Have always loved Doris Day since forever and would see anything with her in it. Not all her films were great, a few of them not even good, but Day was an incredibly talented performer, was always watchable and always gave her all even in her lesser films.Despite being her lowest rated film (as of now) on IMDb, critical reception not being kind to it at the time and even Day herself (Richard Harris apparently too) disliking it, while a long way from a flawless film and the weaker of the two films Day did with director Frank Tashlin (the other being 'The Glass Bottom Boat), 'Caprice' to me wasn't that bad. Again from personal opinion, it is not Day's worst film, that distinction goes to 'Where Were You When the Lights Went Out?' and 'Lucky Me' and 'Starlift' are not far behind. She has certainly done much better, especially 'Calamity Jane' and 'Pillow Talk' for films and both of those and 'Love Me or Leave Me' for performances.'Caprice' certainly could have been much better. Its most problematic element is the often hopelessly convoluted (things get so complicated at times figuring out what was going on was not always easy) and daft story that was in more need of excitement and suspense overall. The script suffers from the same problems, and, while there are some undeniably funny and thrilling moments, tonally it felt muddled. It didn't seem to know whether it wanted to be a comedy or spy/espionage thriller, instead trying to do both with varying results, and when to be. The comedic elements fare much better, with some witty dialogue and some wildly entertaining set pieces, while the thriller elements only work in spurts with the lack of suspense and the convolution working against it.Richard Harris is a rather ill-suited leading man. Very like Richard Widmark in 'The Tunnel of Love', Harris does step out of his comfort zone, which is laudable, but there is a real sense that he was completely out of his depth, to say that comedy isn't his forte is being generous. He plays the role too heavily and broadly instead of the lightness of touch and urbane charm needed here. It also was rather hard to take him seriously with the blue eye shadow and he visibly looked embarrassed wearing it, it just looked strange even in this particular context.On the other hand, Day is a warm and natural presence and she shows a gift for a deft balance of comedy and drama, her chemistry with Harris had some nice moments. There is effortless support from Ray Walston, Edward Mulhane and Michael J. Pollard, and Tashlin's direction is both restrained and witty on the most part.'Caprice' looks great too, apart from some cheap multi-layered gauze, the eye shadow and some obvious back projection. The cinematography is one of the film's biggest merits, full of ravishing colours and an atmosphere that one wishes was matched in the story. Production design is similarly audacious, and the clothes are like their own characters (worth seeing 'Caprice' for them alone).Music score is quirky and slinky while also with an understated ominous touch, also loved the title song and it is beautifully sung by Day. As said, 'Caprice' does sport some fine moments. They are the chase sequence in the apartment complex that's entertaining and thrilling, the hilarious elevator scene (genius comic timing by Day) and especially the delightful scene in the theatre. The film could have done with more kick sometimes but was never what one would call "boring" (highlighted seeing as it has become one of my most hated words to its overuse and how it's constantly abused on the internet).In summary, not great (couldn't help thinking of 'Charade', also with a mix of comedy and thriller-mystery, and how much better that was) but a long way from a disaster. 6/10 Bethany Cox

