Age of Consent
Director: Michael Powell
Year Released: 1969
Rating: 1.5
Accomplished painter Bradley (James Mason) leaves NYC for his homeland of Australia to find "inspiration" ... and he does, in the form of Cora (Helen Mirren, in her early twenties), the local (underage) virgin who swims around naked (or half-naked). Fundamentally, it's a slightly dressed-up exploitation movie with some ill-advised "comic relief" from Bradley's friend Nat (Jack MacGowran) - I'm not positive, but I don't think ogling nude teenage girls is a proven way to recover one's "artistic spirit" (although I could be wrong). It's a shame this lightweight affair was Mirren's first big screen role (certainly one of the best actresses in history deserved a more dignified introduction); at this point in time, Powell's best work was already well behind him.
