The V.I.P.s (1963)
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45% of users liked it
(726 ratings)
Terrence Rattigan, the playwright who brought us the multicharactered, multistoried Separate Tables, again offers us an episodic cross-section of humanity in The V.I.P.'s. When a heavy London fog paralyzes all air traffic, the lives of several people are profoundly affected. As indicated by the… More Terrence Rattigan, the playwright who brought us the multicharactered, multistoried Separate Tables, again offers us an episodic cross-section of humanity in The V.I.P.'s. When a heavy London fog paralyzes all air traffic, the lives of several people are profoundly affected. As indicated by the title, most of the characters in this portmanteau film are of the social and/or financial elite. Elizabeth Taylor wishes to leave her enormously wealthy husband Richard Burton in favor of playboy Louis Jourdan. Peripatetic European film producer Orson Welles is hoping to escape London with his newest protegee Elsa Martinelli in order to avoid paying his income tax. Australian businessman Rod Taylor, accompanied by his devoted (and adoring) secretary Maggie Smith, is anxious to head to New York to stave off a hostile takeover of his firm. And impoverished aristocrat Margaret Rutherford (who won an Oscar for her performance) would rather not go to Florida to accept a job as a social arbiter, but the wolf must be kept from the door. Before the fog disperses, you can be sure that at least one of the many plotlines will intersect with another. David Frost, in a tiny part as a reporter, was fond of recalling in later years that, while the major stars of The VIPS were introduced in the opening titles with animated limousines, he was consigned a tiny Volkswagen; alas, no such cartoon joke appears in the film, though on occasion the actors-particularly Mr. Welles-behave as though they were cartoons. Mercilessly skewered by the critics, The VIPS was a winner at the box-office, due in great part to the Cleopatra-inspired publicity concerning the top-billed Liz Taylor and Dick Burton. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Directed By
- Anthony Asquith
- Genres
- Drama, Classics
Unrated,
- In Theaters
- Sep 19, 1963 Wide
Critic Reviews
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Wesley Lovell, Cinema Sight
Trying to shoehorn a talent ensemble into a trite premise results in unmitigated failure.
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Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com
An all-cast star succeeds in camouflaging the thin plot of this adventure-disaster flick
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Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
It's jet-set entertainment for celebrity watchers and those who will watch anything while a passenger in air flight.
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Walter Chaw, Film Freak Central
Nothing's indicted here, just indulged.
See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
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Cast
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Elizabeth Taylor
as Frances Andros
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Richard Burton
as Paul Andros
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Louis Jourdan
as Marc Champselle
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Margaret Rutherford
as Duchess of Brighton
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Elsa Martinelli
as Gloria Gritti
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Maggie Smith
as Miss Mead
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Rod Taylor
as Les Mangrum
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Orson Welles
as Max Buda
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Linda Christian
as Miriam Marshall
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Dennis Price
as Commander Millbank
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Richard Wattis
as Sanders
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Ronald Fraser
as Joslin
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David Frost
as Reporter
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Joan Benham
as Miss Potter
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Michael Hordern
as Airport Director
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Lance Percival
as B.O.A.C. Officer
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Martin Miller
as Dr. Schwutzbacher
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Peter Sallis
as Doctor
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Stringer Davis
as Hotel Waiter
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Clifton Jones
as Jamaican Passenger
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Moyra Fraser
as Air Hostess
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Terry Alexander
as Captain
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Reginald Beckwith
as Head Waiter
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John Blythe
as Barman
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Richard Briers
as Meteorological Official
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Richard Caldicot
as Hotel Representative
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Joyce Carey
as Mrs. Damer
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Robert Coote
as John Coburn
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Peter Illing
as Mr. Damer
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Angus Lennie
as Meteorological Man
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Clifford Mollison
as Mr. River the Hotel Manager
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Gordon Sterne
as Official
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Frank Williams
as Assistant to Airport Director
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Raymond Austin
as Rolls Chauffeur
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Jo Ann Castle
as Lady Reporter
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Maggie McGrath
as Waitress
- Virginia Bedard
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Jill Carson
as Air Hostesses
- Rosemary Dorken
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Duncan Lewis
as Hotel Receptionist
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Cal McCord
as Visitor
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Lewis Fiander
as (uncredited) Third Reporter
- Jack Hildyard
