The Statue

source: The Statue

The Statue

I have a huge VHS and Beta tape collection and am very generous about lending but am now reconsidering my past actions. I would love to see this one again as it passed my test that "off colour" MUST be superseded by humor. I don't recall ever laughing more heartily and would love to do so again if I can find a copy. Yes it IS Naughty but it is also Very Nice. Only David Niven was capable of handling a role such as this and still remain the true British Gentleman; even while making somewhat of an ass of himself but always recovering from each silly event. Cary Grant might have pulled it off but his type of good looks would not have filled the bill so well. I am rather surprised that a new version of this never turned up, such a crazy theme!!!!

Absolutely hysterical!,,. I saw this one upon release in 1973 at a drive-in movie theater no less. I remember this one as one of the funniest movies I have EVER seen! Mr. Niven's performance was certainly first rate. I have often found myself thinking fondly of this film and invariably I end with a disappointing search for an affordable copy on DVD. I have been seeking a copy of this movie for so long I would even settle for a copy on VHS! But alas no luck. In the past few years I have seen a single VHS copy available for sale on venues like eBay but at a cost of $70 + I just haven't been very keen on taking a chance with a purchase. If anyone viewing this has any leads on a reputable ( and affordable) source for this first rate comedy please post info here. Assuming any viable prints still exist it would be great to see a mainline transfer to DVD made available.

I was fortunate enough to see this movie in 1971 and now 35 years later I am trying to get a copy of this for my video library. In this movie, David Niven, who has been away on diplomatic business views a statue of him that is wife was working on while he was away. The statue of him is exactly him, except for the genitalia. He then proceeds to investigate who visited his wife while he was away to see who may have been the inspiration. He takes his list of his wife's visitors and tries to compare their private areas with the statue to solve the mystery. This movie is a true masterpiece of comedy, and I hope to see a DVD release of this someday. Older VHS copies occasionally show up on Ebay, but are too expensive for such an obsolete format.

The disclaimer at the beginning of the DVD apologizes for the poor quality of the transfer, apparently there are hardly any prints of this film still in existence. This film was just released on DVD and is quite legible, with the exception of numerous scratches. The reviews of this film at the time of release in 1971, were awful. Roger Ebert reveled in his review that he "walked out," before the movie was even over. This film is definitely a strange one, however it has good qualities today. John Cleese is in an early performance as David Niven's friend, there is also an appearance by Graham Chapman, and Tim Brooke Taylor. There is humor here, the search for the model who posed as Niven's private parts, for the creation of the statute does get slightly dragged out, nevertheless it is still funny. The stage production of "Skin," bears a resemblance to Hair, but it is more zany and wild. I recommend this films for fans of Niven, Cleese, Robert Vaughn, and rare lost films. *****

I saw this movie when it first came to theatres and forgot about it until just recently. I've looked for the DVD and found it on Ebay for almost $70 and on another site for $30. Any fans out there that can recommend a company that sells it for around $15 or $20? Don't want to be cheap, but I was young, young when I saw it and only remember laughing a lot. Just for the record, David Niven is brilliant. I can't think of any role he didn't nail and I think he was probably a very nice fellow in his personal life...even tho...of course, that is completely none of my business. This paragraph is just filling space for the minimum amount of verbiage so I can post my search for a more reasonably priced DVD. Hope it isn't cheating!

This ranks up there with "The Impossible Years." After realizing that his statue was not consistent with his anatomy David Niven searches for the model. I was caught off guard by his photographic endeavors. With all the negative films today it was nice to see that this one had a thoughtful ending. I am still looking for a VHS copy of this film.

When my friends ask me to name the absolutely worst movie I've ever seen, this is the one I always answer with. Considering Amateau's experience with comedy, and the quality of many of the cast members, this is a real disappointment. Maybe the saddest thing is watching David Niven trying to find the inspiration for a -- er -- feature on a statue his wife produced by skulking around lavatories, steam baths, and a bunch of other places. He looks vaguely embarrassed by it all, and really deserved a much better script. The trouble is, the production values of the film are too good for it to have much of a future on the midnight movie circuit. Plan 9, you're safe for now!

Embarrassing below-the-belt comedy marks a career low point for the usually sophisticated David Niven. Film gets a 3/10 instead of 1 only for John Cleese's scenes (which are few and far between) as a reluctant psychiatrist, plus for brief nudity by Ann Bell.