Sweet Movie (1974)

Director:

Dusan Makavejev

Writer:

Dusan Makavejev (writer)

Release Date:

12 June 1974 (France)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Plot:

The intercut story of two women: a nearly-mute beauty queen who descends into withdrawal and madness...

Plot Keywords:

Candy | Ship | Pedophile | Vomit | Penis

Cast

Carole Laure	...	Miss Monde 1984 / Miss Canada
Pierre Clémenti	...	Potemkin Sailor
Anna Prucnal	...	Anna Planeta / Capt. Ann
Sami Frey	...	El Macho
Jane Mallett	...	PDG / Chastity Belt Lady
Roy Callender	...	Jeremiah Muscle
John Vernon	...	Mr. Kapital
Hansi Roll
Therese Schulmeister
Renata Steiger
Berndt Stein
Herbert Stumpfl
Otto Mühl	...	Member of Therapie-Komune (as Otto Muehl)
Catherine Sola
Louis Bessières

Runtime:

98 min | USA:95 min (cut version)

Country:

Canada | France | West Germany

Language:

English | French | Polish | Spanish | Italian

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:(Banned) (uncut) (1974) | Finland:K-18 (cut) (1974) | Hungary:18 | West Germany:18 | Australia:R | Norway:18 (1975) | Sweden:15 | UK:(Banned) | USA:Unrated | Netherlands:16

Filming Locations:

Amsterdam, Noord-Holland, Netherlands

Company:

Maran Film

Trivia:

The film was rejected for a UK cinema certificate by the BBFC in 1975.

Quotes:

Miss Monde 1984: [after a less-than-satisfying honeymoon with Mr. Kapital] I expected something else to happen.
PDG: Nonsense, he's the most powerful millionaire in the world!
Lawyer: I think that for your own good, you better forget this marriage.
Miss Monde 1984: Then I think I should get alimony.
Lawyer: I advise you strongly to refrain from thinking anything.
PDG: Yes, thinking can sometimes be a very dangerous exercise.
Lawyer: Very dangerous, indeed.
Miss Monde 1984: This is insane!
PDG: Yes, maybe we should ask for a psychiatric examination.
Lawyer: There are people with similar symptoms, they become confused. They spend the rest of their lives behind the walls... of asylums!
[...]

Movie Connections:

References Two-Fisted Law (1932)

Soundtrack:

Is there life on the Earth?

Is it cow sh** or is it my beloved?

I have read a lot of comments from folks that say that "Sweet Movie" doesn't make any sense...and I'll agree with that, it beats me what the hell it's supposed to be about except for the glaringly obvious. At the beginning we're treated to a "song" by some Polish woman, in which she wails "Is it cow sh**, or my beloved?" So after that auspicious start, we have a Beauty Contest, or maybe it's merely a "virginity" contest, for all these beautiful women are paraded out onto a stage and seated with their feet elevated so a doctor can examine them to ensure that they're still intact. Apparently from there we sort of segue to a very rich man buying one of the contestants (Ms. Canada, I think) as his new wife, and marrying her, and taking her home, and attempting to consummate their marriage after swabbing her down with alcohol only to have her become a bit squeamish (she screams her head off) when she finds out his penis is gold. After her seeming rejection of this particular object the women is eventually carted off, violated, and dragged off to Paris in a suitcase by a large black man. There she is romanced by a Spanish (I guess) singer, has sex on the Eiffel Tower & she & lover-boy get stuck, and after that she somehow ends up in a commune which is not much different from an insane asylum, apparently, as during the evening meal the participants puke, pee, belch, food fight, and those are merely the polite things. Because afterward there's apparently a defecation contest and much celebration to celebrate the winner...gasp. And, if you haven't stopped reading by now there's yet another story line interwoven here, that of a young man who has boarded a boat, sort of a "Good Ship Lollipop of Death" with Karl Marx's face on the bow. It seems like men (or sometimes children) are lured onto this ship with promises of candy and sex and they may get both but what ISN'T promised is death and that seems to be a regular occurrence here too. There are many parts of this film that are rather hard to watch,and not much seems to be missed by the camera, although at times you'll wish there were a few things that had been left to the imagination. Despite all its faults, which mostly deal with disgusting subject matter, it's also rather fascinating in a "I can't believe I'm watching this" way. Very surreal & has a great look to it, just be prepared to flinch a few times if you watch it. 7 out of 10.