The World of Henry Orient
| The World of Henry Orient | |
|---|---|
 The World of Henry Orient movie poster | |
| Directed by | George Roy Hill |
| Written by | Nora Johnson (novel and screenplay) Nunnally Johnson (screenplay) |
| Produced by | Jerome Hellman |
| Starring | Peter Sellers Paula Prentiss Merrie Spaeth Tippy Walker Tom Bosley |
| Cinematography | Boris Kaufman Arthur J. Ornitz |
| Edited by | Stuart Gilmore |
| Music by | Elmer Bernstein |
| Distributed by | MGM |
Release date | 1964 |
Running time | 106 minutes |
| Country |  United States |
| Language | English |
The World of Henry Orient is a 1964 comedy film based on the novel of the same name by Nora Johnson. It was directed by George Roy Hill and stars Peter Sellers, Paula Prentiss, Angela Lansbury, Tippy Walker, Merrie Spaeth, Phyllis Thaxter, Bibi Osterwald, and Tom Bosley. Filming started in June of 1963 and wrapped sometime in October of that year. The premiere was at Radio City Music Hall on March 19, 1964. In 1965 the film was nominated for a "Best Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy" Golden Globe Award and a "Best Written American Comedy" Writers Guild of America Award. The World of Henry Orient has influenced more recent films like Ghost World.
Synopsis
Concert pianist Henry Orient (Sellers) is trying to have an affair with a married woman, Stella Dunnworthy (Prentiss), while two preteen private-school girls, Valerie Boyd (Tippy Walker) and Marian Gilbert (Merrie Spaeth), stalk Orient and write their fantasies in a diary. Much of the humor of the film derives from Orient's paranoia that the two girls, who seem to pop up everywhere he goes, are spies sent by the husband of his would-be mistress. When Val's mother, Isabel Boyd (Angela Lansbury), finds their diary, she suspects that Henry has acted inappropriately with her daughter. She contacts Orient and they have an affair. Tom Bosley has a supporting role as Mr. Boyd.
The pianist's unusual surname, "Orient", is because Nora Johnson based the character of Henry Orient on Oscar Levant, a real-life concert pianist, raconteur and film actor. A region of Asia Minor is known as the Levant; Johnson was attempting a play on the words "Levant" and "Orient". In the film, the only comment on the pianist's unusual name occurs when his two teenage fans put on Chinese conical hats and address their idol as "Oriental Henry".
Reception
The World of Henry Orient was the official U.S. entry at 1964 Cannes Film Festival.[1] The film was well-received by critics and has an 88% rating at Rotten Tomatoes. It was voted one of the Year's Ten Best Films by the 1964 National Board of Review.
Musical adaptation
A Broadway musical adaptation of The World of Henry Orient opened at the Palace Theatre, New York in New York City on October 23, 1967. Renamed Henry, Sweet Henry, it starred Don Ameche as Henry Orient, Neva Small as Marian Gilbert, Robin Wilson as Valerie Boyd, Milo Bouton as Mr Boyd, Carol Bruce as Mrs. Boyd and Louise Lasser as Stella. The show ran for 80 performances and closed on December 31, 1967, receiving less than stellar reviews. George Roy Hill directed, with Michael Bennett handling the choreography. The music and lyrics were by Bob Merrill.
References
External links
- The World of Henry Orient at IMDb
- Template:Amg movie
- The World of Henry Orient at Rotten Tomatoes
- The World of Henry Orient at the TCM Movie Database
- Complete list of actors who were considered for roles
- MGM site with stills, samples from the soundtrack and soundbites of dialogue
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