A producer is obsessed with turning his wife into a sexy star, ignoring her needs, and prompting her to return to France, where she becomes attracted to an attentive pilot, and ensuing a rev... Read allA producer is obsessed with turning his wife into a sexy star, ignoring her needs, and prompting her to return to France, where she becomes attracted to an attentive pilot, and ensuing a revenge plot by a jealous husband, that goes astray.A producer is obsessed with turning his wife into a sexy star, ignoring her needs, and prompting her to return to France, where she becomes attracted to an attentive pilot, and ensuing a revenge plot by a jealous husband, that goes astray.
- Awards
- 1 win
- French Singer
- (uncredited)
- Minor Role
- (uncredited)
- Waiter at Costume Party
- (uncredited)
- Script Girl
- (uncredited)
- French Maid
- (uncredited)
- Max
- (uncredited)
- Robert - Cafe Waiter
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe skimpy outfit Leslie Caron wears in the audition scene is the same one Marilyn Monroe wore in Bus Stop (1956).
- Quotes
Willie Bauche: [Willie's dressed in an Arab costume] Micky's okay. That gangster stuff is all in the past. He's strictly legit now. Nothing but slot machines.
Preacher: Would Romeo have put a tail on Juliet?
Willie Bauche: No, and that's probably why he's not with us today. Romeo happens to be the most overrated practitioner in the history of romance. Who else but a medieval Mortimer Snerd could have managed to get his whole wedding party knocked off?
Preacher: Women don't like being tailed, Sire, especially women who are wives.
Willie Bauche: Did you smell that Mimosa last night?
Preacher: I was transported by its fragrance.
Willie Bauche: That's what I mean. All that Mimosa, moonlight, music. There must be a thousand violins in this hotel alone. A woman's got to be protected against herself. Or, to put it bluntly, against over-stimulation.
Preacher: I'm still perturbed, Sire.
Willie Bauche: Your trouble, of course, is you know nothing about women. You realise why you're not married don't you?
Preacher: Just luck, I imagine.
Willie Bauche: Women can see through you.
- Crazy creditsOpening credits are shown next to several rolls of film strips, theoretically showing scenes from the film.
- ConnectionsReferenced in Il mondo di notte (1960)
Clearly Johnson knows movies, yet he manages to do just about everything wrong with "The Man Who Understood Women," starting with that title. Henry Fonda is disastrously miscast as a maverick, manipulative director, and Cesare Danova could have been replaced by his likeness in granite. Leslie Caron is adorable and she works hard, but "Ann Garantier" is an idea, not a character. As for the telescoped plot, I believe Aaron Spelling himself would have rejected it as too simplistic. There is the occasional witty line-- Johnson's forte is writing, after all-- but there's way too much dialog. Movies are a visual medium, not a verbose one, but Johnson's characters talk incessantly.
As it happens, a number of big films circa 1960 were about movie-making. This is by far the worst. Godard's half-baked "Contempt" is at least cinematic. "Two Weeks In Another Town" has energy, largely thanks to Edward G. Robinson and Claire Trevor. And then there's "8 1/2." Fellini's masterpiece and Johnson's dud are similarly long-- 135-140 minutes. But "8 ½" is exhilarating, revelatory, inventive, visually rich, and memorable; "The Man Who Understood Women" fails on all counts.
Johnson had a hand in writing more than 70 movies, producing more than 40, and directing 8. After seeing this and "Black Widow," I can only conclude that 8 was at least 2 too many.
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Über den Gassen von Nizza
- Filming locations
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime1 hour 45 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 2.35 : 1