IMDb > Tropic of Cancer (1970)

Tropic of Cancer (1970) More at IMDbPro »

Overview

User Rating:
6.1/10   133 votes
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Director:
Joseph Strick
Writers:
Betty Botley (screenplay)
Henry Miller (novel)
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Contact:
View company contact information for Tropic of Cancer on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
27 February 1970 (USA) more
Genre:
Biography | Drama more
Plot:
The film depicts the adventures of expatriate American writer Henry Miller and his friends, as they pursue art, money, food, and sex in Paris. | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
NewsDesk:
This week's film events previews
 (From The Guardian - Film News. 13 November 2009, 4:06 PM, PST)
User Comments:
Interesting, but unfocused more (2 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Rip Torn ... Henry Miller
James T. Callahan ... Fillmore

Ellen Burstyn ... Mona Miller (as Ellen McRae)
David Baur ... Carl
Laurence Lignères ... Ginette
Phil Brown ... Van Norden
Dominique Delpierre ... Cheeri
Stuart De Silva ... Ranji
Raymond Gérôme ... M. Le Censeur
Gisèle Grimm ... Germaine
Ginette Leclerc ... Madame Hamilton
Françoise Lugagne ... Iréne
Magali Noël ... Princess
Sheila Steafel ... Tania
Elliott Sullivan ... Peckover
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Additional Details

Parents Guide:
Add content advisory for parents
Runtime:
87 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Color:
Color (Eastmancolor)
Sound Mix:
Mono
Certification:
West Germany:18 | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | UK:R | USA:NC-17 (re-rating) (1992) | USA:X
Company:
Tropic Productions more

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
The film was refused a UK cinema certificate in 1970. It has never been resubmitted to the BBFC, though the film was shown on Sky TV in 1990. more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in American Sexual Revolution (1971) more
Soundtrack:
Frölicher Landmann (The Happy Farmer) more

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User Comments

   (Comment on this title)
14 out of 14 people found the following comment useful.
Interesting, but unfocused, 19 October 1998
Author: Scoopy from Budapest

In order to appreciate Henry Miller's style, it is essential to get a feel for the juxtaposition of his elegant, often heartfelt prose, and the profane nature of his subject matter. He is the modern Catullus, the poet not of "lovemaking" but of the joys of flat-out *****ing.

The movie had difficulty synthesizing this sense of sacred and profane in harmony. It tried now with a Rip Torn overvoice reading from Miller's work, then with some poetic shots of the beauty of Paris. It never really seemed to succeed.

The movie could never find anything to focus on. It represents a string of vignettes, and they don't seem to lead to any common goal. Many scenes seem to concentrate on the minor characters for much too long, and without apparent purpose. Such picaresque efforts rely on the charm of characterization for impact, and this film has some of that, but not enough. It's structured as if somebody said "let's make a film of Tropic of Cancer" without actually feeling any passion for why they wanted to do that.

It was certainly interesting to see Rip Torn so young and so good-looking, and to see Ellen Burstyn in such a flagrant display of nudity. Some of the locales are accurately evocative, and Torn is reasonably credible in the lead. It is fairly explicit in the sexual scenes, and extremely explicit in its use of language.

You could watch it and not feel you've wasted your time, but be advised that you won't feel much rewarded, either.

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