Circle of Two (1980)

Director:

Jules Dassin

Writers:

Marie-Terese Baird (novel)
Thomas Hedley Jr. (writer)

Release Date:

November 1981 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

Their lives would always be entwined...

Plot:

The story of the impossible love between a schoolgirl and a 60-years old painter. |

Plot Keywords:

Painter | Teenager Nudity | May December Romance | Nudity | Female Nudity

Cast

Tatum O'Neal	...	Sarah Norton
Norma Dell'Agnese	...	Ruspoli
Donann Cavin	...	Smitty
Elan Ross Gibson	...	Gym Teacher
Maggie Morris	...	Music Teacher
Richard Burton	...	Ashley St. Clair
Larry Ewashen	...	Men at the Cinema
Robin Gammell	...	Mr. Norton
Patricia Collins	...	Mrs. Norton
Michael Wincott	...	Paul
Daisy White	...	School Secretary
George Bourne Sr.	...	Old Man
Bibi Caspari	...	Mime
Gordon Jocelyn	...	Antiquary
Brendan McKane	...	Man at the Terrace

Also Known As:

Les ages du coeur (Canada: French title)
Obsession

Runtime:

106 min

Country:

Canada

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:L | Canada:PG (Ontario) | Finland:K-12 | USA:PG

Filming Locations:

Antigua, Antigua and Barbuda

Company:

Film Consortium of Canada

Trivia:

Tatum O'Neal had to keep her legs covered throughout the entire movie, including during her topless scene. This is because she had been involved in a terrible car accident shortly before filming, and her legs had suffered second and third-degree burns from skidding on the pavement.

Quotes:

Sarah Norton: Have you thought about going to bed with me?
Ashley St. Clair: Yes.
Sarah Norton: [walks over to the bed] Let's.
Ashley St. Clair: Obviously, no.
Sarah Norton: Why? Is it because you think I'm a virgin? Because if you think I am...
Ashley St. Clair: You are.
Sarah Norton: I am.

Movie Connections:

References Gone with the Wind (1939)

Soundtrack:

Circle of Two

A lovely story, eloquently told...

The relationship between a burnt-out painter of 60 and the schoolgirl who inspires him to start working again. She falls for him, he keeps her at arm's length, but the strain of pubescent desire is too much and she starts to crack. Tatum O'Neal is lovely in this film. She's not a lazy actress, she simply doesn't ham it up like today's teen players. The sequence where she hopes to seduce painter Richard Burton by disrobing in his studio is quite sad (she wants to surprise him, he surprises her by getting angry). The scene with Tatum and Richard hanging out with a group of her school-friends is wonderful (none of the girls judge him or second-guess her) and O'Neal is sweet promising to return to Burton as quickly as she can ("I'll break all speed records!" she tells him). There are no "Lolita" overtones here. Tatum plays a fairly normal teenager who develops a crush on a fascinating man who is much older. Her heart is bound to get broken, and Burton tries his best to steer her through this. It's a simple, no-frills Canadian drama that will appeal to romantics and young women who may have experienced a crush like this along the way. **1/2 from ****