Tags
1960's, Age of Consent, Drama, Helen Mirren, Jack MacGowran, James Mason, Michael Powell, Neva Carr Glyn
Film Title
Age of Consent
Director
Michael Powell
Starring
- James Mason as Bradley Morahan
- Helen Mirren as Cora Ryan
- Jack MacGowran as Nat Kelly
- Neva Carr Glyn as Ma Ryan
One of the last movies made by the great visionary director Michael Powell, Age of Consent may not be his finest work but it has a lot to recommend and it is far from a disaster. It just could have done with some tweaks here and there along the way.
Bradley Morahan is a jaded artist who of late has found inspiration hard to come by. Disillusioned with his life in New York, he decides to return to his native Australia, so he can find something to get his creative mind going again. He ventures to a tropical island on The Great Barrier Reef were he sets up in a shack, that is mainly quiet and seems ideal for him to regain a sense of purpose once more. While on the island he encounters Cora Ryan; a highly spirited young girl who sells fish that she catches and occasionally steals as a way to get money. Cora is kept under the watchful eye of her alcohol swigging old crone of a grandmother who tries to keep the girl on a tight leash and constantly insists on observing whatever she does. Something about the wild and striking Cora catches Bradley off guard and as he gets to know her, he begins to feel a sense of protection and care for her. Cora herself wants to escape the island and head for Brisbane, which is why she has been saving whatever money she can. Knowing that she wants to escape and earn money enough to do so, Bradley asks the young girl to pose for paintings for him. It seems that Cora has given Bradley his inspiration back and she continues to pose for him, often in the nude. Yet Ma Ryan is constantly on the look out for something to catch Cora out on anything and Bradley’s nuisance of a friend Nat Kelly arrives to disturb him. In the midst of this, a gentle friendship begins between Bradley and Cora, yet as Cora is growing into a young and very beautiful woman, she begins to feel a sense of love towards Bradley that she can’t quite explain as she has never known someone take such an interest in her before that felt genuine.
Michael Powell was a master at creating stunning visuals and with Age of Consent it is very much on show. Using the Great Barrier Reef as a backdrop, he shows the natural beauty of the place and how it combined with the youthful Cora give some inspiration back to Bradley. Age of Consent does deal with themes of blooming sexuality in the case of Cora, but it doesn’t feel salacious which is what it could have become with someone else directing. Instead, Powell conjures a lyrical beauty to the themes and examines Cora’s transformation with erotic strokes that are still very classy and non-exploitative. A particularly striking scene of erotic nature that is given beauty is when Cora is swimming underwater in the nude and Bradley paints. It may sound quite perverse, but the way the scene is shot is anything but that, focusing more on the tranquil beauty of the place and Cora’s ever-growing sensuality as she slowly swims among the colourful coral. Just like the relationship between Bradley and Cora that could have been made into some sleazy story, Powell keeps the characters strictly as artist and muse rather than him being the older man making a move on an impressionable girl. Where Age of Consent falls down is in the pacing and addition of comedy that really ruins parts of the film. The pace is meandering for the most part, but is thankfully given the occasional jolt of electricity it needs. It’s the comedy sub-plots involving Nat Kelly and his skirt-chasing antics that really do damage to the film. The comedy is just so needless and undoes some of the work that has been crafted very well before. Thankfully, there is a lush score that distracts from said antics and brings us back to the main story of the artist getting his mojo back and a young girl approaching womanhood.
James Mason is typically excellent in this film, giving us a jaded man who becomes more relaxed once he gets his inspiration back again. Mason is reliably good in this part. Yet it is a young Helen Mirren, in one of her first movies who really catches the eye here. As the young girl slowly blossoming into a beautiful young woman and beginning to realize it, Helen Mirren invests Cora with a youthful innocence, wild temperament and blooming sexuality. As the film progresses, Cora begins to see that she is turning into a young woman yet doesn’t quite know how to feel about it. In the hands of Mirren, the character really becomes something else and not just the bombshell beach babe that she could have been made into in the hands of another actress. It is with this role that Mirren became noticed as it provided hints at the talents of her and the sense of sexuality she could bring to the screen. Jack MacGowran can be sometimes amusing in his role, but the part becomes really aggravating after a while because of the way the character is written as a jester and nothing else. Neva Carr Glyn plays the role of the shrieking old harridan very well, making Cora’s grandmother a really nasty piece of work who it is understandable that you’d want to get away from as soon as possible.
