Even when she’s coaxing a cockroach out of her purse as a down and out chanteuse in 1930’s Paris, as she does as Victoria in the 1982 Blake Edwards directed comedy Victor/Victoria, Julie Andrews is classy. Screened at the Hamptons International Film Festival this weekend, just prior to a Q&A with Alec Baldwin, a Lifetime Achievement Award presentation, and a private party to celebrate the actress most well known as Mary Poppins and Maria from The Sound of Music, the movie’s gender bending issues feel charming and slightly retro in today’s world, and make for excellent entertainment. While Victor/Victoria earned several Oscar nominations, it won for Henry Mancini’s original music; Mancini’s widow was in attendance at the Guild Hall ceremony, a highpoint of this premier film festival, now in its 25th year.
At the party, Julie Andrews, called Jules by close family and friends, greeted each well-wisher, asking pairs who came before her if they were a couple or an item. “That’s Hollywood speak,” she laughed, grounded, elegant, and gracious as a queen.
Comments