Arthur Bach
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''Arthur ''is a 1981 American romantic comedy film written and directed by Steve Gordon. It stars Dudley Moore as Arthur Bach, a drunken New York City millionaire who is on the brink of an
arranged marriage Arranged marriage is a type of marital union where the bride and groom are primarily selected by individuals other than the couple themselves, particularly by family members such as the parents. In some cultures a professional matchmaker may be us ...
to a wealthy heiress but ends up falling for a common working-class girl from Queens. It was the sole film directed by Gordon, who died in 1982 of a heart attack at age 44. The film earned over $95 million domestically, making it the fourth-highest-grossing film of 1981. Its title song, "
Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do) "Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)" is a song performed and co-written by American singer-songwriter Christopher Cross, which was the main theme for the 1981 film ''Arthur'' starring Dudley Moore and Liza Minnelli. The song won the Oscar f ...
", won the
Academy Award for Best Original Song The Academy Award for Best Original Song is one of the awards given annually to people working in the motion picture industry by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is presented to the ''songwriters'' who have composed th ...
. Co-written by
Christopher Cross Christopher Cross (born Christopher Charles Geppert; May 3, 1951) is an American singer-songwriter from San Antonio, Texas. He won five Grammy Awards for his eponymous debut album released in 1979. The singles "Sailing" (1980), and "Arthur's T ...
,
Burt Bacharach Burt Freeman Bacharach ( ; born May 12, 1928) is an American composer, songwriter, record producer and pianist who composed hundreds of pop songs from the late 1950s through the 1980s, many in collaboration with lyricist Hal David. A six-time Gra ...
, Carole Bayer Sager, and Peter Allen, it was performed by Christopher Cross.
Sir John Gielgud Sir Arthur John Gielgud, (; 14 April 1904 – 21 May 2000) was an English actor and theatre director whose career spanned eight decades. With Ralph Richardson and Laurence Olivier, he was one of the trinity of actors who dominated the Briti ...
also won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. It was nominated for two other Academy Awards.


Plot

Arthur Bach is a spoiled alcoholic from New York City, who likes to be driven in his chauffeured Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith limousine through Central Park. Arthur is heir to a portion of his family's vast fortune, but only if he marries the upper-class Susan Johnson, the daughter of a business acquaintance of his father. He does not love Susan, but his family feels that she will make him finally grow up. During a shopping trip in Manhattan, accompanied by his valet, Hobson, Arthur witnesses a young woman, Linda Marolla, shoplifting a necktie. He intercedes with the store security guard on her behalf, and later asks her for a date. Despite his attraction to her, Arthur remains pressured by his family to marry Susan. While visiting his grandmother, Martha, Arthur shares his feelings for Linda, but is warned again that he will be disowned if he does not marry Susan. Hobson, who has been more like a father to him than Arthur's real father, realizes that Arthur is beginning to grow up, and secretly encourages Linda to attend Arthur's engagement party. Hobson confides in Linda that he senses Arthur loves her. Linda crashes the party, held at the estate of Arthur's father, and she and Arthur eventually spend time alone together, which is tracked by both families. Hobson is later hospitalized, and Arthur rushes to his side, vowing to care for the person who has long cared for him. After several weeks, Hobson dies, and then Arthur, who has been sober the entire time, goes on a drinking binge. On his wedding day, he visits the diner where Linda works and proposes to her. At the church, he jilts Susan, resulting in her abusive father, Burt Johnson, attempting to stab Arthur with a cheese knife, though he is prevented by Martha. A wounded Arthur announces in the church that there will be no wedding then passes out soon after. Later, Linda attends to his wounds, and they discuss living a life of poverty. A horrified Martha tells Arthur that he can have his fortune, because no Bach has ever been working class. Arthur declines, but at the last minute, he talks privately to Martha. When he returns to Linda's side, he tells her that he declined again – Martha's dinner invitation, he means – but he did accept $750 million. Arthur's pleased
chauffeur A chauffeur is a person employed to drive a passenger motor vehicle, especially a luxury vehicle such as a large sedan or limousine. Originally, such drivers were often personal employees of the vehicle owner, but this has changed to speciali ...
Bitterman drives the couple through Central Park.


