The Madwoman Of Chaillot (1969)

An eccentric dotty "madwoman" (Katharine Hepburn) lives and dresses in the past in modern Paris. When she learns of the dastardly plot by a group of wealthy businessmen and government officials to destroy Paris by digging for the oil they believe is buried underneath, she takes it upon herself to exterminate them. Based on the 1945 play by Jean Giraudoux and directed by Bryan Forbes (SEANCE ON A WET AFTERNOON). Giradoux's whimsical theatrical conceit was a charming piece of fantasy. Alas, the film makers (including Edward Anhalt's screenplay) have removed all the delicate enchantment that is necessary to make the play work. They've updated it with student protests and war mongering villains ready to start a nuclear war. Hepburn does as well as she can considering she's essentially miscast. Always one of the most intelligent of actresses, Hepburn's iconic Yankee common sense can't be hid and she seems to be playing at being dotty rather than being dotty. It's the kind of part that someone like Maggie Smith would have been marvelous in. In the end, perhaps it's the kind of gossamer material that just doesn't transition well from stage to cinema. The huge cast includes Danny Kaye, Yul Brynner, Edith Evans, Charles Boyer, Richard Chamberlain, Margaret Leighton, Giulietta Masina, Donald Pleasence, John Gavin (just awful), Paul Henreid, Oscar Homolka, Nanette Newman and Claude Dauphin.