Mr. Topaze Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.5

Mr. Topaze Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman October 16, 2020

Perhaps surprisingly, Peter Sellers received only two Academy Award nominations for Best Actor over the course of his long and notable career. His nominated characterizations were for the memorable (and some might say legendary) Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb in 1964 and Being There in 1979. Only diehard Sellers fans or perhaps lovers of Academy Award trivia may know that Sellers actually received a third nomination in a potentially surprising category, Best Live Action Short Subject, for having produced The Running Jumping & Standing Still Film (the title contained no commas, Oxford or otherwise, for any latent grammarians out there). That short actually was co-directed by Sellers (according to several online data aggregators, as well as Leo McKern’s daughter Abigail, who is featured in a really appealing interview included on this disc as a supplement). Sellers’ “co-director” on the nominated short was a guy who billed himself as “Dick” Lester, and the short’s madcap proclivities evidently caught the eye of an up and coming rock group called The Beatles or something like that, who a few years thereafter recruited the somewhat more formally monikered Richard Lester to helm A Hard Day's Night and Help!. Shortly after The Running Jumping & Standing Still Film Sellers, already something of a sensation in British television and film circles and about to explode on the international scene even more, undertook his sole credited direction of a feature film with Mr. Topaze (the IMDb suggests he worked uncredited on The Fiendish Plot of Dr. Fu Manchu). Some curmudgeons (ahem) may aver that Sellers might have been better served had he enlisted the aid (credited or otherwise) of Lester for Mr. Topaze, since the film rarely hits the giddy heights of some of Sellers' better remembered films, though that said, this film is probably better appreciated as more of a character study with some humorous interludes than a consistent comedy.

There are almost some elements of Goodbye, Mr. Chips in some ways at play in Mr. Topaze, as the film introduces its titular character (played by Peter Sellers, of course), who is shown leading some young boys in his charge as a French schoolmaster. Topaze is honorable, upright and obviously a skilled teacher, even if he occasionally runs afoul of the imperious headmaster, Muche (Leo McKern). Unfortunately, Topaze's honesty turns out to be a detriment when he refuses to change a bad grade for the grandson of a local doyenne Baroness (Martita Hunt), he finds himself in serious trouble. However, he's "saved" in a manner of speaking when a local lounge singer named Suzy Courtois (Nadia Gray) convinces her corrupt city councilman lover Castel Benac (Herbert Lom) to hire Topaze as a front for Benac's illicit private business activity. Since Topaze is known to be above any suspicion, the thought is his "leadership" will give a clean bill of health, or at least the appearance thereof, to the business.

The film details the slow but steady dissolution of Topaze's honor in the situation, but there's a twist of sorts, when Topaze becomes wise to what's going on and decides he might as well grift the grifters. It's here that Mr. Topaze probably had the potential for its most potent comedy, but Sellers seems to want to play things more as a social critique, and so more often than not there's a sense of sly whimsy on display rather than out and out guffaws. Rather interestingly, Mr. Topaze was based on a play by Marcel Pagnol, which was evidently more of a success in France than on Broadway (two separate productions closed quickly, one of them on opening night). Pagnol was the source behind another film which came out at around the same time as Mr. Topaze did, the "de-musicalized" version of Fanny.

Mr. Topaze may be more interesting for some of its "meta" aspects than for anything in the film itself. When it was met with general disapproval at the time of its original release, this evidently sent Sellers into something of a tailspin, and reportedly at least partially on his behalf, the film was recalled and original elements may have been destroyed, since according to the insert booklet provided with this release only two 35mm prints and Sellers' own 16mm reduction print have survived. That makes this a historical curiosity to be sure, one that is perhaps made more alluring by offering the dual casting of Sellers and Herbert Lom in between the (then) previous The Ladykillers and upcoming A Shot in the Dark . The film may also appeal to trivia fans for the song included in the film which gave it its rejiggered title for the United States market, I Like Money. Sung by Nadia Gray in a big nightclub sequence in the film, the tune features music by none other than George Martin, himself soon to become associated with The Beatles. While the lyricist's name may be considerably lesser known, theater fans may recognize Herbert Kretzmer as the man who wrote the English language lyrics for Les Misérables.

Mr. Topaze Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Mr. Topaze is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Film Movement Classics, an imprint of Film Movement, with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.35:1. Film Movement's insert booklets frequently only contain brief comments like "new 2K restoration," which in fact this insert booklet does, though thankfully the label has provided a bit more information on another page in the booklet about the restoration:

Mr. Topaze has been scanned and remastered at 2K by the BFI National Archive from one of the few film elements known to exist and held by the BFI: a 35mm theatrical print. It is presented in its original theatrical aspect ratio of 2.35:1. Unfortunately this rare element has suffered from cyan and yellow layer fading which has led to a magenta bias in the color palette. Every effort has been made to minimize the magenta bias but unfortunately the image inevitably has a somewhat desaturated appearance. The optical audio track from the same 35mm element was scanned and remastered by the BFI National Archive.

Even a cursory glance at some of the screenshots accompanying this review should make relatively clear the deficits in the color and general saturation this presentation offers, and I won't harp on them, other than to say things do improve a bit at selected moments, as in a big backstage scene with Topaze (after the nightclub scene featuring the song). But even the best looking moments here almost verge on monochrome at times, with only selected hues, notably some purples and blues, really resonating very strongly. The restoration has removed most major signs of age related wear and tear, though a few minor nicks and scratches are visible. Grain resolves naturally throughout the presentation.

Mr. Topaze Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Mr. Topaze features an LPCM 2.0 Mono track that capably supports the dialogue, occasional sound effects and the often jaunty score by Georges Van Parys. The film doesn't have an overly ambitious sound design, though some outdoor material at least offers a few ambient environmental effects. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout the presentation and there are no major signs of age related wear and tear. Optional English subtitles are available.

Mr. Topaze Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Abigail McKern Remembers Her Father, Leo McKern (1080p; 20:16) is a really sweet reminiscence which I have to say is incredibly deftly edited, with quick dissolves that don't have any disjunction in the audio element.


• The Poetry of Realism (1080p; 13:18) is a video essay by Kat Ellinger focusing mainly on Marcel Pagnol. This plays to stills from the film.


• Let's Go Crazy (1080p; 33:15) is a kind of daffy short featuring Peter Sellers in a number of roles, including as Groucho Marx.


• Mr. Topaze Trailer (1080p; 1:01) is for this Film Movement release.

Trailers for other Film Movement Blu-ray releases are also included. As with most Film Movement releases, the disc also offers an About Film Movement option on the Main Menu which leads to text about and a trailer for Film Movement. The nicely appointed booklet contains an interesting essays by Vic Pratt and Roger Lewis.

Mr. Topaze Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

If you don't expect Mr. Topaze to be a shtick laden farce a la some of Sellers' collaborations with Blake Edwards, you may well find quite a bit to enjoy here. The film is very handsomely mounted, and Sellers, while certainly not an adventurous director by any stretch, frames things smartly and keeps the story moving along fairly briskly. Some of the performances are a bit uneven, which may be due at least in part to Sellers' approach, and as such the comedy, such as it is, can occasionally feel forced. The video presentation here has some inherent issues which are documented above and which can be seen in the screenshots accompanying this review, but audio is fine, and the supplementary package very enjoyable. With caveats noted, and for Sellers fans in particular, Mr. Topaze comes Recommended.