The Millionairess
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| The Millionairess | |
|---|---|
| Image:101244.1020.A.jpg original film poster | |
| Directed by | Anthony Asquith |
| Produced by | Dimitri De Grunwald Pierre Rouve |
| Written by | George Bernard Shaw Riccardo Aragno Wolf Mankowitz |
| Starring | Sophia Loren Peter Sellers |
| Music by | Georges Van Parys |
| Cinematography | Jack Hildyard |
| Editing by | Anthony Harvey |
| Distributed by | 20th Century Fox |
| Release date(s) | 1960 |
| Running time | 90 min. |
| Country | UK |
| Language | English |
| All Movie Guide profile | |
| IMDb profile | |
The Millionairess is a 1960 romantic comedy film set in London, directed by Anthony Asquith and starring Peter Sellers and Sophia Loren. It a loose adaptation of George Bernard Shaw's 1936 play.
Sellers plays Ahmed Kabir, a socialist Indian doctor, who meets a willful and arrogant heiress (Loren) who must marry to satisfy the conditions of her father's will. Rather memorable performances are given by Alastair Sim who heads the millionairess’s business empire, Vittorio de Sica as the proprietor of a pasta production sweatshop, and Alfie Bass as a self-employed Cockney fish curer.
The film was a huge hit at the time of its release, mostly because audiences enjoyed the beauty of Sophia Loren and the charisma of Peter Sellers, both of whom were huge stars of the time. The film may be said to have launched Sellers' international career, since it allowed him to take more challenging roles later, such as his lead in Dr. Strangelove. In recent years, the reputation of The Millionairess has waned somewhat and it is no longer considered the classic it used to be, although it is still enjoyed by fans of the two lead actors. Today some viewers find the Indian stereotyping of Sellers’ character insulting to watch. Some fans note that while Sellers' character is a broad stereotype of an Indian man he is also an intelligent, diligent and professional person and therefore no insult was intended.
"Goodness Gracious Me", a duet between Sellers (as an Indian doctor) and Loren (as his patient), was released as a single to publicise the film, and became a chart hit. The song also gave its name to Goodness Gracious Me, a popular UK radio and television sketch show from the late 1990s, and a modernised form of the tune with bhangra elements was used as the theme for the programme.
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