Arthur: The Melancholy Millionaire
Moore and Minnelli Star in Romantic Comedy of Love "On the Rocks."
Apr 21, 2009
After middle-aged millionaire Arthur Bach (Dudley Moore) drunkenly informs his waiter that he must consume ten rounds of scotch per hour, he tries to delay the inevitable task of proposing to his prim girlfriend (Jill Eikenberry), the daughter of a crime boss, whom his father has arranged for him to marry.
“A real woman could get you to stop drinking,” she says.
“It’d have to be a real big woman,” Arthur slurs.
Few films can walk as thin a line as Arthur without toppling into a sea of disappointment-- or offense. At first glance, it's easy to claim that the movie is a mockery of alcoholism, or another story of a poor little rich boy who should get what’s coming to him but doesn’t, but there's more to Arthur than drunken follies.
The film follows Arthur’s quest to find love and acceptance while in a continuous inebriated haze, spouting hilarious one-liners while his personal butler Hobson (Sir John Gielgud) makes cynical, equally hilarious comments on the state of Arthur’s affairs. Hobson is the true hero of the film as he tries to secure a happy future for the doddering manchild he begrudgingly loves.
The Perfect Crime: "Girls Don't Wear Ties!"
When Arthur spots Linda Marolla (Liza Minnelli) stealing a tie in a high class boutique, he is smitten by the fast-talking aspiring actress, but can he risk not marrying Susan (Eikenberry) and the consequence of losing 750 million dollars?
For Love or Money
Although money is a major conflict for Arthur, it also serves an important role from Linda's perspective. She clearly struggles to support herself and her out-of-work father. While Linda is impressed with money—she revels in idling in Arthur's fancy car for the benefit of a nosy neighbor—she also refuses to be bought, unwilling to become a mistress to Arthur's marriage of convenience.
While Arthur's family dismisses Linda as a nobody, Linda's father is about to deem Arthur as another of his daughter's “bums” until he finds out Arthur is a millionaire, to which he immediately replies “you have my permission to marry him.” He even overlooks Arthur's drunken behavior when he stumbles into their apartment in the wee hours of the morning.
The movie relies on the old “money doesn't buy happiness” cliché, but transcends the adage by presenting both the positive and negative effects of money in both Arthur and Linda's lives.
The Most Fun Money Can Buy?
There is an underlying sadness to Arthur’s drinking that is most evident as the film progresses.
“I can’t face my father sober,” he says. It's when he's sober that we see the extent of his problems. He's terrified of what life will be like if he lets himself grow up, or worse yet, grow up alone. While he finally finds love with Linda, he struggles to sacrifice the fortune that has both caged him and comforted him his whole life. As loveable as Arthur is, we may be tempted to smack him when his self-pity soars, which is exactly what Hobson (Gielgud) does for us.
“You feel unloved? Welcome to the world—everyone is unloved,” he says, but is quick to add “but incidentally, I love you.”
Arthur achieves a balanced mix of well-worn and well-loved themes of love and friendship while remaining unique and timeless. Despite its few dips into drama, it remains a comedy that, being at times politically (and perhaps, refreshingly) incorrect, is near perfect.
The film was an early success for budding writer and director Steve Gordon who sadly died a year after its release. What makes Arthur successful isn’t merely a string of set-ups and punch lines. There is a spontaneity in the writing and direction that achieves an unexpected burst of laughter from the viewer or conveys a subtle strain of sadness.
An Ideal Cast
The cast works brilliantly off of each other. Geraldine Fitzgerald portrays Arthur’s mischievous grandmother, Martha, with devilish glee, while Minnelli's Linda is the perfect downtown girl who may be looking for a prince, but is still tough enough to keep her wits about her. Viewers may recognize Linda’s perpetual undershirt-wearing father, played by Barney Martin, as Morty Seinfeld from the modern classic Seinfeld, in a role that is less bizarre but equally comical.
Awards and Recognition
Arthur was nominated in three categories for Academy Awards. Gordon was nominated for Best Writing, Best Screenplay written directly for the screen, while Moore was nominated for Best Actor and Gielgud earned a win for Best Supporting Actor; Christopher Cross, Burt Bacharach, Carol Bayer Sager, and Peter Allen were nominated for Best Music, Best Original Song for “Arthur’s Theme.”
