I have to say that I was somewhat disappointed in watching The Loved One after all the acclaim it has gotten. There are several wonderful cameos by a lot of the name stars that Tony Richardson got for the film. But in looking back it seems it just wasn't the sum of all its parts.

The Loved One is not a satire on the funeral business per se, it is a satire on it when it's done Hollywood style. In Tinseltown everything is done gaudier even burying one. Robert Morse is an English poet who arrives in Hollywood to meet with Uncle John Gielgud who promptly offs himself.

As the closest relative by blood and geography Morse gets to make the funeral arrangements. The film is his experiences doing so. And since poetry doesn't exactly pay the rent Morse decides to go into the burying business.

Lots of familiar faces are crammed into The Loved One. Liberace as the funeral home director and Rod Steiger as the cosmetician to the dead stars are shown to best advantage. The Loved One runs a bit too long and much of the satire just doesn't gel.

If you like to stargaze however, you can't go wrong with The Loved One.

Being an innocent eighteen year old in 1965, we were in downtown Minneapolis, trying to figure out a movie to see. At that time there were nine or ten movie houses in the downtown area, long before the Cineplex. We chose this film, not knowing a thing about it, and it proved to be one of the strangest I've seen. I'm still trying to figure it out. Evelyn Waugh, one of my favorite writers now (had never heard of him at the time) penned this satire on the funeral industry. There are so many great performances here, with Bobby Morse (How to Succeed in Business) leading the way. Jonathan Winters and Rod Steiger are stellar as offbeat characters. The doe eyed, somewhat air-headed Miss Thanatogenis (of course, Miss Death) is really into embalming and wants to break through the glass ceiling (so to speak). She is being wooed by Morse and Steiger. Of course, much centers around the business of funerals and what can be done to make them continue to prosper. Thanatogenis sees embalming and looking good as an art and suffers for it. Anyway, the people I was with said it was the worst movie they had ever seen and choosing it ruined the evening. I didn't know what to think. Now I realize it is a genius work and one of the darkest comedies of all time.

I must admit that for a while during this film, I wasn't very impressed. However, the longer it went, the weirder and more offensive it became---and I really liked that! Back in 1965, it was seen as very sick and offensive. However, given societal changes, it's only a bit sick and offensive today...and well worth your time.

The film begins with Dennis (Robert Morse) moving from England to Los Angeles. He moves in with his uncle (John Gieldgud) and this part of the film and its look into Hollywood didn't particularly interest me--especially since I had heard about how wacky the film was. But, when the uncle kills himself, Morse is taken into the world of the funeral industry....and then it gets mega-strange. You are taken into the bizarre world of some ultra-fancy cemetery run by a very odd reverend (Jonathan Winters). Then, Morse gets a job at a pet cemetery--and it gets stranger. I could tell you a lot more about all this, but think you just need to see it for yourself. Be sure to look for some very odd and funny cameos--particularly Liberace as a coffin salesman and a great bit with Milton Berle. I also loved the lady with the suckling pig--again, you need to see it for yourself.

The film works because it is very outrageous and silly. It also works because so much of the humor is very dry and underplayed--with folks reacting pretty normally when insane things happen all around them. I think the best thing to say about the film was said by my youngest daughter when she said "This is really funny for an old movie"! Clever and sick...and a lot of fun.