Movie review - "Age of Consent" (1969) ***

Michael Powell's final full length feature film as director isn't one of his highly regarded, and even those associated with it complained often about compromises forced upon it (James Mason in an Australian accent, the opening music), but it has charm, and after an uncertain beginning, gets into it's groove.

I can see the appeal of this work for James Mason - you get to play a famous, handsome successful artist, who decides to return home (an island paradise), and be fawned over by several groupies, have sex with some and be "re-invigorated" by an underage muse (none other than Helen Mirren). It's less typical of Michael Powell's work, although it did give him a chance to play with colour, ruminate on art and work with Mason.

It's quite a racy film - easily Powell's most explicitly sexy one. Mason is in bed with a topless Clarissa Kaye (who he later married) and when they have sex Powell cuts to the bed shaking and squeaking; Mirren is forever running around without a bra and is often naked - twice at Mason's request (once swimming, the other posing in the water with a spear).

This doesn't have the best reputation and is certainly full of flaws - the music on the copy I saw was atrocious, there's some over acting from the elder character actors, it took a while to get used to Mason's accent. But it has life and warmth and I enjoyed it. It doesn't have a strong story - Mason lives on an island, gets Mirren to pose, an old mate turns up and pinches some money off him, Mirren's drunken aunt falls off a cliff, Mason finishes his pictures, gets his money back, then he and Mirren get together. The last bit doesn't feel too convincing - neither express that much interest in each other during the movie, Mirren seems mostly attracted to his out of town glamour (and fear of being left) and Mason to her body and availability.

But you know something? I didn't mind, especially as it went along. It reminded me of a TV show like Sea Change - handsome leads, pretty views, lots of wacky locals and a comic dog. The locations are beautiful - Australia looks so gorgeous in it's late 60s films, with that sparse city and super blue ocean and deserted beaches. Mason and Mirren are charismatic, there's a support cast including a young Harold Hopkins plus views of Brisbane, and it's all easy going, laid-back and Queensland-ish.