Exactly when did Blake Edwards beome a hasbeen?

[Wallingford]

Really, this admittedly great comedy director-writer can stand safely on his laurels by virtue of his better work. And yet, the man had many "out of it" periods, huge amounts of time spend in the artistic wilderness.

He's also been capable of doing a first-rate, "serious" picture, like Days Of Wine And Roses. And he's got plenty of underrated comedies in his filmography.....check out his '68 teaming with Peter Sellers, The Party. It costars Claudine Longe as Sellers' love interest. An very uneven film, for sure, but the best of the sight gags are truly monumental--especially the peeing statue showering water down a lady's back.

But over the last 2 decades, none of his films made cinema history; his "good name" has been kept alive by new musical shows of his old films like Victor/Victoria.

When, exactly, do you suppose he died artistically?

[stenka razin]

Wallingford, Blake Edwards' distinguished career as writer, director, and producer has brought him worldwide acclaim for such classic films as "Breakfast at Tiffany's," "10," "S.O. B.," "Victor/Victoria," "The Party," "The Great Race," "Blind Date," and "The Pink Panther" films, the most successful comedy film series ever made.

Other Edwards classics include such memorable dramatic films as the 1962 "Experiment in Terror" and the harrowing "The Days of Wine and Roses."

During his career of more than five decades, the 49 films he has directed and often written and produced have grossed more than 1.5 billion dollars at the box office.

Blake's career not only encompassed film, but radio, television, and Broadway. Between 1947-1955 he wrote for several radio shows and created (and often wrote and directed) the popular series "Richard Diamond: Private Detective." By 1958 he moved into television where he created two innovative and popular television series: "Peter Gunn" and "Mr. Lucky." At the age of 70, Edwards extended his career to Broadway, where he wrote, directed, and produced the mega-hit "Victor/Victoria," starring his wife, Julie Andrews.

Blake is now 86 and his legacy is assured. He never died artistically. Not every director is a Lean or Hitchcock or Ford or Wilder. Blake was Blake and that is good enough for me.

[anasazi]

Blake Edwards really made most of my favorite movies ("The Party", "10", "S.O.B." and "Victor/Victoria" - not to mention all those panthers). Not that I believe they are in the high realms of cinematic 'art' - they just make me feel good and have a good laugh. There are indeed many little touches in his movies that I love, like the off-camera stuff, or the very close close-ups, the way he makes love to his leading actors with the camera.

My favorite story about Edwards's movie making that illustrates the give and take and his style happes in "A Shot In The Dark". The scene where Peter Sellers and Graham Stark are synchronizing their watches. There was no script, no dialogue. Edwards just asked them "how exactly do you synchronize your watches?". The resulting scene was history.

Persoanlly, I believe that Edwards never relinquished his genius, but you realize that he never made another film after the death of his long-time music collaborator - Henry Mancin? They were of a similar viewpoint and Edwards consistently allowed Mancini to indulge himself, ever since they first met outside a studio barber shop on the Universal lot, prior to Edwards TV series: "Peter Gunn". This opinion is completely my own, but I believe it makes some sense.

[Wallingford]

The best of his achievements were towering; but in the last half of the 80s he did his reputation no good whatsoever with films like A Fine Mess (starring Ted Danson & Howie Mandell), which was an attempt to blowup to feature-film proportions Laurel & Hardy's Oscar-winning short The Music Box...... or half-baked sex comedies like Skin Deep, starring John Ritter (the one whose highlight is a glow-in-the dark condom).

[anasazi]

I agree about "A Fine Mess". There are other Edwards films also in the same infertile vein. And not to make excuses for the guy, but I did read that Blake was ill at the time, seriously ill such that the film was edited by the studio, and that Edwards was not able to oversee the completion of it. Still, even from what I've seen, it's hard to imagine this film turning into one that I would want to see again.

When Edwards is good, his movies really improve my outlook on life. Kind of like seeing just how bad things could really be, and then I realize I'm not in so bad a shape after all.

[Madame]

Blake Edwards really made most of my favorite movies
("The Party" ,................" - not to mention all those panthers).

Birdie Num Num??

[anasazi]

Blake Edwards really made most of my favorite movies
("The Party" ,................" - not to mention all those panthers).

Birdie Num Num??

Exactly! I have been to more than enough parties where I probably appeared to be an idiot. So many scenes in THE PARTY are just like that.

UPDATE! This web site just changed a word in my post. Rather than the term 'uninformed person', I actually used the more conventional term i*d*i*o*t. Talk about politically correct!