Penelope
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Release date: November 10, 1966
Studio: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Running time: 97 minutes
Director: Arthur Hiller
Cast: Natalie Wood, Ian Bannen, Dick Shawn, Peter Falk, Jonathan Winters, Lila Kedrova, Lou Jacobi, Norma Crane, Arthur Malet, Jerome Cowan, Arlene Golonka. Amzie Strickland, Bill Gunn, Carl Ballantine, Iggie Wolfington
Technical information: Panavision (2.35:1), Metrocolor
Based on a novel by E. V. Cunningham (a pseudonym of Howard Fast), Penelope is an uneasy mixture of supposedly sophisticated romantic comedy and zany over-the-top slapstick.
Meanwhile, Penelope visits her psychiatrist, Dr. Mannix (Shawn), and confesses her crime — as well as past thefts and her marital history — in a series of flashbacks. She then disposes of the yellow dress in a thrift shop, where it is snapped up by a boutique owner, Madame Sabada (Kedrova). Bixbee tracks down the dress and begins to suspect Penelope of the crime while simultaneously becoming enamored of her. (Mannix is also in love with Penelope — it seems that her husband is the only male uninterested in her, which is the motivation for her thievery.)
When an innocent woman is arrested for the crime, Penelope confesses — but no one will believe her. So she throws a cocktail party and returns the jewelry she has stolen from her husband's friends — but they refuse to believe her, too, since they have already collected the insurance money. Finally, she executes a second robbery to prove her guilt. After everything gets sorted out, James professes his love for Penelope and they live happily ever after.
High production values are the primary attraction of Penelope; these include an array of stylish costumes by Edith Head, who had worked with Natalie Wood in several of her preceding films, including Inside Daisy Clover and Sex and the Single Girl (surprisingly, Penelope afforded Head her first opportunity to work on M-G-M, on loan from Paramount). There are very few laughs in this comedy: the major problem is the inconsistent tone — the contrasts between the psychobabble satire and the slapstick hijinks is quite jarring. Wood seems to be acting in a different movie than most of her costars and Jonathan Winters' bit as a crazy professor is especially out of place. (Falk is quite good, however, in a role foreshadowing his Columbo character.)
Although Variety praised the film as "delightfully wacky", most critical reaction was negative. The New York Times termed it "limp, feeble foolishness".
The Film | The Music
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Music: Johnny Williams
Song ("Penelope"): Words by Leslie Bricusse, Music by Johnny Williams
Song ("The Sun is Gray"): Words and music by Gale Garnett, Sung by Natalie Wood
Williams approached Penelope in much the same way as he did How to Steal a Million, teaming once again with Leslie Bricusse to pen a title song. Heard as a pop tune sung by male chorus over the main titles (and, briefly, over the end cast) the lyrics ask, "Who is Penelope?" — a question the characters in the film seem to be asking themselves with regularity. If it were heard in the same guise throughout the film, the song would quickly become tiresome and annoying, but its insistence helps link the opening melody with the phrase "Who is Penelope?" so that the composer is able to ask the question musically throughout the film just by sounding those notes. In order that the tune doesn't wear out its welcome, Williams skillfully presents the title song in a variety of instrumental dress, most effectively as a love theme scored for oboe and strings. The melody is altered slightly to give it a different character, but Williams' skill at composing melodic material that is adaptable to any number of circumstances is already evident, even in this lightweight score. The title song is presented in three different arrangements on the soundtrack album: the pop version from the opening of the film, the love theme version heard when Penelope and her future husband first meet, and a more upbeat instrumental version not heard in the film. It also appears briefly as source music, at a dance in a flashback sequence.
The only other recurring melody in the film is one for Madame Sadaba, a minor-mode tune with an Eastern European flavor. It is often scored for English horn to add an exotic tinge, with goofy electric piano interludes to underline the humor of the character.
While most of the commentative underscoring consists of breezy variations on the title tune, the only truly dramatic moments in the score occur late in the film when Penelope flees a party and her husband rushes out to search for her. Scurrying string figures alert us that we are now supposed to take the characters and their feelings seriously. But this only serves to point out the trouble with the film and the dilemma faced by the composer — what is the proper tone for the score to take? The film is all over the map, from semi-serious moments such as this to farcical slapstick. (Compare the final scenes with the flashback toward the beginning with Jonathan Winters as "The Mad Professor". This cue, heard on the soundtrack album much as it appears in the film, would not be out of place on a Gilligan's Island episode when the Skipper is being chased around a coconut tree by a headhunter.) Williams reacts to the scattershot direction of the film by supplying music appropriate to each scene, rather than attempting the (probably impossible) feat of finding a single musical approach that would work for the entire film.
