The Statue (1971 film)

The Statue
File:Original movie poster for the film The Statue.jpg
Directed by	Rodney Amateau
Produced by	Anis Nohra executive Josef Shaftel
Written by	Denis Norden Alec Coppel
Based on	Chip, Chip, Chip, a play by Alec Coppel
Starring	David Niven Virna Lisi Robert Vaughn Ann Bell
Music by	Riz Ortolani
Cinematography	Piero Portalupi
Edited by	Ernest Hosler
Production company	Josef Shaftel Productions
Distributed by	Cinerama Releasing
Release dates	1971
Running time	84 minutes
Country	United Kingdom Italy
Language	English
Box office	40,890 admissions (France) 205,231 admissions (Spain)

The Statue is a 1971 British film comedy starring David Niven, Robert Vaughn and Italian beauty Virna Lisi in the key roles. Monty Python's John Cleese and Graham Chapman appear in early roles as the Niven character's psychiatrist and a newsreader respectively. Niven plays a nobel-prize winning professor who suspects his wife, played by Lisi, of infidelity when she makes and unveils an 18-foot statue of him with private parts recognisably not his own. Critical and audience reception of the film was poor, though Niven was praised for his efforts to sustain the film as the main character.

Plot

Professor Alex Bolt has developed a new universal language, Unispeak, which has made him internationally famous. His wife Rhonda has made a sculpture of her husband at the behest of the US State Department, commissioned by his friend, US Ambassador to England, Ray, for $50,000, in order to promote Unispeak. It is intended that the sculpture be unveiled in London's Grosvener Square.

The sculpture is an 18-foot nude one of Alex. He is upset and tries to get it suppressed, especially when he notes every aspect of the statue resembles him except for the size of its penis. Rhoda points out that she has only seen Alex eighteen days in the past three years. Alex becomes convinced Rhonda has had an affair and based the size of the genitalia on the model, who he dubs "Charlie".

Alex seeks advice from his friend Harry, an advertising man trained as a psychiatrist. He tries to track down the model of the statue in order to get it to suppressed. He interrogates a household employee, Joachim, who thinks Alex is hitting on him and beats him up. Alex then goes to a Turkish bathhouse to interview possible Charlies, but is thrown out.

Harry suggests that Alex forget about it, which he tries to do and he apologies to Rhonda. However the thought of Charlie causes him to be impotent. This leads to a fight with Rhonda and Alex resumes his search for Charlie.

Ray then sees the statue and becomes concerned about it having a bad effect on his reputation. He arranges for the statue to be stolen, which Rhonda blames on Alex.

Alex eventually discovers the model was the statue of David by Michelangelo. Rhonda ends up making a new statue based on Ray.

Cast

• David Niven as Alex Bolt
• Virna Lisi as Rhonda Bolt
• Robert Vaughn as Ray
• Ann Bell as Pat
• John Cleese as Harry
• Tim Brooke-Taylor as Hillcrest
• Hugh Burden as Sir Geoffrey
• Erik Chitty as Mouser
• Derek Francis as Sanders
• Susan Travers as Mrs. Southwick

Songs

• "Charlie" by the Statuettes - lyrics by Norman Newwell, music by Riz Ortolani
• "Skin" Sequence - choreography by Gia Landi, lyrics by Audrey Nohra, music by Luis Enriquez Bacalov

Production

Dyan Cannon and Robert Culp were originally announced as supporting David Niven.

Filming began in Rome on 1 May 1970 at Cinecitta Studios.

"It's a fun role, in a fun picture," said Virna Lisi.

Reception

The Los Angeles Times called it a "silly, strained farce."

External links

• The Statue at IMDb
• The Statute at TCMDB
• Review of film from Roger Ebert
• Review of film at New York Times