There is an old saying the opposites attract and to
some extent it is true. People often find happiness with a mate whose
personality compliments each other rather than being a duplicate. One thing is
certain though, polar opposite personalities make for a great premise for a
story. This concept can be deeply philosophical such as in Jean-Paul Sartre’s
‘No Exit’ or the basis for laughter as in Neil Simon’s ‘The Odd Couple’. When it
comes to conflicting personalities this is consider the gold standard. The play
opened on Broadway in 1965 to rave reviews and was made into the film under
consideration here in 1968. It would also go on to becoming one of the most
popular television sit-coms ever starting in 1970. The premise was extremely
simple; two divorced men share an apartment but although they are best friends
the extreme differences in their personalities is a constant source of conflict.
While many consider the television series to be superior to the film there is
little doubt that the movie remains one of the best comedies ever made coming in
a number 17 on the AFI’s best comedies list. Now it is receiving another well
deserved honor; inclusion in Paramount’s Centennial Edition DVD releases. This
on going series of DVD represents the best films that have come through the much
lauded Paramount studios. Technically their 100th anniversary is in
2012 but they are getting the jump on things with seven releases so far in the
series. Paramount has one of the best catalogues of films spanning every
conceivable genre so this series is sure to have something for every taste.
In the case of this film ‘The Odd Couple’ the humor is
timeless. Conflict is necessary for both drama and humor and in this movie both
are touched on but it is the funny moments that make this film immortal. In fact
the title ‘Odd Couple’ has become synonymous with a mismatched pair. Many movies
and television series have tried to couple this formula for success but to date
none have achieved what was done here. A lot of popular plays have been made
into movies but few were able to reach the standards of the original. In this
case the transition was virtually seamless. There is magic in this story that
worked through the play, movie and original television series. There have been
several DVD releases of the movie over the years but this one is newly restored
to look and sound better than ever. Even if you have an older copy it is time to
move up and revisit this classic comedy.
One of the major ingredients for the success of this
film is the writing. It never hurts to have the original playwright responsible
for the script. Neil Simon is a master class wordsmith. He dialogue is able to
come across as witty and sharp yet never loses that natural feel that makes the
audience believe that they are listening to people they know. By now the story
is known to most of the planet. Felix Unger (Jack Lemmon) has just been thrown
out by his wife. In desperation he turns to his friend Oscar Madison (Walter
Matthau) who is divorced and living in a nice upper west side apartment. Felix
is compulsively neat. Everything has a place and there is a way to do each task.
For Oscar neatness is just not part of his vocabulary. He is a slob, to put it
lightly. They have no common ground except for their failed marriage and a
strange friendship. One question that always arises when people discuss this
story line is why they men would stay together if they are constantly getting on
each other’s nerves? The answer has been often debated but it comes down to they
each saw a need for the other. Felix was so uptight that he envied his friend.
Oscar seems to understand that there were repercussions to the lack of structure
in his life. This is the heart of this story and what makes it understandable to
the audience on a fundamentally human level. Even the fashion that the men argue
displays an innate understanding of the human condition on the part of Simon.
Oscar is direct. When he is angry he lashes out at the source of his feelings.
Felix, on the other hand, is the epitome of passive aggression. Anger is a messy
emotion, a lack of the control that he requires and it has to be pushed down at
all costs. This is a perfect example of using extremes to reflect the norm.
With such a fantastic script it takes a well seasoned
and brilliant director to bring the story to life. Fortunately for all of us
fans of cinema in this instance we got Gene Saks. While many members of the
audience may not be familiar with the name he was one of the best directors to
transfer a story from the Broadway stage to the screen. This film was his
sophomore work as a director with ‘Barefoot in the Park’ as his opening opus.
Afterwards he went on to bringing such Broadway hits as ‘Mame’ and ‘Bye-Bye
Birdie’ to the screen. It takes a special set of skills to broaden the vista of
a film on the screen while retaining the intimate feel of the stage and Saks had
it down to a science. He did keep most of the activity centered in the Manhattan
apartment shared by Oscar and Felix. It was a luxurious eight room place that
should normally offer than enough space for two men but in the context explored
here it was transformed into a battle ground. Both men were set in their ways
and unwilling to change.
These were pivotal, defining roles for both Matthau
and Lemmon. Both men were already well established in their careers but this is
the kind of role that lives on in the history of film. Matthau had a slight
advantage having created the role of Oscar on the stage. Here he kept the
brilliant comic timing alive with every quip arriving at the exact right moment.
Lemmon had already proven that he had a magical chemistry with Matthau in ‘The
Fortune Cookie’ and was a veteran of many urbane, banter filled comedies. He
also had received the Academy Award nomination eight times with two wins. If is
not often that an audience gets the opportunity to see two actors of this
caliber on the same screen and this film will live on forever because of this
pairing.
As is the case with all installments of Paramount’s
‘Centennial’ series the film was completely re-mastered. It looks sharper and
has better audio than I remembered when I first saw it in the theater. Paramount
has been responsible for more than their share of classics films and even if you
already own a copy of this one on DVD this is worth getting again. Also typical
of the series there are insightful extras that will entertain and inform.