Carmen, Baby (1967)

User Rating:

5.6/10   

Director:

Radley Metzger

Writers:

Prosper Mérimée (novel)
Jesse Vogel (writer)

Release Date:

10 October 1967 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Romance

Tagline:

A hip Carmen in modern undress!

Plot Keywords:

Independent Film | Based On Novel | Character Name In Title

Cast

Uta Levka	...	Carmen
Claus Ringer	...	Jose
Carl Möhner	...	Medicio
Barbara Valentin	...	Dolores
Walter Wilz	...	Baby Lucas
Christiane Rücker	...	Misty
Arthur Brauss	...	Garcia
Doris Arden	...	Darcy
Michael Münzer	...	Magistrate
Christian Fredersdorf
Nino Korda

Also Known As:

Carmen Baby (West Germany)

Runtime:

97 min (video version) | France:87 min

Country:

USA | West Germany | Yugoslavia

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

France:-18 | Italy:VM18 | France:-12 (re-rating) | Sweden:15 | UK:18

Filming Locations:

Munich, Bavaria, Germany

Company:

Amsterdam Films

Trivia:

As Uta Levka was in the early stages of pregnancy she refused most of the nude scenes planned, forcing Metzger to use other means to suggest desire.

Quotes:

Fruit Vendor: [explaining his system of barter with Carmen, who's taken an apple] We have a very good system here. She takes a dozen apples, she pays me back.
Jose: How?
Carmen: Take a dozen apples and you'll find out.

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in Le notti erotiche dei morti viventi (1980)

Soundtrack:

Feels Like Lovin'

glossy 60s erotica for modern libertines

Seen today, the best elements in Metzger's 60s erotic films are not the sex scenes but the lounge/pop music scores, mod interior design and hip dialogue. Also of note is the creative use of camera placement (through glass or mirrors) to distort what we're seeing. There are long stretches of dull dubbed dialogue between erotic scenes but the three colorful party sequences were the highlights for me.