If nothing else "Penelope" helps to explain the attraction the French have for Jerry Lewis movies, as unlike these "Penelope" type comedies the Lewis stuff actually contains a fair amount of humor. During the ten years before the arrival of Woody Allen and Mel Brooks, Hollywood had virtually ceded comedy over to television and concentrated on epics and overwrought melodrama. Disney did funny stuff for children like "The Shaggy Dog" and Disney alumni did beach movies for teenagers, but only Lewis was doing comedy features.
Hollywood did try to pass off a few very mild titillation films (for adults) as old style screwball comedies and "Penelope" is as good an example of this mislabeled genre as any other.
"Penelope" was Natalie Wood's last big starring role. She looks great but had no business being cast in this role because "The Great Race" had already revealed an almost complete absence of comedic talent and timing.
Technically it is a well-made production with a decent if not particularly witty script. You get a sense that the set was full of underutilized creative and production talent, constrained from making the film into more than its producers wanted.
It is interesting to see a very young Peter Falk playing (big surprise) a detective and perhaps even more interesting to see Dick Shawn as a relatively straight laced psychiatrist (why did director Arthur Hiller keep Shawn's manic talents in check?). Jonathan Winters makes a brief appearance as Penelope's lecherous college professor (in the film's main titillation scene).
There is even an appearance by the ubiquitous Fritz Feld, playing his standard pompous Frenchman, and (another big surprise) making popping noises by slapping his mouth with the palm of his hand to indicate his superiority and impatience.
If you just want to "look" at "Natalie" you could do worse than "Penelope". If you want actual comedy from the 1960's you will do a lot better with Jerry or with Frankie and Annette.
Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child.
Hollywood did try to pass off a few very mild titillation films (for adults) as old style screwball comedies and "Penelope" is as good an example of this mislabeled genre as any other.
"Penelope" was Natalie Wood's last big starring role. She looks great but had no business being cast in this role because "The Great Race" had already revealed an almost complete absence of comedic talent and timing.
Technically it is a well-made production with a decent if not particularly witty script. You get a sense that the set was full of underutilized creative and production talent, constrained from making the film into more than its producers wanted.
It is interesting to see a very young Peter Falk playing (big surprise) a detective and perhaps even more interesting to see Dick Shawn as a relatively straight laced psychiatrist (why did director Arthur Hiller keep Shawn's manic talents in check?). Jonathan Winters makes a brief appearance as Penelope's lecherous college professor (in the film's main titillation scene).
There is even an appearance by the ubiquitous Fritz Feld, playing his standard pompous Frenchman, and (another big surprise) making popping noises by slapping his mouth with the palm of his hand to indicate his superiority and impatience.
If you just want to "look" at "Natalie" you could do worse than "Penelope". If you want actual comedy from the 1960's you will do a lot better with Jerry or with Frankie and Annette.
Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child.