The Seven Minutes

PG

1971

1h 55m

Drama

List

Reviews

41%

Audience Score

250+ Ratings

A lawyer (Wayne Maunder) defends a bookstore owner for selling pornography that a district attorney (Philip Carey) claims prompted a rape.

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eric b

A Russ Meyer movie, dull? Hard to believe unless you've seen "The Seven Minutes." Adapted from an Irving Wallace novel, this courtroom drama is an attempt at straightforward storytelling with a minimum of Meyer's usual titillation and cheap humor. The plot's censorship theme obviously was a heartfelt issue for him, but bland lead actors, a marathon running time by Meyer standards (110 minutes) and a tedious middle stretch leave one hungry for more bouncing breasts. The film's title refers to a fictional novel written by the mysterious J.J. Jadway. The sexually explicit book -- the title refers to the average time required for a woman to reach orgasm -- was published back in the '30s and has been extensively banned. Now the book is pivotal in two pending cases: a mousy bookseller accused of peddling pornography and a young misfit charged with porn-induced violence. The intersection of these cases is somewhat confused, but most of the action follows a handsome, maverick lawyer (Wayne Maunder) as he collects evidence and romances a woman (Marianne McAndrew) from his client's upper-crust family. Along the way, he encounters an intriguing cast that includes a pre-stardom Tom Selleck, John Carradine (one throwaway scene as a drunk Irish poet), Yvonne De Carlo ("Munsters" fans will be quite pleased with her flashy role), Wolfman Jack and familiar character actor Harold J. Stone. There's also a truly bizarre appearance by Berry Kroeger, portraying a witness described as a "thinking man's faggot." "The Seven Minutes" has a strong ending, but it's not enough to forgive stale dialogue and an overly complex story that soon tests one's patience.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

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Audience Member

This is Russ Meyer's OTHER studio movie besides "Beyond the Valley of the Dolls," and it's just about as good. It's interesting to see Russ Meyer working from a 'serious' novel by Irving Wallace, yet contributing his own uniqueness to it. Plus, Wolfman Jack is in it! Not commercially available, but you can find it on bootlegs!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/15/23

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Audience Member

Very lucky to see this movie, because I would have never saw it

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/04/23

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Audience Member

This book was originally banned as porn in the '20's. This movie should have been banned when it was still a script.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

01/13/23

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Russ Meyer

Director

Wayne Maunder

Mike Barrett

Marianne McAndrew

Maggie Russell

Philip Carey

Elmo Duncan

Yvonne De Carlo

Constance Cumberland

Jay C. Flippen

Luther Yerkes

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Synopsis

A lawyer (Wayne Maunder) defends a bookstore owner for selling pornography that a district attorney (Philip Carey) claims prompted a rape.

Director: Russ Meyer
Rating: PG
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Runtime: 1h 55m