The bad things about The Inspector General: the plot is thin, Danny Kaye steals almost every scene; and a few of the songs are too long.
The good things: Ditto. The story is easy to understand; Kaye’s antics fill the movie with humor and style; and the songs provide amusing, albeit lengthy, transitions between the action scenes.
A Film About Mistaken Identity
Residents of Brodny are nervously awaiting a visit from the Inspector General, and “it is not known what he looks like,” the mayor of Brodny learns from his cousin, the mayor of Klimenti.
A few scenes later, illiterate traveling salesman Georgi is unfairly arrested for attempting to steal a horse and is then believed to be the Inspector General, after officials find him with a letter signed by Napoleon.
Director Henry Koster fills the remainder of the film with Georgi blustering and singing his way through official meetings, and avoiding discovery. The plot is simple yet contains just enough side amusements to keep the viewer's interest to the end: Georgi is bribed constantly by the mayor’s staff, who hope to impress him; and Georgi escapes many uncomfortable situations as he learns how to navigate his new world.
Danny Kaye: A Triple Threat In His Time
Danny Kaye was a gifted actor, dancer and singer who was popular from the 1930s to the 1960s. In The Inspector General he imitates a dog, a fish, and a sick child; semi-dances his way through a military gym room while avoiding a soldier; and sings heartily from almost his first scene until the camera pulls away from him at the end of the film. He was “nobody’s wallflower,” New York Times reporter Bosley Crowther said in in a 1949 film review.
Other actors are visible around Kaye, despite his dominating presence. Walter Slezak, as Yakov, the undermining businessman, is assertive and threatening; Gene Lockhart, the Brodny mayor, is subdued yet charming; and Elsa Lanchester, as Maria, the mayor’s wife, is brightly persistent in her pursuit of Georgi.
Lengthy Yet Amusing Songs
Songs in the film range from a few lines when Georgi is marching along singing to himself for inspiration, to almost ten minutes when Georgi is conducting a roomful of people as they all sing a Gypsy drinking song. Modern viewers, in a world that communicates with 140-character messages and three-minute YouTube videos, may find the Gypsy song tedious yet humorous as Kaye literally cavorts from one end of the set to the other.
The Inspector General: Ignored By The Censors?
Although it has a thin plot, and drags on during a few of its songs, The Inspector General is still amusing, and even a bit risqué. Viewers may wonder how the lyrics “give ‘em the finger” -- which Georgi sings as he considers how to handle the responsibilities of an Inspector General -- crept past the censors in 1949.
Sources:
- The Inspector General. Dir. Henry Koster. Perf. Danny Kaye, Walter Slezak, Barbara Bates, Elsa Lanchester. Warner Bros., 1949. Running Time: 102 min.
- Internet Movie Database
- Crowther, Bosley. “Movie Review: The Inspector General.” New York Times, December 31, 1949.
Christina Guerrero - Christina Guerrero is an American journalist and writer. Her published credits include 98 nonfiction print articles.
