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Age of Consent

Play trailer Poster for Age of Consent R Released May 14, 1969 1h 39m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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100% Tomatometer 8 Reviews 48% Popcornmeter 250+ Ratings
A New York artist (James Mason) goes to an island on Australia's Great Barrier Reef and hires a girl (Helen Mirren) to be his model.
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Age of Consent

Critics Reviews

View All (8) Critics Reviews
Variety Staff Variety The picture has immense charm and the actual photography (particularly underwater scenes) and superb scenery make it a good travelog ad for the Great Barrier Reef area where most of it was filmed. Sep 17, 2015 Full Review Jonathan Rosenbaum Chicago Reader A lovely, erotic, and idyllic comedy. Oct 18, 2008 Full Review Tony Rayns Time Out There are some nervous insertions of redundant comic relief, but not enough to shatter the prevailing mood: brilliant sunlight illuminating all the unmomentous ins and outs of a human passion. Oct 18, 2008 Full Review Dennis Harvey 48 Hills Some painfully broad supporting comic turns aside, it’s a pleasant, picturesque divertissement. Feb 13, 2023 Full Review Felix Gonzalez Jr. DVD Review Age of Consent is never as provocative or engrossing as it should be, but there is enough of interest (especially Mirren) to make it worth a look. Feb 9, 2009 Full Review Jeffrey M. Anderson Combustible Celluloid Though it lacks the vivid touch from his earlier days, it has a surprisingly comfortable, relaxed feel, still vigorous but also at peace. Jan 9, 2009 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (35) audience reviews
Discover G Good acting and set-ups but ultimately falls short of making a lasting impression Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 05/26/23 Full Review jeff c Great acting, wonderful story, beautiful scenery, and you get to see Helen Mirren nude back when she was a hottie! Rated 4 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member I loved this film. The great James Mason has the worst Australian accent ever committed to celluloid (at one point it becomes South African), but it doesn't matter. The gorgeous locations on Australia's Barrier Reef, and the strange tone throughout - by turns farcical and tender - make this the stuff of cult cinema. There are echoes of Mason's Humbert Humbert in his relationship with a very young Helen Mirren, and a very funny turn by Jack McGowran as Mason's parasitic pal. Terrific. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 01/27/23 Full Review Audience Member A look at a time gone by and age of innocence with beautiful scenery of the Queensland reef. Helen Mirren stunning.Very watchable Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/03/23 Full Review kyle v Reviewed 10.10.17. Michael Powell directed one of my all-time favorite movies, Stairway to Heaven (A Matter of Life and Death). That movie is everything this movie is not. It was original, charming and romantic. Age of Consent is boring, distasteful and skeevy. I get that in 1969 a joke about a man being raped, or a grandpa aged leading man having a teenage love interest, was socially acceptable in some circles. And for entertainment's sake, that could be looked past, if the movie had anything else to offer. But the supporting roles are all horribly overacted caricatures. The plot is paper thin. The only interest is watching Helen Mirren in her first role. But even that wears thin as they apparently thought showing her breasts through a wet shirt in practically every scene was her greatest asset. Glad she proved them wrong over her distinguished career. All this movie proved is even talented directors can misfire, and that people could be particularly gross in 1969. Seems one star is the lowest rating, so let's say a 1/2 star each for the cute dog, and the appealing setting. Rated 1 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member Director Michael Powell's final film follows on the heels of his previous Australian venture (They're a Weird Mob, 1966) moving from Sydney up to Brisbane and North Queensland. It stars James Mason (with tenuous accent) as an Australian painter who leaves New York to return to his roots on a remote tropical island near the Great Barrier Reef. Although he's burnt out, the relaxed environment starts to bring back his creative streak. A cheeky teenager (played by young Helen Mirren) soon becomes his muse; Mirren spends a lot of the movie in a state of undress as a result. This is a bit jarring if you only know her from Prime Suspect and her late career superstardom (possibly Calendar Girls, 2006, which I haven't seen, brings things full circle). Similarly to Weird Mob, there's a bit of comic relief here as well, poking fun at Aussie stereotypes and slang, when Mason's insufferable friend Nat Kelly (Jack MacGowran) comes to visit and gets into trouble. But overall the tone is laid back, as if the gentle rhythm of the waves was setting the pace of the picture. Plenty of shots of the lush locations and underwater photography of the reef do not disappoint. Mason ultimately gets his mojo back, although the May-September romance that eventuates does have an ick factor. The paintings on display don't strike me as particularly notable but an early shot of a Sidney Nolan artbook suggests that Powell does have better taste. It's a shame (after his masterworks with Pressburger) that his career ground completely to a halt after this, due to lack of funding, aged 64. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/04/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Age of Consent

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Cast & Crew

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Movie Info

Synopsis A New York artist (James Mason) goes to an island on Australia's Great Barrier Reef and hires a girl (Helen Mirren) to be his model.
Director
Michael Powell
Producer
James Mason, Michael Powell
Production Co
Nautilus Productions
Rating
R
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
May 14, 1969, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Apr 1, 2010
Runtime
1h 39m
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