Carnal Knowledge — Carnal Knowledge( Blu-Ray/ UHD)
Carnal Knowledge is a 1970s US drama regarding the sexual exploits and romantic entanglements of two men, spanning from college to middle age. Surprisingly, it features little or no nudity, but instead focuses on the men’s discussion & their dramatic interaction with their partners. At the film's centre, we have two great leads/performances, with Jack Nicholson as the more sexually experienced/ devious, and Art Garfunkel as the more timid/sexually naïve. Here from Powerhouse, as either a UHD or Blu-ray, taking in a 4k scan, a new commentary, and new/ archive extras.
Carnal Knowledge is from the year 1971- its script was written by the Pulitzer-Prize and Oscar-winning cartoonist, playwright and screenwriter Jules Feiffer. It was directed by Berlin-born Mike Nichols-he had twenty-one features to his name. These take in classic coming-of-age romantic drama The Graduate (1967), Silkwood (1983)- a psychological drama set in the world of a plutonium processing plant, legal drama Regarding Henry(1991), and docudrama Charlie Wilson's War (2007).
The one-hour and thirty-eight-minute film opens with the red text set against black credits- with our two leads talking over the top, in a crude/ masochistic manner, about their perfect woman. As we get into the film, we meet our two leads/ friends, Jonathan(Nicholson), and Sandy( Garfunkel). It’s 1946, and they are at a university evening meet & greet- the pair note the tall, thin and blond Susan(Candice Bergen) striding past them, with Sandy trying a few times to get the confidence up to speak to her.
The pair start dating, with Sandy detailing his ‘making out’ with Susan to Jonathan. And here I leave my plot description, as after this, we get some surprising twists and turns in the pair's relationship, and theirs with others.
Both Nicholson and Garfunkel are excellent in their roles, with worthy character arcs. The former shifts from being smug & manipulative, to out of his depth & in a rather tragic state. While the latter moves from being naive and easily led, to rather stand-offish/ smug. Surrounding the two leads, we have a supporting cast of just five female actresses- and again, they are great in their roles.
Carnal Knowledge is a compelling drama, highlighting the mindset of certain members of the male kind. I guess the sexual talk is fairly tame by today's standards, so initially, when we meet our two characters, it does take a little while to fully take on/ believe them, but you’ve got to keep in mind the first part of the film is set in the 1940s.
Moving on to this new release, we have a 4k scan. This features great colour definition, and clarity/depth of shot throughout- even in the film's nighttime scenes. So another great Powerhouse scan.
On the extras side of things, we have a good selection of both new and archive stuff. So first on the new side- we have a commentary track from writer and film scholar Justin Bozung, and this is excellent- opening up/investigating the film's themes, as well as presenting the listener with some great research/opinion. He starts off by talking about how the film hinges on the audience picking up on all the textures and metaphors presented. He discusses the use of red and blacks, and blue and white- talking about the meaning behind each of these pairings. We find out the film was released in June of 71 in the US, going on to open in the UK in September of the same year. He briefly touches on the career of the film's executive producer, Joseph E. Levine. He chats about the film's themes- depersonalization, objectification of women, and a nihilistic view on relationships. He talks about the way the film differentiates between sex and love, and how there is a sense of bleakness in all of the director's early films. We find out the film was shot between Vancouver and New York, with the shoot lasting between mid-September 70 and January 71, with it being filmed in almost complete continuity. Later on, he talks about the film at times has a cartoon strip quality. He touches on moments of building tension in the picture, and comments on the use of photos it's set dressing. An excellent track, which I can see myself revisiting.
Otherwise, on the new side, we have- Cruel Masters (13.06) which finds actor, comedian and filmmaker Richard Ayoade discussing hislove of the film, as well as the director's other work. He talks about Carnal Knowledge being a shocking & brutal film, which he is surprised is not more well-known. He discusses how the movie has a sense of being built around several sketches, and how this was the first big role for Mr Nicholson. He finishes by declaring the film is one of the finest studies of toxic masculinity, which has yet to be topped. An excellent featurette/appreciation.
On the archive side, we have the following: Jules Feiffer on Midlife Crises (52. 12) a 1979 audio recording in which the celebrated cartoonist, screenwriter and playwright talks with broadcaster Studs Terkel about the themes of male behaviour in his work, with a focus on his 1979 ‘cartoon novel’ Tantrum. Jules Feiffer on Relationships (46.16) a 1990 audio recording in which Feiffer speaks with Terkel about the themes of sexual difference in his 1990 play Elliot Loves, which was directed for the stage by Mike Nichols, and about his career as a cartoonist and satirist. Munro (8.56): new 4K restoration of the Oscar-winning animated short film from 1960 about a four-year-old who is accidentally drafted into the US Army, adapted by Feiffer from one of his short stories. Original theatrical trailers, Radio spots, and an Image gallery- featuring promotional and publicity material.
The finished release comes with a eighty page book with a new essay by Brad Stevens, an archival interview with director Mike Nichols, writer Jules Feiffer and actor Jack Nicholson, a contemporary location report originally published in American Cinematographer, an account of the controversies surrounding the film’s original release, a reprint of a 1972 Sight and Sound article on the film and its place within Nichols’ oeuvre, and full film credits.
Carnal Knowledge features both a great script and a wonderful/ well-picked cast. If you are interested in watching a thought-provoking, at times rather bleak film, looking at masculinity, at its most subtly troubling, then you need to pick this up.