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AND NOW LADIES AND GENTLEMEN Send This Review to a Friend
There's movie magic in the air in French director Claude Lelouch's atmospheric escapade "And Now Ladies and Gentleman," starring Jeremy Irons in an enjoyably humorous role as an enterprising jewel thief in a romantic plot that wends its way to Morocco and eventually involves lapses of memory. The film itself is one to remember, mainly for its sheer oddity and the amusement to be found if you are looking for pure escape and some lovely scenery to go with the spirited adventure.
Complementing Irons is beautiful vocal star Patricia Kaas, who plays a jazz singer with a booking in a hotel in Fez. Kaas is an eyeful and an original, and she and Irons are fun in the relationship that ensues in intriguing locations. Watching Irons in various guises as he works his wiles to fleece posh shops is pleasurable.
There's added color on the Moroccan scene with the appearance of Claudia Cardinale as a countess with a penchant for lovers. It is great to see Cardinale, one of the grand ladies of Italian cinema, whom I've had the pleasure of interviewing on a few occasions. She adds spice and class to Lelouch's bauble.
Another frill is the music composed by Michel Legrand, which enriches the rarified atmosphere that Lelouch seems to be aiming for. "And Now Ladies and Gentlemen" has a strange enchantment in its decidedly offbeat flavor. The script by Lelouch, Pierre Leroux and Pierre Uytterhoeven may not bring bloom to a desert, but watching the characters and enjoying the acting can bring a happy diversion to a viewer. A Paramount Classics release.
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