Mr. Topaze
Mr. Topaze (released in U.S. as I Like Money) is Peter Sellers' directorial debut in 1961.[1] Starring Sellers, Nadia Gray and Leo McKern, as well as Herbert Lom.[2] His son Michael Sellers plays in the film in the role of Gaston. The film is based on the eponymous play by Marcel Pagnol.[3]
| Mr. Topaze | |
|---|---|
.jpg) British quad poster by Tom Chantrell | |
| Directed by | Peter Sellers |
| Produced by | Pierre Rouve |
| Written by | Pierre Rouve Johnny Speight (script associate) |
| Based on | the play Topaze by Marcel Pagnol |
| Starring | Peter Sellers Nadia Gray Herbert Lom Leo McKern |
| Music by | George Martin Georges Van Parys |
| Cinematography | John Wilcox |
| Edited by | Geoffrey Foot |
Production company | Dimitri De Grunwald Production |
| Distributed by | Twentieth Century Fox |
Release date |
|
Running time | 97 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
Out of distribution for many years, a print exists in the British Film Institute National Archive, which makes it available for viewing on their website.[4] The film was shown during the 2003 Cardiff Independent Film Festival.[5] It was released on Blu-ray and DVD on 15 April 2019 by BFI.
Plot
Mr. Topaze (Peter Sellers) is an unassuming school teacher in an unassuming small French town who is honest to a fault. He is fired when he refuses to give a passing grade to a bad student, the grandson of a wealthy Baroness (Martita Hunt). Castel Benac (Herbert Lom), a government official who runs a crooked financial business on the side, is persuaded by his mistress, Suzy (Nadia Gray), a musical comedy actress, to hire Mr. Topaze as the front man for his business. Gradually, Topaze becomes a rapacious financier who sacrifices his honesty for success and, in a final stroke of business bravado, fires Benac and acquires Suzy in the deal. An old friend and colleague, Tamise (Michael Gough) questions him and tells Topaze that what he now says and practices indicates there are no more honest men.
Cast
- Peter Sellers as Albert Topaze
- Nadia Gray as Suzy
- Herbert Lom as Castel Benac
- Leo McKern as Muche
- Martita Hunt as Baroness
- Michael Gough as Tamise
- Anne Leon as Mrs. Tamise
- Billie Whitelaw as Ernestine
- Joan Sims as Colette
- John Neville as Roger
- John Le Mesurier as Blackmailer
Critical reception
In The New York Times, Bosley Crowther wrote, "for the most part, Mr. Sellers keeps himself too rigidly in hand—and the blame is his, because he is also the fellow who directed the film. He avoids the comic opportunities, takes the role too seriously," concluding that, "As a consequence, he's just a little boring—and that's death for a Sellers character."[6]
Bibliography
- Lewis, Roger (1995). The Life and Death of Peter Sellers. London: Arrow Books. ISBN 978-0-09-974700-0.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
References
- "I Like Money (1961) - Peter Sellers - Synopsis, Characteristics, Moods, Themes and Related - AllMovie". AllMovie.
- "Mr. Topaze (1961)".
- Sikov, Ed (19 August 2011). "Mr Strangelove: A Biography of Peter Sellers". Pan Macmillan – via Google Books.
- Calvario, Liz (30 April 2016). "Peter Sellers' 'Lost' 1961 Directorial Debut 'Mr. Topaze' Was Restored From His Original Prints".
- "britmovie.co.uk / Mr. Topaze". Archived from the original on 5 September 2014. Retrieved 4 September 2014.
- Crowther, Bosley (19 May 1962). "Screen: Sellers Stars in 'I Like Money'; Film Based on Play by Marcel Pagnol Comedian Attempts a Serio-Comic Role The Cast" – via NYTimes.com.
External links
- Mr. Topaze on IMDb