VISUAL ARTS

Directed by Blake Edwards. With Julie Andrews, William Holden,
Marisa Berenson
US 1981, 35mm, color, 121 min
After 25 years as a successful director of comedies, Blake Edwards drew on bitter memories of his biggest flop for this manic but pitch-black satire on Hollywood filmmaking. The semi-autobiographical premise recalls Edwards’ attempt to remake the image of wife Julie Andrews from a family-friendly, wholesome star to a serious actress by casting her as a Mata Hari-like vamp in the 1970 Darling Lili. S.O.B.’s protagonist is a director who tries to salvage a failed film starring his wife by adding sex to it. Played by Andrews herself, the wife reluctantly agrees only to avoid ruin and to prevent her husband from killing himself, and in a case of life imitating art, her brief appearance bare-breasted dominated press coverage of the film.