So though it is wildly uneven in tone and often filled with some needless sub-plots, the vision of Michael Powell, the tranquil beauty of the setting and the earthy appeal of a young Helen Mirren ensure that Age of Consent is far more substantial than it could have been.
XandrewX said:
Brilliant review I really enjoyed reading this one
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vinnieh said:
Thanks Xander, what did you like in particular about this review?
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XandrewX said:
Wow that’s a difficult question to put into a few words, firstly I know a critique isn’t easy I wrote one for ‘The Hateful Eight’, Everything about yours, personal, detail descriptive and you are a skilled writer in you use of language and importantly you succinctly described the plot. Put it this way I understand how difficult writing is to get right, hope that helps.
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vinnieh said:
Thank you for your praise. I try my best to give an outline of the plot without giving too much away.
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beetleypete said:
Nice to see you admiring this rarely-mentioned film, V. It has a lot going for it, despite some flaws. Mirren is sublime, Mason knows just how to play his part to perfection, and the locations are simply sumptuous.
Great review, of a film well-worth watching.
Cheers, Pete.
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vinnieh said:
I like to find out movies that don’t get mentioned that much these days. Helen Mirren was so beautiful here and clearly demonstrated her natural talent.
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~REBECCA DAWN~ said:
What a lovely written review!
I love Helen Mirren! I enjoy her in comedy and drama films.
It’s nice to see her in provocative films.
One of her early movies Cagulia, had my eyes pop out in shock! good movie tho!
And again I really enjoyed your post! So well written!
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vinnieh said:
I love her too. I’ve been going through some of her earlier films and I love how she went for daring and controversial roles.
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vinnieh said:
I’ve heard of Caligula, wasn’t it like a historical sex film?
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~REBECCA DAWN~ said:
Lol yes. I was researching Caligula and there was a film clip of Helen. Intrigued, I watched the movie and whoa!
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vinnieh said:
I’ll be certain to see it.
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
Beautifully descriptive review Vinnie. I love James Mason and Helen Mirren so I’ll have to see if I can track this down.
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vinnieh said:
I love being descriptive and classy in my writing. Helen Mirren is so gorgeous in this movie, which was one of her earliest movie performances.
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Cindy Bruchman said:
Great review, Vinnieh. Love both actors and the concept of a muse to the artist. She’s a mermaid and seems perfect for the role.
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vinnieh said:
There are a few scenes in which Mirren’s character resembles a mermaid and the effect is beautiful.
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kmSalvatore said:
Sounds really good Vinnie, I don’t know this film, I’m putting it on my list
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vinnieh said:
It’s not a perfect film, but it’s worth a watch.
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kmSalvatore said:
Great review .. So it’s on the list;)
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vinnieh said:
Your kind words about my work are really inspiring, thanks.
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Emilio Pasquale said:
I love Helen Mirren even now. She is still a very sexy, talented woman. It will be interesting to see this film. Thank you for another great review!
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vinnieh said:
You’re right, she is immensely talented and still looks wonderful now. In this movie she is really beautiful.
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HusbandAndHusband said:
Another one I’ve never heard of!
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vinnieh said:
You gotta make notes of some of these movies guys. You won’t regret watching them.
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HusbandAndHusband said:
We have a growing list former blog getting longer and longer lol
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vinnieh said:
Haha, I’m the same. There are so many great movies out there.
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emmakwall said:
This was an excellent read 🙂
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vinnieh said:
Thank you Emma. It was interesting to see Helen Mirren in one of her first roles.
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emmakwall said:
She never minded getting her kit off I must say!
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vinnieh said:
Haha, she really did do some daring roles in the past. And you gotta admit she is particularly good looking.
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emmakwall said:
Very good looking, she’s got a stunning figure still now too! She’s a good actress and seems fun too, got a lot of love for Mirren 🙂
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vinnieh said:
I love the roles she chooses, she always deliver sensational performances.
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emmakwall said:
She was always sensational in Silent Witness 🙂
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vinnieh said:
I don’t think I’ve seen a bad performance from Helen Mirren.
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emmakwall said:
Me neither!
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vinnieh said:
She;s a super talented actress.
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thedevilsdvdbin said:
Came for the underwater butt cheeks, stayed for the review. I remember Helen Mirren from Caligula and not much else. I’ll be on the lookout for more of her stuff.
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vinnieh said:
Well I’m happy the underwater cheeks inspired you to read on. She has so many amazing movies and performances over the years.
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