In rating this, I decided that in this case, 2 was worse than 1. It is without a doubt the worst musical film ever made, making "Lost Horizon", "And Long Last Love" and "Can't Stop the Music" the best of MGM in comparison. Hopefully the legendary Joan Collins has learned to get over singing about getting chalk with her cheese, featured as part of a raunchy production number that looks like it was cut out of "Barbarella", and I'm sure she's grateful that it's not a cult classic like "Valley of the Dolls" and "Mommie Dearest". I can't see this as part of any gay cult festival either. In fact, if I wanted to break up with my lover or end a long term friendship, all I'd have to do would be to put this on. They'd change their phone numbers and emails immediately. Others might harass me in the middle of the night for giving them nightmares as a result of seeing this film
So what is so bad about this outside the ridiculously long, confusing title? Its star/writer/director, Anthony Newley, for one thing, predating the Broadway musical "Nine" by thirteen years, and giving off a vibe of such ego that it does nothing but a disservice to the charms he had showed in his live stage appearances. Unfortunately, unlike his two Broadway hits ("Stop the World, I Wanna Get Off" and "The Roar of the Greasepaint, the Smell of the Crowd"), this analytical musical reeks of meglomania and not in any charming, comical way. Each musical number gets exceedingly worse, culminating in a truly tacky number where one of the leading ladies is seen cavorting, believe it or not, with a donkey! No wonder showings of this film end up with near riots.
Newley is surrounded by an all star cast of comic legends and centerfold beauties, but all you can do is feel sorry for Milton Berle playing the God of Sleeze and George Jessel as a more wise deity, with Stubby Kaye wasted in a useless part. Otto Preminger did better with Groucho Marxx, Jackie Gleason and Carol Channing in the same year's disaster, "Skidoo", which is at least fun to laugh at. There is no entertainment value here, no moral lesson to be learned, and certainly not a master class on how not to make a movie. Research showed that this made a profit, making me wonder if Newley had the Max Bielestock idea of creating a huge flop yet failed. Even "The First Nudie Musical" (which this proves not to be the case) has more redeeming elements than this piece of filth.
So what is so bad about this outside the ridiculously long, confusing title? Its star/writer/director, Anthony Newley, for one thing, predating the Broadway musical "Nine" by thirteen years, and giving off a vibe of such ego that it does nothing but a disservice to the charms he had showed in his live stage appearances. Unfortunately, unlike his two Broadway hits ("Stop the World, I Wanna Get Off" and "The Roar of the Greasepaint, the Smell of the Crowd"), this analytical musical reeks of meglomania and not in any charming, comical way. Each musical number gets exceedingly worse, culminating in a truly tacky number where one of the leading ladies is seen cavorting, believe it or not, with a donkey! No wonder showings of this film end up with near riots.
Newley is surrounded by an all star cast of comic legends and centerfold beauties, but all you can do is feel sorry for Milton Berle playing the God of Sleeze and George Jessel as a more wise deity, with Stubby Kaye wasted in a useless part. Otto Preminger did better with Groucho Marxx, Jackie Gleason and Carol Channing in the same year's disaster, "Skidoo", which is at least fun to laugh at. There is no entertainment value here, no moral lesson to be learned, and certainly not a master class on how not to make a movie. Research showed that this made a profit, making me wonder if Newley had the Max Bielestock idea of creating a huge flop yet failed. Even "The First Nudie Musical" (which this proves not to be the case) has more redeeming elements than this piece of filth.