the fresh films reviews

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Every Thing You Always Wanted to Know About Sex*
(*But Were Afraid to Ask) (1972)

Director:
Woody Allen
COUNTRY
USA
GENRE
Comedy/Satire
NORWEGIAN TITLE
Alt du vil vite om sex (men ikke våger spørre om)
RUNNING TIME
87 minutes
Producer:
Charles Joffe
Screenwriter (based on the book by David Reuben):
Woody Allen


Cast includes:

CHARACTER ACTOR/ACTRESS RATING
Victor / Fabrizio / The Fool / Sperm Woody Allen
Doctor Bernardo John Carradine ½
Sam Lou Jacobi
Gina Louise Lasser ½
The King Anthony Quayle ½
The Operator Tony Randall
The Queen Lynn Redgrave ½
Switchboard Burt Reynolds
Doctor Ross Gene Wilder ½
Himself Jack Barry
Himself Regis Philbin

 

Review

Woody Allen's Everything You Wanted to Know About Sex, his fourth feature film, is a disjointed, erratic provocateur varying greatly in both quality, relevance and durability. Seeing as the film's main objective and function is to draw attention to taboos and mock what Allen argues is society's contemporary sexual oppression, whatever relevance it retains today is mainly as a document of Allen's development as a filmmaker - plus a few genuine laughs and fragments of great writing. As a whole, the movie will have limited meaning or value for today's audiences. The fetishes discussed, and ostensible controversy created by this, seems forced and stilted today (this goes particularly for the segments "What is Sodomy?" and "Why Do Some Women Have Trouble Reaching an Orgasm?"), but when Allen's writing occasionally does reveal bits of classic comedy and/or satire, the effect is intrinsic and timeless. The opening segment is particularly funny, with Allen perfectly cast as a sexually frustrated court jester, and the final vignette, illustrating how the male body works, from a sci-fi/military perspective, is a real treat.

 

Copyright © 30.10.2010 Fredrik Gunerius Fevang

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