I recently completed the (feature length) cinematic oeuvre of director Richard Lester and tried to come up with a top ten I couldn't. I totally respect him as a director, I get the cult thing - he's had at least three books written on him. He just doesn't do it for me.
I came up with a top seven...
1) It's Trad, Dad (1962) - quite a bright debut feature. Not really a proper musical, it's a collection of musical acts, but some of those are very good and presented imaginatively. Compare it with the hard slog, impersonal gloss and late 80s fashion of Get Back (1991).
2) A Hard Day's Night (1964) -freewheeling in the best sense, the perfect marriage of performer and director it would seem, superb music. It makes it so odd that in Help (1965) Lester seems bored with the Beatles and more interested in the support cast, people like Leo McKern - seriously, watch the movie, you could cut all the Beatles out of it except Ringo and he's just a maguffin.
3) Petulia (1968) - excellently acted smart drama, one of the more realistic depictions of domestic violence, not to mention marriage and divorce, in a Hollywood film
4) The Three (and Four) Musketeers)(1973-74) - Lester is kept under control by a very good adaptation of a strong source material. His "bits" add to the fun rather than detract. Superb cast.
5) Juggernaut (1974) - Lester brought on as a hired gun. He adds lots of "bits" but the satire works in the context of the film and he's straightjacketed by a strong narrative line.
6) Robin and Marian (1976) - more superb actors, one of Sean Connery's best performances, some terrific stuff (eg death of Richard I). A very real take on the story. My only gripe is that Marian doesn't seem that into Robin. And maybe the thought of King John (Ian Holm) having a horny 12 year old bride (Victoria Abril!) isn't as funny as Lester think it is.
7) Cuba (1979) - the basic story of Casablanca turned on its head. A slightly silly last act but wonderful things up until then - the atmosphere and colour of Cuba, with its jai alai games, poverty, sleazy clubs, corruption, plantations, dodgy foreigners at casinos, casual violence. I get why this flopped but I think it's terrific. Connery is great, so is Brooke Adams, so is everyone, actually.
As for the rest...
Mouse in the Moon (1963) and Butch and Sundance the Early Days (1979) a both "whatever" sequels - not terrible, just watching them the whole time you go "I wish the original stars were in this... and why is there no romance?" (Lester is lousy at romance.) I don't mind Return of the Musketeers (1989), it's just a bit "whatever" too despite having the original cast (I think they should have adapted Man in the Iron Mask instead... better story).
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (1966) and The Ritz (1976) were not bad but, for me, movies that you watch going "this was probably really fun on stage". Royal Flash (1975) I've written about at length - I think it was miscast, used the wrong Flashman novel, and needed voice over. Finders Keepers (1984) felt miscast.
For his culty movies... The Knack (1965), How I Won the War (1967) and The Bed Sitting Room (1968) all have great things and are visually interesting but just... boring. Sorry cultists. The last two in particular seemed to make the same point again and again. I absolutely recognise these films have their fans.
I don't count Superman 2 as a Lester film - it was Richard Donner's, he overlooked the casting and the script Lester just shot most of it. Superman 3 however... yikes. Liked it as a kid, has good ideas in it (bringing in Lana Lang, having bad Superman) but it's lazy, full of stupid "bits" (that Perry White subplot involving the competition, Richard Pryor as a general) and has a script lacking in logic and full of contempt for its source material. This movie actually made me angry.
Anyway, Richard Lester. He was attached to do The Princess Bride. It would've been okay but he would've muffed the love story. I think he would've done a great Sea Kings.
This is more negative than I intended. Give Petulia and Cuba a look if you haven't.
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