Age Of Consent (3 Stars)

This is a tale of an innocent relationship that is misconstrued by those looking on. In fact, such relationships would probably be judged more harshly in our prude 21st Century than in the permissive era of 1969 when the film was made.

James Mason plays an artist who feels he has lost his inspiration. He goes to a remote island off the coast of Australia to find quiet and an opportunity to paint new scenery. While there he meets a 15-year-old girl played by Helen Mirren. Her beauty inspires him, and he uses her as a model for nude portraits. While he views her only as a model, she begins to fall in love with him.

I don't really know what to say about the film. The relationship between the young girl and the older man is shown very neutrally, without moralizing. The viewer is left to make up his own mind whether it's right or wrong. Maybe the consensus in 2011 is different to what people must have thought 40 years ago. I invite my readers to watch the film and make up their own minds.