I 7 minuti che contano

During the time of VHS the only way to get new copies of Russ Meyer movies would be to order them directly from his marketing outlet. I called to get The Seven Minutes and I was told he didn't own the rights to the movie or to Beyond the Valley of the Dolls. Both movie were assignments and not personally produced by him. I asked, "Are you Russ Meyers?" and to my astonishment he answered "Yes". We chatted for 20 minutes. 35 years later I have finally tracked the original through an English distributor. It's exactly as I remember when I saw it as a 16 year old. It did not drive me murder. The small crowd I saw it with was hurling derisive comments at the screen throughout. It is a scream. It's hard to describe. It's one of a kind. For a film buff and a Meyer fan like myself it is a hoot. Stars galore, all playing it straight but you can see it in their eyes that they're having a walloping good time. Pious and self-patronizing as only Russ Meyer could do. All tongue-in-cheek. Anyone taking this seriously has missed the point. Not the same over-the-top as Beyond the Valley of the Dolls and certainly not the unbridled, raunchy sex fare of his personally produced classics. But it's the kind of sly slight at puritanical mores that only Meyer could pull off . It is a riot. The story revolves around the possible obscenity of the book The Seven Minutes and local government officials using it as a political cudgel. In this regard it's quite topical in a smirking way. It's a must see for those with sense of humor. Star gazing at its best. Carey, Flippen and De Carlo are especially fun.

The Seven Minutes was Russ Meyer's follow up to his big studio debut, Beyond the Valley of the Dolls. That one made a lot of money for 20th Century Fox but also caused it a fair bit of embarrassment and flack due to its salacious content and X rating. The Seven Minutes was the second film in his two picture deal and it went down a much less controversial route. It takes the form of a courtroom drama and perhaps unsurprisingly, unlike its predecessor, it bombed at the box office. But as is the way, despite the unfamiliar subject matter, it's still pretty obvious as a Meyer movie and is ultimately quite a strange film.

On the face of it, The Seven Minutes is a serious drama but Meyer seems incapable of playing it straight. His distinctive camera-work and super-fast editing are still in abundance. While he still makes space for a bevy of buxom women who appear throughout, such as Shawn 'Baby Doll' Deveraux. In truth, Meyer had no interest adapting the Irving Wallace novel that the film is based on but the studio insisted. In the end he figured the subject of freedom of speech and censorship was something he knew about from past experience and could make something interesting with it. But Fox felt battered by the publicity that they had attracted with Beyond the Valley of the Dolls and the similarly X rated Myra Breckinridge, so they made it clear that The Seven Minutes must make an R rating. Consequently, it is easily the most restrained outing he ever released.

The story boils down to a court case about a book called 'The Seven Minutes' which is considered obscene, so much so that it is accused of inspiring a vicious rape. The title refers to the average time that a woman takes to achieve orgasm. To be honest, going into this film I didn't have very high expectations. Its reputation sort of goes before it and the very idea of Meyer directing a film not based around buxom women set off alarm bells, seeing as they always seemed so integral to the success of everything else he did. As it turned out, I was very pleasantly surprised with this flick. Despite being a courtroom drama it still retains enough Meyer madness to ensure it's fascinating. In truth, his fast editing style is wholly inappropriate for such a film, the twists and turns of the plot end up coming at us so fast that it's very hard keeping up with plot developments, while the appearances of the pneumatic women that punctuate the movie are completely incongruous for a film trying to make a serious point! But ultimately, its aspects like these that makes it more interesting at the end of the day. The extreme melodramatic tendencies and bizarre tone and presentation are what mark it out. Make no mistake, it's not up there with Meyer's best movies but who in all seriousness would expect it to be? It's his least typical film though that's for sure and its one I am pleased to have finally seen. It's notable too for featuring a young Tom Selleck as well as a cameo from veteran actor John Carradine; it also features Meyer regulars Charles Napier, Stuart Lancaster and his then wife, Edy Williams.

After Russ Meyer hit it big with BEYOND THE VALLEY OF THE DOLLS for 20th Century Fox, he directed his second movie for the studio's two-picture deal with him. THE SEVEN MINUTES was a box office flop and ruined any chances Meyer may have had to continue with Fox. But I actually found myself liking this movie and while it's not as fantastic as his comedies or action flicks, MINUTES is still unique in its own way.

"The Seven Minutes" is a book that has been charged with obscenity and is blamed for leading a young boy to rape a girl. The film revolves around the court case against the book. That's pretty much it. Regular Meyer fans will be disappointed in this film, no doubt. While it does feature Edy Williams, Charles Napier, Stuart Lancaster, a young Tom Selleck, the actor who plays Martin Bormann, and the black boxer from BVD, these cast members appear in what amount to cameos and disappear very quickly. Yvonne de Carlo is great as an old-time Hollywood actress, though. The major problem with the film is that it is a serious film, not a slapstick comedy, a real turning point for Meyer. I wonder if he even wanted to make this film, as it is such a departure from his regular content.

THE SEVEN MINUTES is not filled with busty beauties or excellent music or outrageous situations, but features lots of Meyer's trademark lightning-quick editing and enough twists and turns in the plot to get the viewer involved in the story. The surprise ending is totally out of left field. Still, I would only recommend THE SEVEN MINUTES to diehard Meyer fans and even then, very carefully. The film is very hard to find, but I was able to rent it from Video Vault in Alexandria, VA. Even Meyer doesn't offer it on his Bosomania label! So if you spend lots of time searching for it, expecting another BVD or SUPERVIXENS, you will be disappointed when you finally see it. Worth one viewing.

"The Seven Minutes" is a film by director/producer Russ Meyer, the same guy who brought us films like "Beyond the Valley of the Dolls" and many other boundary-stretching pictures, I really expected this movie to be much sleazier that it actually was. Sure, there is a lot of adult content by 1971's standards...much of it seemingly over-the-top. But there also is a very good story buried underneath the nudity and unusual language...one possibly worth seeing.

When the story begins, some vice cops arrest the manager of a book store for selling a book they considered obscene. However, the prosecutor and his friends don't see much reason to pursue the case. After all, times have changed and the crime is only a misdemeanor.

Unfortunately for the poor bookseller, a huge political insider's son is accused of rape...and they decide to try an interesting defense. The District Attorney agrees to blame the book for the sexual assault! While this seems insane, back in the 1970s some folks did believe obscenity could cause rapes. More unfortunate is that seemingly EVERYONE is now lock-step behind the prosecution and the defense attorney is stymied again and again because he's one man fighting a huge machine. Does he stand a chance or will the manager be a scapegoat to be tossed to the wolves, so to speak?

Underneath the Meyer excesses (there is a lot of adult material in the film for a 1971 release), the story actually is very good and has some merit. It fights for First Amenment rights and also exposes a LOT of hypocrisy...which isn't surprising since the novel it's based on was by Irving Wallace.

I think this film is well worth seeing, but remember...it's an adult film. I wouldn't show it to your mother, kids or Father O'Malley if he stops by for a visit!

THE SEVEN MINUTES is an atypical film in the career of director Russ Meyer, forever known for his exploitation thrillers featuring voluptuous actresses. This is a lot more serious and long-winded, a sluggish courtroom drama which begins with a bookseller being arrested for selling an undercover cop an obsence publication. What follows feels incredibly long-winded as we work our way through the trial and the reasons the book came into being in the first place. There's no real faulting the actors who work with what they get, but the script falters and this lacks drive and passion. You want more, but get less.