Rent Age of Consent (1969)

3.3 of 5 from 81 ratings
1h 42min
Rent Age of Consent Online DVD & Blu-ray Rental
  • General info
  • Available formats
Synopsis:
Disillusioned with life, celebrated artist Bradley Morahan (James Mason) retreats to the solitude of a tropical island on Australia's Great Barrier Reef. The island, however, turns out to be far from uninhabited. Bradley soon stumbles upon Cora, played by Helen Mirren, a beautiful, highly spirited teenage girl who lives with her alcoholic grandmother. Cora dreams of escaping the island and running away to the bright lights of Brisbane. Inspired by the young girl, Bradley starts to paint naked portraits of her. To Cora, it's an innocent way to earn money and finally escape the island. To him, Cora is a fresh source of artistic inspiration.
Others, though, may see their relationship differently...
Actors:
, , , , , , , , , , , , , Tommy Hanlon Jr., Dora Hing, , , Lenore Caton, Diane Strachan, Roberta Grant
Directors:
Producers:
James Mason, Michael Powell
Writers:
Peter Yeldham, Norman Lindsay
Studio:
Sony
Genres:
Classics, Drama, Romance
Collections:
Getting to Know..., Getting to Know: Helen Mirren, Getting to Know: James Mason, The Instant Expert's Guide to Powell and Pressburger
Countries:
Australia
BBFC:
Release Date:
17/05/2010
Run Time:
102 minutes
Languages:
English LPCM Mono
Subtitles:
English Hard of Hearing
DVD Regions:
Region 2
Formats:
Pal
Aspect Ratio:
Widescreen 1.78:1 / 16:9
Colour:
Colour
BBFC:
Release Date:
26/11/2018
Run Time:
107 minutes
Languages:
English DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0 Mono
Subtitles:
English Hard of Hearing
Formats:
Pal
Aspect Ratio:
Widescreen 1.85:1
Colour:
Colour
BLU-RAY Regions:
(0) All
Bonus:
  • Two presentations of the film: the 2005 restoration of the director's cut, scored by Peter Sculthorpe (107 mins); and the studio cut, scored by Stanley Myers (100 mins)
  • Audio commentary with film historian Kent Jones (2009)
  • The Beauty of the Image: The John Player Lecture with Michael Powell (1971, 85 mins): archival audio recording of the celebrated filmmaker in conversation with Kevin Gough-Yates at London's National Film Theatre
  • The Guardian Interview with Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger (1985, 105 mins): archival audio recording of the Archers in conversation with Ian Christie at London's National Film Theatre Age of Innocence (2018, 38 mins): an in-depth appraisal of Age of Consent by Ian Christie, author of Arrows of Desire: The Films of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger
  • Making 'Age of Consent' (2009, 17 mins): production manager Kevin Powell, composer Peter Sculthorpe and editor Anthony Buckley recall the film's turbulent history
  • Martin Scorsese on 'Age of Consent' (2009, 6 mins): the acclaimed director discusses the impact and legacy of Powell's film
  • Helen Mirren: A Conversation with Cora (2009, 13 mins): the award-winning actor reflects on one of her earliest and most memorable film roles
  • Down-Under with Ron and Valerie Taylor (2009, 10 mins): a conversation with the celebrated underwater photographers
  • The Boy Who Turned Yellow (1972, 54 mins): Powell and Pressburger's final collaboration, made for the Children's Film Foundation
  • Original theatrical trailer
  • Image gallery: promotional photography and publicity material for Age of Consent and The Boy Who Turned Yellow
  • UK Premiere on Blu-ray

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Reviews (1) of Age of Consent

Aussie Arthouse. - Age of Consent review by Steve

Spoiler Alert
25/10/2023

Michael Powell's final release is an adaptation of a banned autobiographical novel by Australian painter/sculptor Norman Lindsay. So it belongs in a group of the director's work about the psychology of the artist. James Mason is a nonconformist, a middle aged bohemian who searches for inspiration in the tropical backwater of the Great Barrier Reef.

He finds his muse in a wild girl who has grown up uneducated on the remote island. She is played by Helen Mirren in her first significant film role. This child of nature is uninhibited and awkward, but when swimming down among the coral and the fish she acquires a primal grace. The story reflects upon their freedom, and how it is compromised.

Like most of Powell's films, there is a strong, spiritual undertow to the flow of the narrative. This one is more comical than most, with some knockabout comedy, including an astonishing performance from Godfrey, the dog. It looks stunning, capturing the exotic grandeur of the Queensland coast, particularly the spectacular underwater photography.

Mason's Aussie accent comes and goes and Mirren doesn't even try. It was a big hit in Australia, but a flop elsewhere, and sadly Powell's final project was for the Children's Film Foundation. But this is a typically offbeat venture from the great director, both personal and magnificent. And it captures a way of living which has been lost.

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