Carnal Knowledge (1971)

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General		Extras
Category	Drama	Main Menu Introduction Main Menu Audio & Animation Scene Selection Anim & Audio
Rating
Year Of Production	1971
Running Time	93:39
RSDL / Flipper	No/No	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Language Select Then Menu
Region Coding	2,4	Directed By	Mike Nichols
Studio Distributor	Universal Pictures Home Video	Starring	Jack Nicholson Candice Bergen Art Garfunkel Ann-Margret Rita Moreno Cynthia O'Neal Carol Kane
Case	?
RPI	$19.95	Music	None Given

Video		Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame	None	English Dolby Digital 2.0 (192Kb/s)
Widescreen Aspect Ratio	2.30:1
16x9 Enhancement
Video Format	576i (PAL)
Original Aspect Ratio	2.35:1	Miscellaneous
Jacket Pictures	No
Subtitles	Norwegian	Smoking	Yes
		Annoying Product Placement	No
		Action In or After Credits	No

    I have often heard people say that Hollywood cinema started to go downhill in the 1970s with a descent into violence and depravity. In my opinion that trend started in the early 1960s, but there was a period during the late 60s through to the mid-70s where American cinema was resurgent, when a lot of excellent films dealing with formerly taboo issues were made by some talented filmmakers. Carnal Knowledge is one of the best films of this era.

    While it may not seem controversial today, in 1971 this film was highly contentious, dealing as it does with sexual matters in a frank and open way. And quite a depressing way as well. The story tells of two college friends in the late 1940s who discuss what they want in a woman with each other. Jonathan (Jack Nicholson) is the outwardly confident womaniser, and Sandy (Arthur Garfunkel) is the shy, naive one. Jonathan goads Sandy into approaching Susan (Candice Bergen) at a party, and soon they are going out together, but without sexual contact. Sandy's fumbling attempts to persuade Susan to go to bed with him slowly start to bear fruit, and he discusses each step of the way with Jonathan, who eventually decides to bed Susan himself.

    Jonathan eventually becomes involved with Bobbie (Ann-Margret) while Sandy marries Susan but is discontent. The narcissistic Jonathan (who seems to always be taking showers, as if trying to wash himself clean of any commitments) is unable to form a lasting relationship because of his contempt for women.

    To say much more than this would give away too much. The film was based on an unproduced play by Jules Feiffer, and this shows in the often theatrical dialogue and the apparent lack of people in the film apart from the characters involved in the story. Rather than attempt to flesh out his original to be more like a film, Feiffer and director Mike Nichols present the material in documentary fashion. The point of view is objective and the characters are observed rather than identified with.

    The performances are the key here. While Arthur Garfunkel (he of Simon & Garfunkel fame) and Candice Bergen are not the best actors you have ever seen, they are reasonable here. But it is Nicholson and Ann-Margret who steal the show, with intense and eye-opening portrayals of flawed people.

    Reading back over this review I am conscious that I have not really spoken about this film in any depth or detail. I guess that means that this is the sort of film that really cannot be appreciated from a review of the plot, and that it really needs to be seen. Carnal Knowledge is a compelling and satisfying film, well worth seeing, but being a downbeat film without a happy ending it is not for everyone.

Video

    The film is presented in an aspect ratio of 2.30:1 and is 16x9 enhanced. The original aspect ratio was 2.35:1, and it looks like the image has been lightly cropped on each side.

   This is a very good transfer. The film is sharp and clear, with a lot of film-like detail available. It is difficult to say anything about the level of shadow detail, as this film is intentionally dark in many sequences. Colour is used for effect, with a lot of browns and other dark colours. The transfer certainly looks like a 1970s film, which is good enough in my book.

    I did not notice any film to video artefacts, apart from some very mild telecine wobble during the closing credits.

    While this stops short of being a full restoration, the print material used was in exceptional condition, with almost no film artefacts at all. I though I saw a speck of dirt here and there, but otherwise this was a very clean print.

    Subtitles are available in Norwegian.

    The film is presented on a single layered disc.

Video Ratings Summary

Sharpness
Shadow Detail
Colour
Grain/Pixelization
Film-To-Video Artefacts
Film Artefacts
Overall

Audio

    The sole audio channel is English Dolby Digital 2.0, which is mono and has no surround encoding.

    The audio is very good, with no noticeable problems. Dialogue is very clear. The dynamic range is fine and better than some more recent offerings I have heard, with only a touch of stridency from time to time distracting from my involvement in the film.

    The score is well chosen from non-original sources, with good use of a Glenn Miller tune over the opening credits and during parts of the early sequences to set the era. There is also a very well shot scene where Jonathan and Bobbie are having dinner with music from Der Rosenkavalier as background.

Audio Ratings Summary

Dialogue
Audio Sync
Clicks/Pops/Dropouts
Surround Channel Use
Subwoofer
Overall

    No extras are provided, apart from the menu features.

Menu Animation and Audio

    The menus are animated with scenes from the film and feature that Glenn Miller music.

    The US Region 1 release has the original mono soundtrack, and apart from that is identical in content to the Region 4 release except that it has a pan and scan transfer on the reverse side of the disc.

    The UK Region 2 has a brief theatrical trailer as the sole extra.

    There is no reason to prefer either of these over the Region 4 offering.

    A fine film, well worth a look, though not if you are feeling depressed.

    The video quality is excellent.

    The audio quality is very good.

    There are no extras.

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall