''Where Is Parsifal?'' is a 1984 British

comedy film The comedy film is a film genre that emphasizes humor. These films are designed to amuse audiences and make them laugh. Films in this genre typically have a happy ending, with dark comedy being an exception to this rule. Comedy is one of the o ...

directed by

Henri Helman Henri Helman (born 1947) is a French Film director, director and screenwriter. Filmography References External links

* 1947 births Living people Film directors from Paris French male screenwriters French screenwriters {{France-fi ...

and starring

Tony Curtis Tony Curtis (born Bernard Schwartz; June 3, 1925September 29, 2010) was an American actor with a career that spanned six decades, achieving the height of his popularity in the 1950s and early 1960s. He acted in more than 100 films, in roles co ...

, Cassandra Domenica,

Erik Estrada Henry Enrique Estrada (born March 16, 1949) is an American actor. He is known for his co-starring lead role as California Highway Patrol officer Francis (Frank) Llewelyn "Ponch" Poncherello in the police drama television series '' CHiPs'', which ...

Peter Lawford Peter Sydney Ernest Lawford (né Aylen; 7 September 1923 – 24 December 1984) was an English-American actor.Obituary ''Variety Obituaries, Variety'', 26 December 1984. He was a member of the "Rat Pack" and the brother-in-law of US president Jo ...

(in his final film role),

Ron Moody Ron Moody (born Ronald Moodnick; 8 January 1924 – 11 June 2015) was an English actor, composer, singer and writer. He was best known for his portrayal of Fagin in '' Oliver!'' (1968) and its 1983 Broadway revival. Moody earned a Golden Glob ...

Donald Pleasence Donald Henry Pleasence (; 5 October 1919 – 2 February 1995) was an English actor. He was known for his "bald head and intense, staring eyes," and played more than 250 stage, film, and television roles across a nearly sixty-year career. Pleas ...

and

Orson Welles George Orson Welles (May 6, 1915 – October 10, 1985) was an American director, actor, writer, producer, and magician who is remembered for his innovative work in film, radio, and theatre. He is among the greatest and most influential film ...

. The film screened in the

Un Certain Regard (; 'A Certain Glance') is a section of the Cannes Film Festival's official selection. It is run at the Debussy, parallel to the competition for the . This section was introduced in 1978 by Gilles Jacob. The section presents 20 films with unusua ...

section at the

1984 Cannes Film Festival The 37th Cannes Film Festival took place from 11 to 23 May 1984. British actor Dirk Bogarde served as jury president for the main competition. German filmmaker Wim Wenders won the Palme d'Or, the festival's top prize, for the drama film '' Paris, ...

, before being released in the United Kingdom on 19 July 1985 by J. Arthur Rank Film Distributors (

The Rank Organisation The Rank Organisation (founded as the J. Arthur Rank Organisation) is a British entertainment Conglomerate (company), conglomerate founded in 1937 by industrialist J. Arthur Rank. It quickly became the largest and most vertical integration, ve ...

Plot

Parsifal Katzenellenbogen (Tony Curtis) is an eccentric hypochondriac who has invented a laser skywriter. Parsifal invites businessmen to his castle in the hopes of selling his invention. Potential buyers include gangster Henry Board II (Erik Estrada) accompanied by has-been movie star Montague Chippendale (Peter Lawford), Scotsman Mackintosh (Donald Pleasence), and gypsy Klingsor (Orson Welles).

Cast

– Parsifal Katzenellenbogen *Berta Domínguez – D.Elba (as Cassandra Domenica) *

– Henry Board II *

– Montague Chippendale *

– Beersbohm *

– Mackintosh *

– Klingsor *

Christopher Chaplin Christopher James Chaplin (born 8 July 1962) is a Swiss and English composer and actor. He is the youngest son of film comedian Charlie Chaplin and his fourth wife Oona O'Neill. He is the grandson of Eugene O'Neill. Biography Christopher Chap ...

– Ivan *Nancy Roberts – Ruth *Ava Lazar – Sheila

Release

''Where Is Parsifal?'' is often incorrectly considered to be a

lost film A lost film is a feature film, feature or short film in which the original negative or copies are not known to exist in any studio archive, private collection, or public archive. Films can be wholly or partially lost for a number of reasons. ...

, since it has never been commercially available in the UK or US—in fact, it is on the British Film Institute's 75 Most Wanted list of lost films, though its status was updated to "found" after director Helman donated his personal print to the BFI—but the film was released on home video in (at least)

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

The Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

and in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

(by Seven Keys Video) during the 1980s. The misinformation about the film being lost is due to the fact that although it was screened at the 1984 Cannes Film Festival, it was withdrawn prior to its official release date in the UK. In May 2013, the film appeared on

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

streaming.

References

External links

BFI 75 Most Wanted entry
with extensive notes * {{IMDb title, 0086577 1983 films 1983 comedy films British comedy films 1980s English-language films 1980s British films Rediscovered British films 1980s rediscovered films