progresses." Penelope Gilliatt of The New Yorker thought that unlike the play, "some binding poignancy is missing from the film" because Richard Lester, as a heterosexual, was "making a picture about homosexuality from the outside." Nevertheless, she found many of the slapstick scenes "splendiferously funny." Charles Champlin of the Los Angeles Times wrote that the film made the transition from the stage "surprisingly well, given the odds," with "two of the most flamboyantly entertaining and skillful comedy performances of the year" by Jack Weston and Rita Moreno. Gary Arnold of The Washington Post wrote "I missed the play, but there is certainly something amiss with the film, and it appears to be Richard Lester's direction, which fails to establish a rhythm perky enough to transform a farcical plot and set of conventions pleasurably from one medium to another." DVD The Ritz was released to DVD by Warner Home Video on January 8, 2008. The Ritz was rated M in New Zealand for violence, sexual violence, sexual references and offensive language. See also Continental Baths References External links 1976 films 1976 LGBT-related films 1976 comedy films British comedy films American comedy films American LGBT-related films American films based on plays Films with screenplays by Terrence McNally Films directed by Richard Lester Films shot at Twickenham Film Studios Warner Bros. films Films scored by Ken Thorne 1970s English-language films 1970s American films 1970s British films LGBT-related comedy films