The Seven Minutes (1971)

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Russ Meyer followed-up his delirious Beyond the Valley of the Dolls with this surprisingly straighforward drama, which offered little of Meyer's traditional tongue-in-cheek humor or remarkably proportioned women in favor of a serious message about the evils of censorship. A bookstore sells a copy of… More Russ Meyer followed-up his delirious Beyond the Valley of the Dolls with this surprisingly straighforward drama, which offered little of Meyer's traditional tongue-in-cheek humor or remarkably proportioned women in favor of a serious message about the evils of censorship. A bookstore sells a copy of a notorious erotic novel, entitled The Seven Minutes, to a teenager who is later arrested for rape. A prosecutor on a crusade against pornography seizes upon this as an opportunity to have the book declared obscene, and the trial sparks a heated debate about the issue of pornography vs. free speech, as well as revealing a startling revelation about the novel's true author. Adapted from a novel by Irving Wallace, The Seven Minutes featured one of Meyer's more interesting casts, including veteran character actors John Carradine and Alexander D'Arcy, a post-Munsters Yvonne de Carlo, a pre-Magnum P.I. Tom Selleck, lounge comic Jackie Gayle, and Wolfman Jack as himself. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 55 min.
Directed By: Russ Meyer
Genres: Drama

In Theaters: Jul 23, 1971 Wide

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Eric B

A Russ Meyer movie, dull? Hard to believe unless you've seen "The Seven Minutes." Adapted from an Irving Wallace novel, this courtroom drama is an attempt at straightforward storytelling with a minimum of Meyer's usual titillation and cheap humor. The plot's… More
A Russ Meyer movie, dull? Hard to believe unless you've seen "The Seven Minutes." Adapted from an Irving Wallace novel, this courtroom drama is an attempt at straightforward storytelling with a minimum of Meyer's usual titillation and cheap humor. The plot's censorship theme obviously was a heartfelt issue for him, but bland lead actors, a marathon running time by Meyer standards (110 minutes) and a tedious middle stretch leave one hungry for more bouncing breasts. The film's title refers to a fictional novel written by the mysterious J.J. Jadway. The sexually explicit book -- the title refers to the average time required for a woman to reach orgasm -- was published back in the '30s and has been extensively banned. Now the book is pivotal in two pending cases: a mousy bookseller accused of peddling pornography and a young misfit charged with porn-induced violence. The intersection of these cases is somewhat confused, but most of the action follows a handsome, maverick lawyer (Wayne Maunder) as he collects evidence and romances a woman (Marianne McAndrew) from his client's upper-crust family. Along the way, he encounters an intriguing cast that includes a pre-stardom Tom Selleck, John Carradine (one throwaway scene as a drunk Irish poet), Yvonne De Carlo ("Munsters" fans will be quite pleased with her flashy role), Wolfman Jack and familiar character actor Harold J. Stone. There's also a truly bizarre appearance by Berry Kroeger, portraying a witness described as a "thinking man's faggot." "The Seven Minutes" has a strong ending, but it's not enough to forgive stale dialogue and an overly complex story that soon tests one's patience.

Cast

            Wayne Maunder as Mike Barrett

            Marianne McAndrew as Maggie

            Philip Carey as Elmo Duncan

            Edy Williams as Faye

            Jay C. Flippen as Luther Yerkes

            Lyle Bettger as Frank Griffith

            Richard Angarola as Father Sarfatti

            Bill Baldwin as Commentator

            Judith Baldwin as Fremont's Girl Friend

            Calvin Bartlett as Olin Adams

            David Brian as Cardinal

            John Carradine as Sean O'Flanagan

            Barry Coe as Court Bailiff

            Regis J. Cordic as Louis Polk

            Alex D'Arcy as Christian Leroux

            Yvonne De Carlo as Constance Cumberland

            George de Normand
            
            Shawn Devereaux as Yerkes' Girl friend

            Charles Drake as Sgt. Kellog

            Jackie Gayle as Norman Quandt

            John Gruber as Dr. Quigley

            Lynn Hamilton as Avis

            Robin Hughes as Ashcroft

            Jim Iglehart as Clay Rutherford

            Wolfman Jack as Himself

            Kate Jackson
            
            Ken Jones as Charles Wynter

            Marthe Keller
            
            Berry Kroeger as Paul Van Fleet

            Stuart Lancaster as Dr. Roger Trimble

            Lillian Lehman as Librarian

            Charles Napier as Officer Iverson

            Kay Peters as Olivia St. Clair

            Ron Randell as Merle Reid

            Henry Rowland as Yerkes' Butler

            Jeffrey Sayre as Juror

            Tom Selleck as Phil Sanford

            Jan Shutan as Anna Lou White

            Olan Soule as Harvey Underwood

            Harold J. Stone as Judge

            Vince Williams
            
            Stanley Adams as Irwin Blair

            Bill Durkin as George Perkins

            Paul Stader as Thug

            Patrick Wright as 1st Detective

            James Bacon as Reporter

            Yvonne D'Angers as Sheri Moore

            Robert Moloney as Ben Fremont

            John Sarno as Jerry Griffith

            John Lawrence as Howard Moore
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