Word: lorene
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Dates: during 1970-1979
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KATHERINE ROSS, decked out in plushy '30s garb, unsuspectingly climbs the stairs of Hardeman Manor. A lavish wedding reception is in full swing downstairs, and she has been sent to fetch her new father-in-law, Loren Hardeman (Laurence Olivier), who is late in coming down. Softly calling his name, she opens the door to his room and freezes. So does the audience. Propped up against the side of the bed is a petite French maid, her skirt over her head and her legs wrapped around the greatest actor in the world--the first director of Great Britain's National...
...when this hackneyed material takes on larger dimensions. Perhaps the best scene in The Betsy occurs after Olivier has presented his son (Paul Rudd in an earnest performance) with wedding presents--some stocks in the company worth $27 million and a new car to be named after him: the Loren II. Alone at the evening's end, Olivier stumbles out to the new car and realizes that this present meant relatively little to Loren Jr. It wasn't the stocks that his son should have appreciated, Olivier says to himself, sitting in the driver's seat and clutching the wheel...
...just an old man jerkin' off?" And poor Katherine Ross, who can't resist father-in-law Olivier after witnessing his potency with the French maid, crawls into bed with him and says, "I'm sorry, but I had to be close," and later, "I love you, Loren, even if I have to be damned...
...solemnity of his touch earned unintentional laughs even from the audience I saw the film with, an unsophisticated bunch who wanted porn instead of corn. Petrie didn't even attempt to endow the cars with a mystical beauty that would explain the attraction and passion of men like Loren Hardeman Sr. Instead he gives us so many walks with beautiful girls in clothes that look like they're going to swish off against the beautiful scenery. At least John Barry's score has an attractive lilt, and the "Love Theme From The Betsy," if that's what it's called...
...accepts projects that will not mock the accomplishments of a heroic career. Maybe a legion of his fans could from a club to intercept and screen all scripts before they reach him, discarding Harold Robbins and Ira Levin in the process. But then again, in accepting the role of Loren Hardeman, Olivier accepted the challenge of a role unlike any he had done before. At age 70, Laurence Olivier still has enough daring to teach us all a lesson...