(1965)
2
Craig Butler
Lady L wants to be an anarchical comedy, a satire that lobs bombs at all sorts of conventions and classes -- but unfortunately, director/writer Peter Ustinov forgot to light the fuse. The film starts out well (once one gets past Sophia Loren's inability to pass as an 80-year-old woman), but it never delivers on its early promise, and it never seems to settle on what it wants to say or what its targets will be. It does have a twisted sense of humor which pokes its head through every so often, but the pacing is too deliberate and the atmosphere too strained for much of the humor to land. Once she gets to play a younger woman, Loren is fine, although her attempts at portraying a woman born to the breed are not always successful. David Niven, of course, has no trouble exuding the airs of the upper class, but he doesn't seem as firmly in command of his character as is his usual wont. More problematic is Paul Newman, whose performance is curiously lifeless. There are some attractive costumes and lovely scenery, but they actually end up working against Lady L, making it seem like a conventional film when it cries out for a more outrageous and adventurous treatment.
Lady L on AllMovie
Lady L (1965)
