Darling Lili

Darling Liliis a 1970 American romantic-musical spy film, written byWilliam Peter BlattyandBlake Edwards, the latter also directing the film. It starsJulie Andrews,Rock Hudson, andJeremy Kemp, with music byHenry Manciniand lyrics byJohnny Mercer. This was the last full musical to have song lyrics written by Mercer.
DuringWorld War I, British pilots have polite dog-fights with their German rivals in northern France. On the ground, Lili Smith is a beloved English musical star, much admired by French and British pilots. She mixes with them at Cafe Can-Can. One American, Major Larrabee, has a particular interest in her. He organises a gypsy serenade outside her window and a night-time champagne picnic. However, she is actually a German spy. She starts asking questions about his squadron. Lili's uncle, who is in constant contact, is Colonel Kurt Von Ruger, a more obvious German spy and her main contact to pass information to the German authorities.
Larrabee showers her with red roses, takes her to art galleries and takes her on a row-boat. Although she is tricking him, she starts to have real feelings of love. Ironically, the French authorities think Larrabee is the spy and ask Lili to keep an eye on him. In a restaurant a fellow pilot, Lieutenant Carstairs, lets slip that Larrabee is also having an affair with Crepe Suzette. Lili thinks that "Operation" Crepe Suzette is a military plan and reports it to her uncle.
The French authorities (Duvalle and Liggett) start to spy on both Larrabee and Lili. Lili deduces that Crepe Suzette is a woman. They go to Lili's bedroom with the French spying through the window. Lili accuses him of calling her "Suzette". He has actually said nothing but thinking he has, says that he said "My Pet". To escape his infidelity, he then says "Operation Crepe Suzette" is a military operation and gives her the made up details of the plan. Lili decides to believe the lie.
When one of the French tells her that Crepe Suzette is a girl in aburlesqueshow, she goes to weigh up the competition. She decides to introduce striptease into her own usually straight-laced show. When Larrabee tells the true story of his encounter with theRed Baron, she mocks him.
Lili gets Larrabee and Suzette arrested for treason. While Lili is awarded theLegion of Honourat a huge ceremony, Suzette happily tells the authorities all she knows. Lili's maid and chauffeur (who are having their own affair) discuss that Lili is "one step ahead of a firing squad". The maid tells her the news from the paper: that Suzette said that Larrabee had done nothing and was in love with "another woman" (i.e. Lili).
An assassin (Kraus) is sent to kill Lili but fails. She goes to the authorities to confess in an attempt to save Larrabee from the firing squad. They think it is just a romantic gesture and do not believe her. Her uncle plans an escape toSwitzerland. They catch a train but Kraus tracks them down. However, Kraus is killed when a German squadron attacks the train. The British squadron (including Larrabee) fight them off. He sees Lili on the ground and tips his wing in salute.
The war ends and Lili is singing inGeneva. In the final song, Lili sings on a dark stage surrounded by pilots looking on from the wings. Larrabee comes out and kisses her and the crowd cheers.
In 1967,Blake Edwardssigned a four-picture deal withParamount Pictures. The films he would make wereWaterhole#3,Gunn,Mr LuckyandDarling Lili.Julie Andrewssigned to play the lead inDarling Lili. Production was to start late in 1967.Executive producer Owen Crump began shooting second unit in 1967.
The film was given a budget of $6 million and Andrews was paid $1.1 million and promised 10% of the film's profits.Edwards wanted to film the aerial dogfight scenes in South Carolina, but was forced to film them in Ireland, with planes fromThe Blue Max, due to studio demand despite it costing $70,000 per day.Edwards later claimedDarling Liliwas budgeted at $11.5 million, but ended up costing $16 million with half of the cost coming from the second unit filming in Ireland.Filming was later moved to Belgium, where filming cost $50,000 per day. The final budget for the film was $25 million, making it one of the most-expensive musicals made by Paramount.
Edwards courted British comedianBenny Hillfor a supporting role in the movie. During the audition, he asked Hill if he could do a Paris accent. Being a perfectionist, Hill asked Edwards if he wanted an east side or west side accent, but Edwards was not impressed by his attention to detail and recast the role with another actor.
Edwards suffered continual interference fromParamountexecutives while makingDarling Lili, and it was eventually edited by the studio largely without his input. The director later satirized the problems he faced in the filmS.O.B.(1981), which was also distributed by Paramount theatrically.
Problems with theMay 1968 protests in Franceled to much of the planned Parisian shooting to be done in Brussels, Belgium.
Darling Lilimade use ofLynn Garrison’s aviation facility at Weston Aerodrome in Leixlip, Ireland. This collection of World War I replica fighter aircraft, facilities and support equipment was originally put together in support of20th Century Fox’s 1966 filmThe Blue Max. The aerial fleet included aCaudron 277, twoFokker DR 1s, threeFokker D VIIs, twoSe 5asand twoPfalz D IIIs(all full-scale replicas). In addition, the studio contracted withSlingsby Aircraft Ltdto build six 7/8th scale SE 5s (the "Mini SE 5").The Paramount production utilized the assembled aircraft for thousands of flying hours and accumulated hundreds of hours of aerial footage. Pilots were drawn from theIrish Air Corpsand civilian circles. Charles Boddington andDerek Piggottdid many of the more spectacular stunts.
The original score forDarling Liliwas composed byHenry Mancini. He andJohnny Mercerwrote the title tune, as well as "Whistling Away the Dark" and "Your Good-Will Ambassador". Songs from the era were performed in the film, including "It's a Long Way to Tipperary", "Pack Up Your Troubles in Your Old Kit-Bag", "Keep the Home Fires Burning", and "Mademoiselle from Armentières".
The film had its premiere at theCinerama Domein Los Angeles on June 23, 1970 before opening to the public the following day.The film's distribution was badly managed by Paramount executives andDarling Lilibarely got a release in most of the United States.
On thereview aggregatorwebsiteRotten Tomatoes, 40% of 5 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 4.8/10.
Stefan Kanfer, reviewing the film forTime, called it a  "common, overproduced, underinspired feature".
The film was abox-office bomb, earning only $3.2million indistributor rentals,against a final estimated budget of $25million.
Despite being a financial failure, the film was nominated for a number of awards.
In 1991, at the behest of Michael Schlesinger, then the head of Paramount's Repertory division, Edwards was invited to recutDarling Lilito his original intentions. This director's cut was 29 minutes shorter than the original release. A fully restored, new Dolby SR 35mm print premiered at the 1992 Cannes Film Festival and was attended by Edwards and Andrews; the U.S. premiere was at theDirectors Guildtheater in Los Angeles shortly thereafter, again with both in attendance. Then, after a brief domestic theatrical reissue, it was released to home video and television; this version was released onRegion 1DVD. The original roadshow version, complete with overture and exit music, has aired onTurner Classic Moviesas well as receiving commercial release onRegion 2DVD in Europe.
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