Nichols’ flair for busy anamorphic master shots is well suited to screwball, letting his actors interact in prolonged stretches and allowing the physical gags to unfold naturally in tandem with the camera, but ultimately The Fortune just doesn’t work. Both Beatty and Nicholson feel miscast, though they are clearly relishing the challenge of rising to this odd fitting, each trying to stretch themselves unnaturally into their roles. Even with its merciful running time it feels too long, mainly due to the abundance of vacuous silences where, I assume, the intended laughs should be. Long story short, it just aint funny, with some of the gags (rape anyone?) being painfully dated. The period design and cinematography is nice though!

Watched on Indicator blu-ray.