The best moments of the score are the Mancini-esque instrumentals which often serve as both source and commentative music. The earliest such scene is at Penelope's wedding reception, where jazz piano music segues seamlessly from onscreen source music to instrumental underscore. For a scene where a disguised Penelope donates part of her loot to a Salvation Army band, the musicians play "Onward Christian Soldiers", striking up "Happy Days Are Here Again" when they see the size of the donation. This is supposed to be source music, but in the next scene, when the bandleader must first turn the money over to the police and then receives it back from Elcott, Williams uses the same two brass band tunes in succession as commentative underscore to highlight the humor.
When Penelope tries on a piece of evidence in Madame Sadaba's boutique, Williams supplies "The Girl in the Yellow Dress" which supports the scene dramatically while ostensibly being the sort of music one might hear at a fashion show. For the following scene when Penelope and Lt. Bixbee stroll through the park, he supplies yet another enchanting theme. (This is erroneously titled "At the Art Museum" on the soundtrack LP — the actual museum cue is a short, humorous piece for pizzicato strings, piano, percussion and contrabassoon.) Another flashback scene calls for some source music at "Poolside", which appears in an extended version on the soundtrack album. All of these pieces share a melodic fragment derived from the notes accompanying the word "Penelope" in the title song; this helps to tie these semi-source cues to dramatic underscore.
A folk tune, "La Bostella", is played briefly at the dance, but Williams provides an entirely different, quite inventive arrangement on the album. There is a jazz piano trio at another party late in the film; when Penelope makes her entrance we hear the title song played by dreamy muted trombone, giving way to piano and strings. Early in the film (and on the LP) there is a non-Williams song, "The Sun is Gray", sung by Penelope. Afterward there is some improvised beatnik music.
After the stylish comedy and inspired goofiness of How to Steal a Million, Williams' score for the somewhat similar Penelope is a bit of a let down, a decent performance in a losing effort. It is perhaps best appreciated on the soundtrack album, rather than in the film itself.
Variety called Williams' score "outstanding", but the New York Times wrote that "Arthur Hiller's shrill direction...is ripely emphasized by a cutie-pie rock 'n' roll musical score that all but leaps off the sound track."
A soundtrack album was issued on LP (MGM E-4426 ST) at the time of the film's release. It includes cues heard in the film (the title song, "Penelope (Love Theme)," "The Girl in the Yellow Dress," "At the Art Museum" and "The Mad Professor"), extended arrangements of several source and background cues ("Poolside," "Penny's Arcade," "La Bostella," "Sadaba") and two pieces not heard in the film at all ("Penelope (Instrumental)" and "Girl Chase").
On October 10, 2000, the Chapter III Classics label reissued the album on CD (Chapter III CHA 1002-2), coupled with Vic Mizzy's score for Don't Make Waves.
On December 7, 2004, Film Score Monthly released the complete original score to Penelope along with a remastered version of the Penelope album; the 2-CD set (FSMCD Vol. 7 No. 18) also includes Henry Mancini's score for Bachelor in Paradise. The recording many be purchased from FSM's Web site as well as various specialty soundtrack retailers.
The Film | The Music
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This film is not available on video. A widescreen version is occasionally broadcast on Turner Classic Movies (often on July 28, Natalie Wood's birthday).
A piano/vocal version of the title song was reportedly issued by Hastings at the time of the film's release. This sheet music is long out of print.
The Film | The Music
Audio | Video | Sheet Music
References | Links
Cunningham, E. V. Penelope
New York: Doubleday, 1965
"Film Reviews: Penelope," Whit.
Variety, Nov 9 1966, 6:1
"Review: Penelope," Vincent Canby
New York Times, November 11 1966, 36:6
Edith Head, David Chierichetti
New York: HarperCollins, 2003
The Film | The Music
Audio | Video | Sheet Music
References | Links
Internet Movie Database entry for Penelope
Cinebooks Database entry for Penelope
All Movie Guide entry for Penelope
Page last modified
June 05, 2006
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