year ago and when darling lili play on tv and it be always the pan and scan version and which i hat and decide to wait and see the film in it proper widescreen format . so when i saw an inexpensive dvd of this julie andrews or blake edward opus and i decide to purchase and watch it once and for all . boy and what a terrible film . it so bad and on so many level that i really do not know where to start in describe where and when it go so horribly wrong . look at it now and it obvious to any fan of movie that blake edward create this star vehicle for his wife simply because so many other director have strike gold with andrew in musical ( mary poppins and sound of music and thoroughly modern millie and etc ) but also because andrew be snub from star in project make famous on stage by julie herself ( camelot and my fair lady and etc ) because hollywood think she wasn not sexy or glamorous enough . so blake create this stillborn effort and to showcase his wife in a bizarre concoction of spy story or war movie or romance or slapstick comedy or musical . darling lili suffers from multiple personality and never know who or what it be . some specific scene be good or effective but a a whole and it just doesn not work at all to a point of it be very embarrass . mind you and the version on the dvd be the director cut and or in this case and let salvage whatever we can from this notorious box office flop . in release the dvd and edward cut 19 scene ( 19 . ) from the original bloated theatrical version into this more streamlined and yet remarkably ineffective version . the film move along with no idea of what it be . we be 25 minute into it and we still do not know what go on or why be watch what go . what kind of spy be lili . how powerful be she . be she ever responsible for someone death . instead we watch a thoroughly bore look rock hudson try to woo a thoroughly bore look julie andrew . thing aren not help much with the inexplicable reason why the two fall in love . why do julie fall for hudson . why him and not other men she get involve with . there should have be one of her ex hang around and try to win her back or try to decipher her secret . this would have give u some much need contrast to the muddle action . it would also have give u some impetuous to the sluggish proceeding . there no catalyst in this story . one only have to look at the cut scene to clearly see that edward and the writer just come up with idea inspire by andrew ( and edward ) previous success . the best ( or bad ) example be the scene when andrew and hudson follow a group of child who sing in the middle of a forest . edward channel sound of music . it no wonder he remove it from the dvd . back in 1970 and that scene might have work on a certain level but today and that moment reek of desperation . there be other plot element directly inspire by andrew or edward other film . the endless scene of dogfight be inspire by the much good modern millie . the musical moment i will give you three guess be create just to make fun of julie mary poppins persona and which be turn raunchy with julie do a striptease in the act . the end and bird eye view of julie run towards hudson plane and be another wink at sound of music . the whole thing be confuse . julie play a singer and bear from a german father and british mother and who live in england but sing her ( english ) song in paris . you never know exactly where the story take place . some moment be just badly edit . like when julie and her uncle be on horseback . they talk and talk and then julie suddenly sprint off in mid sentence . i be like what happen here . the comedy bit be unfunny and cringe worthy . every scene with the french police be pathetic . where peter seller when you really need him . the action be stupid beyond belief . when julie and her uncle be on their way to germany on that train and hudson squadron shoots round of bullet at the train and almost kill lili in the process . brilliant . what also funny about that scene be the two leave on the train in the middle of the night but hudson and his squadron reach the train even though they fly off the next morning . that one slow move train there . the musical moment . the beginning be the best part of the entire film ( and the reason i give this film 3 star ) but it effect be diminish considerably because it repeat at the end . speaking of redundant and do we really need to see a can can dance and crepe suzette strip scene and julie strip too . the girl in no man land be ok even if it bleed obvious and but that moment just doesn not make any sense whatsoever because lili sings it to a group of injured soldier at a french hospital and make me wonder represent how many soldier there be injure indirectly by the result of her spying . the whole project be listless and without energy . the romance be 100 % unbelievable . rock hudson be way too old and tired look ( check out the museum scene ) . julie look daze and like she on valium . but what really kill this ill conceive project be julie play a german spy . edward desperately want to dispel the mary poppins syndrome afflict his wife and believe that play a traitor be a good career decision . as much a i like julie and she no greta garbo and who pull it off so beautifully in mata hari . funny enough and even if julie play a german spy and she still come across a cloying and cute . how bad be darling lili . even after 37 year since it release and blake edward felt he still need to work on it for it dvd release .