What's New Pussycat?

Attention, all you survivors of the Swinging '60s: if the only thing you remember about What's New Pussycat? is Tom Jones' immortal rendition of the Burt Bacharach-Hal David title tune, you're way overdue for another look at this zany 1965 farce written by Woody Allen. Suave Peter O'Toole plays the editor of a Parisian fashion magazine whose inability to avoid becoming involved with beautiful women leads him to seek psychiatric help from a shrink (Peter Sellers) who's nuttier than any of his patients! The resulting pandemonium has the recognizable imprint of the Woodman's febrile imagination, and while the gags aren't all home runs, Allen maintains a pretty good batting average here. Director Clive Donner (The Nude Bomb) doesn't impose much style on the proceedings; he's content to let an attractive and personable cast do all the heavy lifting, including Romy Schneider, Capucine, and Paula Prentiss, with the latter displaying the inimitable timing and delivery that made her a fine, if underused, comedic actress. There's nothing profound or sophisticated about What's New Pussycat?, and it is unmistakably a product of its time, but that doesn't diminish the picture's entertainment value one little bit. Presented with a so-so digital widescreen transfer with no extras, this is recommended. (E. Hulse)[DVD/Blu-ray Review—Aug. 26, 2014—Kino Lorber, 108 min., not rated, DVD: $19.95, Blu-ray: $29.95—Making its latest appearance on DVD and Blu-ray debut, 1965's What's New Pussycat? features a nice transfer and a DTS-HD 2.0 soundtrack on Blu-ray. Bottom line: Allen's first film as an actor and writer makes a welcome debut on Blu-ray.]