The Seven Minutes

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.

I just watched this film on Bravo. While I admit to being a bit of a Russ Meyer fan in the same way many people slow down to look at train wrecks, I actually found this movie surprisingly entertaining. Russ Meyer is the master of campy dialogue, bizarre twists and nonsensical plots, and of course larger (pun intended) than life characters. This movie has them all, but at a much more subdued level than most of his other films. In many ways, this film works ... much better at least than other Russ Meyer films.

If you are looking for a quality film delving into the drama of the courtroom, forget it here. With even a modicum of legal savvy it is easy to see all the holes in the courtroom antics of both sides. The twist at the end might be typical Russ Meyer, but it was also pretty predictable. Normally, I dislike predictability in a movie, but Russ Meyer flicks are usually such mixed up, twisted messes, that seeing a plot actually come to fruition with a credible twist that fits into the rest of the story was a bit of a treat.

I echo the sentiments of other users when they say that this is not a Russ Meyer fan's movie. Unfortunately, the only people who likely will ever see this film are the serious Russ Meyer fans who want to see everything the man has made. (Said fans can look for the cameo of Russ as well, in true Hitchcockian style *smile*.) I felt this was a good film, easy to watch, fun and sexy at times, with a few valuable (yet no doubt satirical) comments about the hypocrisy of the day. Being that Russ had his own personal problems with censorship, the movie is an obvious "poke-in-the-nose" at all the holier-than-thou types out to save society while wallowing in their own debauchery.

My Rating: 7 / 10 (Unless you are looking for a Russ Meyer genre film, then only 2 / 10)

Adaptation of Irving Wallace's book about a 30-year-old novel titled "The Seven Minutes," banned worldwide for three decades as being depraved and obscene, coming under fire once again after the son of a major political contributor in California is charged with raping a girl--under the influence of the erotic material! This coincides with the case of a bookstore manager arrested for selling a recent reprint of "The Seven Minutes", resulting in a trial that pits pornography against free speech. Director Russ Meyer's second (and final) film for 20th Century Fox is admirably serious in its attempt to show the hypocrisy of so-called purveyors of decency and political opportunists looking for a legal scapegoat, yet it is too bogged down in talk to appeal to Meyer's fan-base (despite the quick cutting which reduces most shots to a length of seven seconds or less). Yvonne De Carlo has a bravura cameo in the third act as a key witness for the defense, and there's an amusingly old-fashioned tag featuring the defense attorney and his girl making love in front of a roaring fire. But the majority of "The Seven Minutes" concerns itself with the legal protection of salacious material instead of the usual Russ Meyer presentation of salacious material, which didn't thrill audiences in 1971 and probably won't today. *1/2 from ****

"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.