esrosedotblog

TODAY'S MOVIE

CARNAL KNOWLEDGE (1971): NYTimes1176BestFilms; Mike Nichols directs Jules Feiffer's play with Jack Nicholson and Art Garfunkel with assorted sex-objects: Candice Bergen, Ann-Margaret, Cynthia Oneil, Rita Moreno, and Carol Kane who gets about two weepy minutes on screen. Too bad. I love Carol Kane.

I expected this to be a period piece. I do remember it that way. But, it is quite germane. The sex-obsessed Nicholson (type cast) and the romantic seeker Art Garfunkel wade through a tide of women trying to find happiness. It can be said in a word. MEN!

I liked it a lot. I thought it would be very heterocentric but the story is the same if the cast were all men. In fact, Garfunkel and Nicholson are the perfect example of gay 'sisters' who really ought to just get on with being fuck-buddies as well as being best friends. That way they would would qualify for certified domestic partner benefits in California come January. Of course, they would have to live together.

It is a fine script and a fine film and the actors do a wonderful job in it and it is all done in a magic near 90 minutes. Wonderful. I will give it a 4 out of Netflix5.

I was surprised to see this was Nichols' fifth film as it is quite theatrical. It could easily be done on a stage. There is a lot of light and dark and so on. He has brought it out in a way that film enhances the words and action.

As it is Feiffer, the words are all. Jules Feiffer only did two 'story' films. The other is POPEYE about which the less said the better. I like Feiffer. He is still going strong. It is mostly the cartoons. There is a cartoon of the month at the site.