Cast


Production

Gordon originally wrote the title character with an American actor in mind. Prior to the casting of Moore,
Al Pacino Alfredo James Pacino (; ; born April 25, 1940) is an American actor. Considered one of the most influential actors of the 20th century, he has received numerous accolades: including an Academy Award, two Tony Awards, and two Primetime Emmy ...
, Jack Nicholson,
Richard Dreyfuss Richard Stephen Dreyfuss (; born Dreyfus; October 29, 1947) is an American actor. He is known for starring in popular films during the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, including ''American Graffiti'' (1973), ''Jaws'' (1975), ''Close Encounters of the T ...
and James Caan were all considered for the role. In addition,
Alec Guinness Sir Alec Guinness (born Alec Guinness de Cuffe; 2 April 1914 – 5 August 2000) was an English actor. After an early career on the stage, Guinness was featured in several of the Ealing comedies, including ''Kind Hearts and Coronets'' (194 ...
and David Niven were considered for the role of Hobson. According to Splitsider, John Belushi was also considered for Arthur. Initially Gordon wanted Moore to perform the role with an American accent, but this proved contentious as Moore had trouble doing so and eventually convinced Gordon to let him use his natural English accent. While some critiques objected to the obvious difference in accent between Arthur and his biological father, others were quick to catch the deeper implication that Hobson taught Arthur to speak. Debra Winger reportedly turned down the role of Linda. Goldie Hawn, Diane Keaton,
Gilda Radner Gilda Susan Radner (June 28, 1946 – May 20, 1989) was an American actress and comedian, and one of the seven original cast members of the "Not Ready For Prime Time Players" on the NBC sketch comedy show ''Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL''). In he ...
and Meryl Streep were also considered for the role of Linda. Although the project was initially in the works at
Paramount Paramount (from the word ''paramount'' meaning "above all others") may refer to: Entertainment and music companies * Paramount Global, also known simply as Paramount, an American mass media company formerly known as ViacomCBS. The following busin ...
, studio executives eventually dropped the project and
Orion Pictures Orion Pictures (legal name Orion Releasing, LLC) is an American film production and distribution company owned by Amazon through its Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) subsidiary. In its original operating period, the company produced and released films ...
stepped in. Promoting the film proved to be a challenge, reportedly six ad campaigns were discarded before a final one was decided upon.


Soundtrack

Pop singer Christopher Cross was initially asked to
score Score or scorer may refer to: *Test score, the result of an exam or test Business * Score Digital, now part of Bauer Radio * Score Entertainment, a former American trading card design and manufacturing company * Score Media, a former Canadian m ...
the film, but writer/director Steven Gordon did not feel comfortable with his lack of experience in composing for film and the job was given to
Burt Bacharach Burt Freeman Bacharach ( ; born May 12, 1928) is an American composer, songwriter, record producer and pianist who composed hundreds of pop songs from the late 1950s through the 1980s, many in collaboration with lyricist Hal David. A six-time Gra ...
. Cross was asked to compose a song for the film which he did, "
Arthur's Theme "Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)" is a song performed and co-written by American singer-songwriter Christopher Cross, which was the main theme for the 1981 film ''Arthur'' starring Dudley Moore and Liza Minnelli. The song won the Oscar f ...
", which he wrote with Bacharach along with Carole Bayer Sager and Peter Allen.


Reception

The film received critical acclaim upon its release and is considered by many as one of the best films of 1981. It currently holds an 89% "Fresh" rating from 35 critics on the review aggregate website Rotten Tomatoes. The critical consensus reads: "Dudley Moore brings a boozy charm to ''Arthur'', a coming of age tale for a wayward millionaire that deploys energetic cast chemistry and spiffy humor to jovial effect." The film had a disappointing opening at the box office but improved its performance over its run, becoming the seventh highest-grossing film of the summer. It eventually earned over $95 million domestically, making it the fourth-highest-grossing film of 1981. Then-
U.S. President The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States ...
Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...
viewed this film at
Camp David Camp David is the country retreat for the president of the United States of America. It is located in the wooded hills of Catoctin Mountain Park, in Frederick County, Maryland, near the towns of Thurmont and Emmitsburg, about north-northwe ...
on July 25, 1981.


