Sweet Movie (1974)

Director:

Dusan Makavejev

Writer:

Dusan Makavejev

Release Date:

12 June 1974 (France)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Plot:

The intercut story of two women: a nearly-mute beauty queen who descends into withdrawal and madness...

Plot Keywords:

Candy | Ship | Miss Canada | Boy | Contest

Cast

Carole Laure	...	Miss Monde 1984 / Miss Canada
Pierre Clémenti	...	Potemkin Sailor
Anna Prucnal	...	Anna Planeta / Capt. Ann
Sami Frey	...	El Macho
Jane Mallett	...	PDG / Chastity Belt Lady
Roy Callender	...	Jeremiah Muscle
John Vernon	...	Mr. Kapital
Hansi Roll
Therese Schulmeister
Renata Steiger
Berndt Stein
Herbert Stumpfl
Otto Mühl	...	Member of Therapie-Komune (as Otto Muehl)
Catherine Sola
Louis Bessières
Mélanie Brévan
Fabrice Dague
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Don Arioli
Barry Baldaro
Lucia Bensasson
Daniel Berek
Paul Birerman
Denis Boucher
Ron Burtnett	...	(credit only)
Marpessa Dawn	...	Mama Communa
Christiane Eckerlin
Vittorio Fiorucci
Max Fischer
Sonny Forbes		(as Sony Forbes)
Robin Gammell
Isabelle Ganz
Carlos Hathwell
Sabine Haudepin
Mathieu Leger
Noelle Leirig
Jimmy Loftus
George Melly
Michèle Mercure
Beverly Murray
Beryl Rodriguez
Michel Seguin
Roland Topor
Dominique Tremblay
Vivian Vachon
Marie Daniele Van Berchem

Directed by
Dusan Makavejev

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Dusan Makavejev

Produced by
Richard Hellman	....	producer
Vincent Malle	....	producer
Helène Vager	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Manos Hatzidakis

Cinematography by
Pierre Lhomme

Film Editing by
Yann Dedet

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Claire Denis	....	second assistant director
Arnie Gelbart	....	assistant director
Leonhard Gmür	....	assistant director
Fernand Moszkowicz	....	assistant director

Camera and Electrical Department
Jean Chiabaut	....	camera operator
Yann Le Masson	....	camera operator
Pierre Zucca	....	still photographer

Other crew
Mario Nadeau	....	production assistant

Production Companies

• Maran Film
• Mojack Film Ltée
• V.M. Productions

Distributors

• Biograph Films (1975) (USA) (theatrical)
• Concorde Film (1976) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Svensk Filmindustri (SF) (1975) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• T&O Film (1975) (Norway) (theatrical)
• Ciné-Art
• Criterion Collection, The (2007) (USA) (DVD)
• Facets Multimedia Distribution
• Movie Star (2003) (Brazil) (DVD)
• Movie Star (2003) (Brazil) (VHS)

Also Known As:

Runtime:

98 min | USA:95 min (cut version)

Country:

Canada | France | West Germany

Language:

English | French | Polish | Spanish | Italian

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:R | Norway:18 (1975) | Sweden:15 | UK:(Banned) | USA:Unrated | Netherlands:16 | Finland:(Banned) (uncut) (1974) | Finland:K-18 (cut) (1974) | Hungary:18 | West Germany:18 | Portugal:M/18

Filming Locations:

Amsterdam, Noord-Holland, Netherlands

Company:

Maran Film

Trivia:

Anna Prucnal was exiled from her native country Poland for seven years as a result of her role in the movie. She was denied a Visa to enter Poland to see her dying mother during that time.

Quotes:

Miss Monde 1984:Hitler! DirtyJew!
Jeremiah Muscle:They call me... Neanderthal.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Brows Held High: Sweet Movie (#1.8)" (2011)

Soundtrack:

Bandiera Rossa

Uniquely Brilliant and Original

Unfairly labeled as excessive and perverse, this film is really a very fascinating, intricate study into the recesses of the sexual mind. It looks at sex in all it's complexities. It exposes it as a very primal need. It also shows how the sexual side of the person can have a personality all of it's own.

The film starts off with a very amusing satire on the media and how commercialize they have made sex. It involves a game show were a rich millionaire must choose which female virgin he would like for a wife. There's even a doctor on hand to examine them and make sure each one is genuine.

This very quickly becomes the ongoing theme in the film, which is how society loves to 'package' sex and yet really can't. Director Makavejev feels that the sex instinct is too deep to be able to channel completely. Therefore he has the rest of the film go off on wild tangents that may not make sense to some. Yet he is not trying to tap into the logical mind he is trying to get in touch with the senses that make up sex and do not follow the same type of 'logic'. He is trying to bring out the sexual side of the viewer and digs very deeply into his own sexual mind to do it.

The final result is a almost non-stop barrage of unique, lasting visuals. Some are funny, stimulating, artsy, and yes even grotesque. Yet sex does have all these qualities to it so therefore any true movie about sex should also have them. Overall this thing is very lyrical, compelling, and well shot.

By not boxing sex into any type of 'standard' is what makes this different from just about any other erotic film. Most directors seem to feel that two sweating bodies between satin sheets is all you need to make a sex film. Here you get something much more daring and expansive. Showing sex in both it's beauty and ugliness. There's interracial sex, underage sex, food sex, vomiting, scatology, water sports, and even violent sex. Sure it's sometimes vulgar yet it still remains provocative and fascinating to the more sophisticated set.

Star Laure is incredibly beautiful. She submits herself to her difficult role with a almost complete abandon. Had she not this film would not have worked as well.

There's also some really amazing shots. One includes star Laure being carted around in a suitcase with her head sticking out. This is also one those rare films outside of Paul Morrissey's TRASH that features more shots of the male genitals than the females.