This is a very surprising film to watch. After all, for 1953, it's amazingly frank about sex--a subject you just didn't talk about in films at that time due to the Production Code. However, somehow Otto Preminger got away with a very 'dirty' film--though by today's standards it's pretty tame.
The film begins with William Holden trying to pick up a woman (Maggie McNamara). However, almost immediately it becomes obvious that this is a bizarre woman. She just isn't normal--and is very frank in discussing premarital sex with Holden, though she insists on retaining her virginity! In fact, it's one of the first films after the Production Code was enacted in 1934 to use the V-word---'virgin'! Holden takes her home--where it soon becomes apparent he is quite the playboy and has just broken up with another girl. Oddly, the girl's father (David Niven) drops in and stars making passes at McNamara and from then on, it's a contest to see which guy will get this girl by the end of the movie.
Despite its blunt attitude about sex, the film is enjoyable and there is a quirky strangeness about McNamara's character that makes her likable. Not a great film by any standard, but enjoyable and an interesting film because of its moral compass...which is, apparently, a tad bent.
The film begins with William Holden trying to pick up a woman (Maggie McNamara). However, almost immediately it becomes obvious that this is a bizarre woman. She just isn't normal--and is very frank in discussing premarital sex with Holden, though she insists on retaining her virginity! In fact, it's one of the first films after the Production Code was enacted in 1934 to use the V-word---'virgin'! Holden takes her home--where it soon becomes apparent he is quite the playboy and has just broken up with another girl. Oddly, the girl's father (David Niven) drops in and stars making passes at McNamara and from then on, it's a contest to see which guy will get this girl by the end of the movie.
Despite its blunt attitude about sex, the film is enjoyable and there is a quirky strangeness about McNamara's character that makes her likable. Not a great film by any standard, but enjoyable and an interesting film because of its moral compass...which is, apparently, a tad bent.