Buried in the late 1960's this film would have to have been seen as a throwback even then. Compared to films such as "Easy Rider", "Woodstock" and "The Graduate" this one seemed less than cool.
However I like the unselfconscious way it revelled in its rather familiar characters and situations, and I think Rod Taylor gave a perfect performance.
The esteemed St Gregory Hotel in New Orleans is about to go bust. Its old-fashioned elegance is dying out along with its traditional clientele; takeovers are in the air. Owner Warren Trent (Melvyn Douglas) leaves the running of the hotel to his young Protégé Peter McDermott (Rod Taylor). But saving the old hotel isn't easy when he's faced with devious guests, a thief, a crooked house detective, and a buyer with an axe to grind as well as Warren Trent's outmoded social attitudes.
Rod Taylor is suave, upright and self-confident as the hotel manager. His character projects worldliness despite the fact that he seems to have spent his entire life either inside the St Gregory or in his hideaway apartment in the French quarter – where he has a rather sedate affair (by late 60's standards) with enigmatic Jeanne Rochefort (Catherine Spaak), the mistress of hotel magnate Curtis O'Keefe (Kevin McCarthy) who is bidding for the hotel.
I love other aspects of the film including the pan up of the beautifully rendered main title artwork, which sets the elegant hotel in New Orleans more so than the skimpy location photography. Johhny Keating's score captures the feeling of the passing glamour of the old St. Gregory although he couldn't help a touch of Mickey Mousing for Karl Malden's hammy performance as the key thief.
Only a couple of sequences were shot on location; the rest of the exteriors were shot on an artificial looking backlot. The film could have used some long shots of New Orleans although dropping a convincing looking St Gregory into a wide shot of the city was a tricky job before CGI.
However the interiors are sumptuous and the film really is a slick production. The presence of Melvyn Douglas, Merle Oberon and Michael Rennie give it extra clout.
Unlike Arthur Hailey's novel, the movie stayed in my memory. It has no pretensions at classic status but it gets you in, and Rod Taylor adds a genuine touch of class – he was good in "The Birds", but he's better here.
However I like the unselfconscious way it revelled in its rather familiar characters and situations, and I think Rod Taylor gave a perfect performance.
The esteemed St Gregory Hotel in New Orleans is about to go bust. Its old-fashioned elegance is dying out along with its traditional clientele; takeovers are in the air. Owner Warren Trent (Melvyn Douglas) leaves the running of the hotel to his young Protégé Peter McDermott (Rod Taylor). But saving the old hotel isn't easy when he's faced with devious guests, a thief, a crooked house detective, and a buyer with an axe to grind as well as Warren Trent's outmoded social attitudes.
Rod Taylor is suave, upright and self-confident as the hotel manager. His character projects worldliness despite the fact that he seems to have spent his entire life either inside the St Gregory or in his hideaway apartment in the French quarter – where he has a rather sedate affair (by late 60's standards) with enigmatic Jeanne Rochefort (Catherine Spaak), the mistress of hotel magnate Curtis O'Keefe (Kevin McCarthy) who is bidding for the hotel.
I love other aspects of the film including the pan up of the beautifully rendered main title artwork, which sets the elegant hotel in New Orleans more so than the skimpy location photography. Johhny Keating's score captures the feeling of the passing glamour of the old St. Gregory although he couldn't help a touch of Mickey Mousing for Karl Malden's hammy performance as the key thief.
Only a couple of sequences were shot on location; the rest of the exteriors were shot on an artificial looking backlot. The film could have used some long shots of New Orleans although dropping a convincing looking St Gregory into a wide shot of the city was a tricky job before CGI.
However the interiors are sumptuous and the film really is a slick production. The presence of Melvyn Douglas, Merle Oberon and Michael Rennie give it extra clout.
Unlike Arthur Hailey's novel, the movie stayed in my memory. It has no pretensions at classic status but it gets you in, and Rod Taylor adds a genuine touch of class – he was good in "The Birds", but he's better here.