Carmen, Baby

Carmen, Baby is a 1967 American-German-Yugoslav romantic drama film directed by Radley Metzger, based on the novella Carmen by Prosper Mérimée (which also inspired Bizet's popular opera, Carmen).

Carmen, Baby
Original film poster
Directed byRadley Metzger
Produced byRadley Metzger
Screenplay byJesse Vogel
Based onCarmen by Prosper Mérimée
StarringUta Levka
Music byDaniel Hart
CinematographyHans Jura
Edited byHumphrey Wood
Production
company
Distributed byAudubon Films
First Run Features
Release date
  • 1967 (1967)
Running time
97 minutes
CountryUnited States
West Germany
Yugoslavia
LanguageEnglish
Box office$4.2 million[1]

Plot

A liberated woman tempts a local police officer into a romantic entanglement with unpleasant consequences.

Cast

Reception

The film Carmen, Baby, according to one reviewer, was the beginning of Metzger's successful style in his later films: that is, adapting "a literary classic in a gorgeous European locale with high polish and a goodly helping of sophisticated sex and seduction."[2] Film critic Jesse Vogel noted that the film is an example of Metzger's signature style, "cool, classy, distant, with a distinctively European sensibility".[3] According to film reviewer Gary Morris, Carmen was "well played" by Uta Levka; lighting and camerawork by Hans Jura was "first-rate".[4] Another reviewer wrote that the film had "a rather classy look" and that the performers were "attractive" and the setting "beautiful".[5]

In the case of Rabe v. Washington, 405 U.S. 313 (1972), the Supreme Court of the United States decided that the manager of a drive-in movie theater could not be charged with obscenity for showing the film which was not wholly determined to be obscene, but only parts were, holding that the citizens of Washington State had no notice under the Sixth Amendment that the place where a film was shown was an element of the offense.

Wally Lamb mentioned the bottle dance scene from Carmen, Baby in his 2016 book I'll Take You There.

Notes

According to one film reviewer, Radley Metzger's films, including those made during the Golden Age of Porn (1969–1984), are noted for their "lavish design, witty screenplays, and a penchant for the unusual camera angle".[6] Another reviewer noted that his films were "highly artistic — and often cerebral ... and often featured gorgeous cinematography".[7] Film and audio works by Metzger have been added to the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York City.[8][9][10][11]

References
  1. "All-time Film Rental Champs", Variety, 7 January 1976 p 48
  2. Staff (June 9, 2011). "Carmen, Baby (1967), Little Mother (Germany/Yugoslavia/US, 1972)". UCLA. Retrieved April 13, 2017.
  3. Vogel, Jesse (October 10, 1967). "Carmen, Baby". eFilmCritic.com. Retrieved April 13, 2017.
  4. Morris, Gary (November 1, 1999). "Radley Metzger: The Dirty Girls, Carmen Baby, The Princess and the Call Girl on DVD". Bright Lights Film Journal. Retrieved April 13, 2017.
  5. Staff (October 11, 1967). "'Carmen' Updated". The New York Times. Retrieved April 13, 2017.
  6. Gallagher, Steve (August 7, 2014). ""This is Softcore": The History of Radley Metzger". Filmmaker Magazine. Retrieved May 23, 2015.
  7. Simpson, Claire (October 2, 2013). "Adults Only: 5 Films By Radley Metzger". WhatCulture.com. Archived from the original on May 24, 2015. Retrieved May 23, 2015.
  8. Rist, Ray C. (January 4, 1974). Book - The Pornography Controversy: Changing Moral Standards in American Life. The Pornography Controversy: Changing Moral Standards in American Life. p. 124. ISBN 9781412838467. Retrieved February 29, 2016.
  9. Lehman, Peter (2006). Book - Pornography: Film and Culture. Pornography: Film and Culture. p. 9. ISBN 9780813538716. Retrieved February 29, 2016.
  10. Staff (2016). "Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) - DadaBase Search Results - Radley Metzger". Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). Retrieved February 29, 2016.
  11. Staff (March 4, 2017). "Obituary Of The Righteous - The Porn Of The Fabulous 60s And 70s Loses One Of Its Pioneers And Masters: Radley Metzger - Photographer Of War, The MOMA Presents A Retrospective: His Erotic Films Made History - Video: 'Score', On The Relationships Of Couples Of The 70s, In An Uncensored Version". DagoSpia.com. Retrieved November 12, 2019.
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