110 minutes – Drama
Release date: September 22, 1978
Canadian distributor: Astral Films
US distributor: Avco Embassy Pictures
It is difficult to watch this movie now and understand the impact it had when it was first released. Made in 1978, the so-called Sexual Revolution was well underway and there were few things left to the imagination of the average filmgoer. Based on a coming-of-age novel by Stephen Vizenczey, it tells the story of a Hungarian Lothario, played by American actor Tom Berenger, and documents his various conquests. Some of the controversy surrounding the release of this film is certainly due to the fact that it caused a near riot when it made its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival. What is now almost forgotten is the “riot” was caused because festival organizers had oversold tickets and those people who didn’t get seats vented their anger and frustration. While now only mildly titillating, the film remains a strong showcase for the state of Canadian filmmaking at the time. Helen Shaver was recognized with a Canadian Film Award for Performance by a Lead Actressm and Marilyn Lightstone also won for Supporting Actress. Miklós Lente won for Cinematography and Wolf Kroeger for Art Direction. The lobby card and poster were scanned from originals in the Northernstars Collection. |
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