BOB & CAROL & TED & ALICE
I was a little surprised to learn that this film picked up some Oscar nominations, for a couple of reasons. Although by 1969 the sexual revolution was well under way I would have thought that the rather conservative Academy might have been put off by the explicit way in which sexual relations both inside and outside marriage are discussed here. Not to mention the idea of partner-swapping. And I would guess that this was the first mainstream picture in which the word 'vagina' is uttered. And then there's the fact that this film is rather difficult to pigeonhole. Although labelled as a comedy I can't say that I found it laugh out loud funny, maybe because I felt uncomfortable throughout as to where it might be leading. It is undoubtedly the case that the cowriter and director Paul Mazursky is aiming for some satire and social commentary rather than simple laughs. In particular his target is the couple of Bob and Carol (played by Robert Culp and Natalie Wood) who after ...