Age of Consent DVD, 1968

Long regarded as something of an interesting anomaly in the later careers of both director Michael Powell and producer-star James Mason, Age of Consent has been chiefly notable as the first nude showcase for the voluptuous Helen Mirren, who, as teenage beach girl Cora, reinvigorates Mason’s successful but weary artist after he retreats from the superficiality of New York’s art scene to Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. However, in its vivid use of colour and light, the film sits more comfortably within the director’s vibrant oeuvre than the reviewers of the day were prepared to admit. Although Powell makes only gentle brush strokes here (he was clearly wounded by years of critical mauling), his command of the visuals is as striking as ever: the Dunk Island vistas constantly compete with Mirren’s ripe body for our (and Mason’s) attention. What’s more, in its exploration of the studied passion of the artist for his naked muse, Age of Consent effectively prefigures La Belle Noiseuse by a good twenty years.

Julian Upton on 7th October 2008
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