Arthur is the kind of film
that could only have been made in the 1930s or the 1980s. In the
'30s, feel-good comedies in which obscenely wealthy playboys fall for
poor working class girls were all the rage, offering a welcome escape
from the misery of the Great Depression. In the 1980s, money was
king and so the kind of money-obsessed storyline that might be
considered distasteful in any other decade was acceptable to a
mainstream cinema audience. Whilst the plot now feels painfully
dated, the film overall has retained much of its charm, on account of
its polished production values and the warmth and good humour that the
leads Dudley Moore (Blame It on the Bellboy)
and Liza Minnelli (Cabaret) bring to it.
John Gielgud received an Oscar for his performance (one of the most
amusing of his entire career) and very nearly steals the show as
Moore's snooty but amiable butler. Arthur won a second Academy Award
for its music (supplied by Burt Bacharach) and was also nominated in
the categories of Best Screenplay and Best Leading Actor (Moore).
The film's success at the box office (it grossed 96 million worldwide)
provided a very welcome boost to the careers of both Moore and
Minnelli, but its sequel Arthur 2:
On the Rocks (1988) proved to be a dismal failure. The
original film was remade by Jason Winer in 2011, with the
actor-comedian Russell Brand in the lead role.
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Film Synopsis
Arthur Bach is a millionaire playboy who spends most of his time
cruising New York in his chauffeur-driven limousine, tanking up on hard
liquor at any bar he comes across. His father wants him to marry
the upper crust heiress Susan Johnson, but he knows that he cannot love
her and so carries on his hedonistic lifestyle regardless. One
day, Arthur meets Linda Marolla, a poor waitress who has to resort to
shoplifting to make ends meet. Even though they inhabit
completely different worlds, Arthur and Linda are drawn to one another,
much to the disapproval of Arthur's longstanding manservant
Hobson. When his father threatens to cut him out of his will
unless he marries Susan, Arthur has no choice but to end his affair
with Linda...
Cast: Dudley Moore (Arthur Bach),
Liza Minnelli (Linda Marolla),
John Gielgud (Hobson),
Geraldine Fitzgerald (Martha Bach),
Jill Eikenberry (Susan Johnson),
Stephen Elliott (Burt Johnson),
Ted Ross (Bitterman),
Barney Martin (Ralph Marolla),
Thomas Barbour (Stanford Bach),
Anne De Salvo (Gloria),
Marjorie Barnes (Hooker),
Dillon Evans (Plaza Maitre D'),
Maurice Copeland (Uncle Peter),
Justine Johnston (Aunt Pearl),
Paul Vincent (Plaza Waiter),
Mary Alan Hokanson (Secretary),
Paul Gleason (Executive),
Phyllis Somerville (Saleslady),
Irving Metzman (Security Guard),
Joe Doolan (Kid in Street)
Country: USA
Language: English
Support: Color
Runtime: 97 min
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