Related films


Sequel

The film was followed by a sequel in 1988, '' Arthur 2: On the Rocks''. Lead players Dudley Moore, Liza Minnelli, and John Gielgud reprised their roles, as well as many supporting players such as Geraldine Fitzgerald, Barney Martin; but Ted Ross and Jill Eikenberry did not return. The sequel was a critical and financial failure.


Remake

The 2011 version was first reported in 2008 with news that ''Arthur'' was to be
remade Bas-Lag is the fictional world in which several of English author China Miéville's novels are set. Bas-Lag is a world where both magic (referred to as "thaumaturgy") and steampunk technology exist, and is home to many intelligent races. It is inf ...
by Warner Bros., with British actor/comedian
Russell Brand Russell Edward Brand (born 4 June 1975) is an English comedian and actor known for his flamboyant, loquacious style and manner. Brand has received three British Comedy Awards: Best Newcomer (2006), Best Live Stand-Up (2008), and the award for ...
in the lead role. Brand confirmed this during his March 10, 2009 appearance on '' The Howard Stern Show''. The remake was an overall critical and financial failure.


Foreign versions

The film had three Indian remakes. One was the 1984 Hindi-language film '' Sharaabi'', the second was the 1985 Kannada-language film ''
Nee Thanda Kanike ''Nee Thanda Kanike'' (Kannada: ನೀ ತಂದ ಕಾಣಿಕೆ, English : The Gift You Bought) is a 1985 Indian Kannada film, directed and produced by Dwarakish. The film stars Vishnuvardhan, Girish Karnad, Jayasudha and C. R. Simha in th ...
'', and the third was another 2004 Hindi '' Tumsa Nahin Dekha''.


Awards and nominations


Honors

The film is No. 10 on
Bravo Bravo(s) or The Bravo(s) may refer to: Arts and entertainment Music Groups and labels *Bravo (band), a Russian rock band * Bravo (Spanish group), represented Spain at Eurovision 1984 *Bravo Music, an American concert band music publishing company ...
's "100 Funniest Movies," and No. 53 on the
American Film Institute The American Film Institute (AFI) is an American nonprofit film organization that educates filmmakers and honors the heritage of the motion picture arts in the United States. AFI is supported by private funding and public membership fees. Leade ...
's '' 100 Years... 100 Laughs''. The film is recognized by
American Film Institute The American Film Institute (AFI) is an American nonprofit film organization that educates filmmakers and honors the heritage of the motion picture arts in the United States. AFI is supported by private funding and public membership fees. Leade ...
in these lists: * 2000: AFI's 100 Years...100 Laughs – #53 * 2002: AFI's 100 Years...100 Passions – Nominated * 2004: AFI's 100 Years...100 Songs: ** "
Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do) "Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)" is a song performed and co-written by American singer-songwriter Christopher Cross, which was the main theme for the 1981 film ''Arthur'' starring Dudley Moore and Liza Minnelli. The song won the Oscar f ...
" – #79 * 2005: AFI's 100 Years...100 Movie Quotes:


In popular culture

The animated series '' The Critic'' starring Jon Lovitz shows a parody of ''Arthur'' called ''Arthur 3: Revenge of the Liver'', where the character of Arthur Bach (voiced by Maurice LaMarche impersonating Dudley Moore) is shown intoxicated and is informed that he has cirrhosis of the liver. In 2020, the film was honored at the On Cinema at the Cinema Seventh Annual Oscar Special. Film expert Gregg Turkington hosted a special sneak preview of the film's 40th anniversary celebration, which was planned for the 2021 Oscar Special.


References


External links

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Arthur (1981 Film) 1981 films 1980s romantic comedy-drama films American romantic comedy-drama films Best Musical or Comedy Picture Golden Globe winners Films that won the Best Original Song Academy Award 1980s English-language films Films about alcoholism Films about inheritances Films about interclass romance Films about the upper class Films featuring a Best Supporting Actor Academy Award-winning performance Films featuring a Best Musical or Comedy Actor Golden Globe winning performance Films featuring a Best Supporting Actor Golden Globe winning performance Films scored by Burt Bacharach Films shot in New York City Films set in New York City Orion Pictures films Warner Bros. films Arthur (film series) 1981 directorial debut films 1981 comedy films 1981 drama films 1980s American films