Caprice marks 20th Century Fox's attempt to enter into the spy caper stakes already occupied by the likes of Charade (1963), The Prize (1963) and Arabesque (1966). At the time, Doris Day was the world's number one box office star; little did she know that her 'kooky blonde'-routine was about to fall foul of a rapidly changing cinematic landscape. This was the age of Bonnie & Clyde, The Graduate, The Wild Bunch, and Midnight Cowboy. The world wanted depressing, downbeat character dramas; not cutesy caper films about nutty industrial spies. The only room left at all for comedic spy capers was already taken by the increasingly humorous 007 films and the Flint movies with James Coburn. Caprice is a desperate effort which suffers from too many jarring mood swings and a tortuously confusing plot. Day only made the film to fulfil a contractual obligation and would later label it her worst film. Co-star Richard Harris was so sure that the film was destined to bomb that he allegedly refused to watch it, ever! Even at the time of his death, he had never seen Caprice.Patricia Foster (Doris Day) is an industrial spy working for Femina Cosmetics. Her father also used to be in the espionage game; he was an Interpol agent until his unsolved assassination in the Alps. Patrcia is ordered by her boss Sir Jason Fox (Edward Mulhare) to steal a secret formula for rival company May Fortune. The formula can apparently create a water-resistant hairspray which will be the next big thing in the world of fashion and beauty. Things take a darker turn when counter-agent Christopher White (Richard Harris) enters the scene. Is he ally, enemy, or something else altogether? To add further to the mystery, Patricia also discovers that vast quantities of drugs are being smuggled between the cosmetic companies in the guise of a 'harmless' face powder. Soon, the long-ago murder of her father rears its ugly head once more as Patricia uncovers one secret too many and finds herself targeted for elimination.Directed by former Warner Loony Tunes maker Frank Tashlin, Caprice has a good deal of cartoon-like energy but lacks the required finesse to be a good film. The scattershot narrative is a nightmare to follow; the back projection work, intended to suggest an exotic feel, looks horribly fake; and the performances seem generally tired and disinterested. Often Caprice seems to be mimicking earlier and better movies, right down to Doris's chic wardrobe (her sunglasses in particular are clearly modelled on Audrey Hepburn's in Charade). All this achieves is to draw unwanted attention to the fact that she's a fortysomething woman trying to come across like she's in her 20s. There are a handful of individually effective action sequences and the film is at least mercifully brief. However, as a whole it is a muddled mess, pitched at a level of hysteria from the very start which only gets more and more out-of-control as the film progresses. Is it as bad as that absolute nadir of zany '60s caper movies, John Goldfarb, Please Come Home? No, not quite... but it sure is a pretty rotten movie just the same.

So many people hate Caprice, including Doris Day herself, that I was quite surprised, when I finally saw it, to find how enjoyable it was. Admittedly, it is not high art or even subtle, but it is an engaging spy romp, in true '60's fashion, with Doris and Richard Harris exhibiting nicely judged performances. They make an excellent team and look well together. Richard Harris is, admittedly, not renowned for comedy roles, but the character of Christopher is surely meant to be rather sinister. The script makes certain that we don't know whether to trust him or not. I think his is a very underrated performance. The fashions and make-up are truly of the period, and there are some very exciting and funny set-pieces. I'm all in favour of films like Caprice, which set out to entertain, and I will certainly watch this film again and again.

This late Doris Day effort is a truly awful film ,a fact which is initially disguised by an excellently filmed pre-credits sequence in which a skier in white is chased down mountainous slopes by a sinister black-clad skier wearing a reflective visor and toting a high-powered rifle. Much of this sequence, and a second that appears near the end of the film, is shot with a hand-held camera. In fact it looks as if the cameraman was skiing down the mountain himself as he took the footage. It's a terrific piece of filming that immediately immerses the viewer in the action – but after this superlative opening and a cleverly designed credits sequence, the film falls flat with a resounding thud.Doris Day was about 42-years-old when she made this flick and, thanks to some ill-conceived make-up and atrociously synthetic looking wigs, she looks every day of those 42 years. Already at least fifteen years too old for the part, she's made to wear the type of outfits that shouldn't be seen on a woman over twenty-five, and doesn't look like she's having a good time at all. It's a shame, because she was still a good-looking woman at the time, as can be seen in WITH SIX YOU GET EGG ROLL, which she made the following year. No wonder she doesn't like to talk about this film anymore.Her co-star is Richard Harris, who is also woefully miscast as a light leading man. Whoever convinced Harris he was suited to comedy roles was either inept or pandering to Harris's ego. Either way, all concerned made a big mistake when he signed up for this film. There's no chemistry whatsoever between him and Day, they never look like people who would be attracted to each other, and the manner in which their relationship develops is both poorly conceived and ineptly handled.Director Frank Tashlin's career was in irreversible decline when he made this film (which can have only accelerated the slide) and he made only one more feature after this. He manages a couple of decent scenes, but the light touch he brought to a number of minor classics in the fifties just isn't there anymore. To be fair, the script doesn't give him much to work with – for a comedy it is remarkably unfunny – and the unnecessarily convoluted plot doesn't seem to know where it is going before eventually descending into absurdity, which is a shame because it contains the nugget of a good idea. Day didn't like this one, Harris didn't like it and, in all probability, neither will you.