classic. If you’re ever tempted to watch the remake, I strongly suggest you revisit the original instead. Trust me, you’ll be glad you did. If we’re lucky, Russell Brand will go away and never come back.
