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The Inspector General
 
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The Inspector General

Starring: Ben Baker, Barbara Bates Director: Henry Koster
4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
Price: CDN$ 7.35 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over CDN$ 39. Details
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9 new from CDN$ 6.08 1 used from CDN$ 23.48

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Customers buy this DVD with Hans Christian Andersen (Full Screen) DVD ~ Charles Vidor

The Inspector General + Hans Christian Andersen (Full Screen)
Price For Both: CDN$ 20.34

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  • This item: The Inspector General DVD ~ Henry Koster

    In Stock.
    Ships from and sold by Amazon.ca.
    Eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over CDN$ 39. Details

  • Hans Christian Andersen (Full Screen) DVD ~ Charles Vidor

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What do customers ultimately buy after viewing this item?

The Inspector General
79% buy the item featured on this page:
The Inspector General 4.5 out of 5 stars (11)
CDN$ 7.35
Hans Christian Andersen (Full Screen)
9% buy
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Product Details


Product Description

Review

Although the cynical Nikolai Gogol stage play on which it is based would seem an unlikely vehicle for a musical comedy, The Inspector General is one of Danny Kaye's best and most energetic films. The production is held together by the steady work of veteran director Henry Koster, who was probably happy to be working on a Warner Bros.-sized budget rather than at his usual cash-strapped Universal. In his lesser work, Kaye often veered his buffoon act into self-parody. Here, he benefits from Koster's control, from the solid supporting work of such character actors as Walter Catlett and Walter Slezak, and from the songs of Johnny Mercer. Russian literature purists will likely object to the liberties taken with the source story, but fans of Kaye won't notice. ~ Richard Gilliam, All Movie Guide


Synopsis

The satirical bite of Gogol's play The Government Inspector is dispensed with in favor of traditional Danny Kaye buffoonery in The Inspector General. Kaye plays the illiterate stooge of two-bit medicine-show- entrepreneur Walter Slezak. Abandoned by Slezak, the starving Kaye wanders into a corruption-ridden Russian village, which is all geared up for a visit from the Inspector General. Mistaking Kaye for that selfsame royal inspector, the townsfolk fawn on the confused Kaye, granting him his every whim and plying him with all sorts of bribes. In the original Gogol play, the boorish phony inspector takes advantage of the villagers' error by laying waste to the town and seducing a few local maidens; in the film, Kaye is as pure as the driven borscht, as is his true love (Barbara Bates), the only honest person in town. The treachery is in the hands of Slezak, who fakes Kaye's death and tries to blackmail the crooked local officials. The deus-ex-machina arrival of the real Inspector General foils the crooks and places the nonplused Kaye in the job of town mayor. Those of you who read the play in college may remember it ends with everyone frozen in horror when the genuine inspector shows up, with Gogol's stage directions insisting that the actors hold their fearful poses for a full sixty seconds. Be assured that in the film version of Inspector General, nothing stands still--least of all Danny Kaye, who cuts quite a swath through several Sylvia Fine/Johnny Mercer specialty songs. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

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Customer Reviews

11 Reviews
5 star:
 (8)
4 star:
 (2)
3 star:    (0)
2 star:
 (1)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.5 out of 5 stars (11 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most helpful customer reviews

 
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars ROAN GROUP DVD is the best!, Oct 14 2002
By Paul J. Mular (San Carlos, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   
Alot has been said about this wonderful movie, but with several versions offered, which DVD is the best? I learned the hardway, buying several copies until I decided for the more expensive ROAN GROUP DVD. They mastered their DVD from a very nice 35mm TECHNICOLOR print, the other DVD's I bought were mastered from 16mm EASTMANCOLOR prints (grainy, dark, and pale colors). It is worth it to pay the higher price, you get what you pay for.
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2.0 out of 5 stars Beware faded Alpha Video transfer from 16mm, Oct 20 2009
By D. George "KootenayFilmFan" (Kootenay Lake, BC, Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
Danny Kaye, one of the best comic actors ever, deserved better than this dull dvd transfer from what is clearly a faded 16mm print. Danny Kaye's hair should be reddish. His uniform in this film, along with many of the uniforms of the other characters, should show brilliant red and blue tones. Greens should not looked washed out. Further, the very end title of the film is clipped. This cheapo dvd bears a striking resemblance to another which was being flogged for 88 cents at bargain stores awhile back! The true Technicolor transfer referred to by another reviewer would be much better, if in fact it were available new at any reasonable price. If you just have to see the film this version from this outfit, Aplha Video, is barely acceptable. Five stars for the film, but only two for the dvd.
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5.0 out of 5 stars Great Fun!!!, Feb 1 2003
By Gregory Nyman (Winchendon, MA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: Inspector General, the (VHS Tape)
Danny Kaye is superb in this movie about a bumble who is mistaken for an Inspector General, and how he pulls it off is worth the price of the film. The music is marvelous, and Kaye's machinations as he sings and dances to it are classic. Many lessons of life are involved in this movie. Friendship, loyalty, and especially "honesty" come to play, and the ending is so genuine, that it almost brought tears to my eyes. Highly recommended!!
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Most recent customer reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Great fun!
This movie is almost as good as The Court Jester, also staring Danny Kaye. He is a travelling sales man who is mistakenly thought to be the Inspector General by a small corupt... Read more
Published on May 31 2002 by !

4.0 out of 5 stars A DANNY KAYE FAN
I have just purchased The Inspector General. As i am still a 59 year old teenager i remember seeing it when it first came out. Read more
Published on Feb 2 2002 by J JARVIS

5.0 out of 5 stars A great and funny film!
This is one of my favorite Danny Kaye films. It
is very funny and entertaining and I would give it ten stars if I could!
Published on Oct 23 2001 by Rosella Ann Myles

5.0 out of 5 stars Danny Kaye was, is, and always will be a genius!!
The first time I saw this movie, it was very late at night on cable (A&E, of course!) I was thoroughly flabbergasted at the quality of the music, especially Danny Kaye's... Read more
Published on Sep 24 2000 by Jed Bingham

5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect Danny!
Acting? Singing? Dancing? Humor? Suspence? Romance? Limber-limbed antics? Danny Kaye serves them all up with ease in this delightful return to Napoleonic Russia. Read more
Published on Dec 25 1999 by dedicatedtofun

5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely Hilarious
I adored this movie as a child, and after watching it again as a grown woman, I still love it. No one plays the buffoon as well as Danny Kaye. Read more
Published on Oct 15 1999 by Danielle Kando

5.0 out of 5 stars Nice Movie,and Danny at his Best,with funny and good acting.
I liked this movie a lot.Firsth time on TV when I saw it in the 70-ties in Sweden, we had hillariously laughing, and we remember Danny Kaye forever in Our Hearts. Read more
Published on Sep 2 1999

4.0 out of 5 stars Another wonderful period comedy for Danny Kaye
The Inspector General is a delightful comedy starring Danny Kaye. The situations and music allow Kaye to shine in this often overlooked film. Read more
Published on Jul 24 1999

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