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I Am Curious
The complete scenario of the film by Vilgot Sjoman with over 250 illustrations. Adults only.
254 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1968
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
November 29, 2018
I found this book on the Swedish movie I Am Curious by Vilgot Sjöman purely by chance last year. While I've never seen the movie; when it came out in 1967, I was only 12 years old. I do remember reading a Time Magazine article back then which discussed the film. I'm not sure what the context was exactly as it was 50ish years ago but I think it might have had to do with censorship and sexual freedom in film. There were other films discussed I'm sure.
The book basically is a full scenario of the film with 250 screen shots from the movie. It ends with pertinent testimony from key witnesses in the US District Court case which was trying to determine whether the movie was obscene or not. The film was unique at the time with its portrayals of sexual acts and nudity, especially that of male nudity. While the film was well-received throughout Europe it didn't get quite the same reception in the US. Saying that it was the 12th most financially successful film in 1969.
So what is the film about? It's filmed in almost a documentary format. Lena is a young Swedish woman who is trying to find answers to questions of the time period; interviewing people on the street, asking about Swedish mores; are woman treated differently from men, is the a class structure still in Sweden, should Sweden become a republic (get rid of the King), etc. At the same time she is dealing with family issues, her life with her father and those difficulties. As well, she is exploring her sexuality, focused on her new relationship with Borje. In these scenes there were scenes of nudity of both parties.
It was interesting to go back to this period with this book and find out more about the film and the issues it was trying to cover and the scandal that it caused when it first came out. All in all, for personal reasons especially, I found it interesting to read the book. I don't know that it would have the same impact for those who don't recall that period. It might be quite interesting for film buffs. (4 stars)
The book basically is a full scenario of the film with 250 screen shots from the movie. It ends with pertinent testimony from key witnesses in the US District Court case which was trying to determine whether the movie was obscene or not. The film was unique at the time with its portrayals of sexual acts and nudity, especially that of male nudity. While the film was well-received throughout Europe it didn't get quite the same reception in the US. Saying that it was the 12th most financially successful film in 1969.
So what is the film about? It's filmed in almost a documentary format. Lena is a young Swedish woman who is trying to find answers to questions of the time period; interviewing people on the street, asking about Swedish mores; are woman treated differently from men, is the a class structure still in Sweden, should Sweden become a republic (get rid of the King), etc. At the same time she is dealing with family issues, her life with her father and those difficulties. As well, she is exploring her sexuality, focused on her new relationship with Borje. In these scenes there were scenes of nudity of both parties.
It was interesting to go back to this period with this book and find out more about the film and the issues it was trying to cover and the scandal that it caused when it first came out. All in all, for personal reasons especially, I found it interesting to read the book. I don't know that it would have the same impact for those who don't recall that period. It might be quite interesting for film buffs. (4 stars)
June 14, 2018
Freedom is a hard thing which should be used to make love and not war. The quote summarises the themes of this book which are depicted by changes: Social, political, military, and sexual. The title describes the healthy curiosity of young people who are interested in knowing more about their actual and potential lives. The book is based on a Swedish film by Vilgit Sjoman. It has a rather unique style of filming which aims at incorporating both the real and the unreal. Vilgot was not only the director of the picture, but he was also an actor.
Vilgot tells us the story of a young girl, Lena, who comes from a terribly broken home. She is also the champion of women rights, rights for the lower class, rights for the underdog, sexual and marital union. Here we see the emergence of the working class. Politically, she is an activist, a radical. She fights the ideals of the political class at the time, from Social Democratic Party, the Communists, and the Conservatives. Sexually, she is very unconventional and controversial. The film incorporates both the male and female nudity. We are treated to the oral-genital scenes between Lena and Borje, sexual intercourse on a tree, as well as in other public places. Lastly, socially we find Lena to be fiercely independent both mentally and intellectually. She chooses to practice yoga, sexual emancipation, and freedom from all social structures. However, it is the sexual aspect of the film that was most controversial.
On 20th May, 1968 the film was the subject of a Criminal case to decide whether it should be censored in the United States. The presiding judge was Judge Thomas F. Murphy. The case was heard and determined by seven men and five women who formed the Jury. Some of the witnesses included the best selling author Norman Mailer, and a Film critic Stanley Kauffman among other high profile names testifying for the defense. On the other hand, the government presented only one witness who is Rev. Dr. Dan M. Potter a clergyman in the forefront of numerous censorship drives. After the hearing, the jury deliberated for only two hours and found the film obscene. Personally, I have never watched the film. However I believe that the verdict would be different today as opposed to then as the society is now more permissive to such kind of sexual materials and exposure.
Vilgot tells us the story of a young girl, Lena, who comes from a terribly broken home. She is also the champion of women rights, rights for the lower class, rights for the underdog, sexual and marital union. Here we see the emergence of the working class. Politically, she is an activist, a radical. She fights the ideals of the political class at the time, from Social Democratic Party, the Communists, and the Conservatives. Sexually, she is very unconventional and controversial. The film incorporates both the male and female nudity. We are treated to the oral-genital scenes between Lena and Borje, sexual intercourse on a tree, as well as in other public places. Lastly, socially we find Lena to be fiercely independent both mentally and intellectually. She chooses to practice yoga, sexual emancipation, and freedom from all social structures. However, it is the sexual aspect of the film that was most controversial.
On 20th May, 1968 the film was the subject of a Criminal case to decide whether it should be censored in the United States. The presiding judge was Judge Thomas F. Murphy. The case was heard and determined by seven men and five women who formed the Jury. Some of the witnesses included the best selling author Norman Mailer, and a Film critic Stanley Kauffman among other high profile names testifying for the defense. On the other hand, the government presented only one witness who is Rev. Dr. Dan M. Potter a clergyman in the forefront of numerous censorship drives. After the hearing, the jury deliberated for only two hours and found the film obscene. Personally, I have never watched the film. However I believe that the verdict would be different today as opposed to then as the society is now more permissive to such kind of sexual materials and exposure.
December 31, 2020
I want to give this a 3.7 but am rounding up. One of my most interesting finds at the Swap Shop! I didn't know anything about the book or movie going in, and while I wasn't a fan of a couple scenes I enjoyed it as a whole. While I probably should have spent some time developing my own thoughts of the work before going into the excerpts from the trial, I liked reading the witnesses' thoughts and analyses.
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May 7, 2023it feels like i should be getting something out of this but all i'm left with is confusion and a feeling that i need to research the political climate of sweden in the 60s to get this in its totality... perhaps the film's added visual will add something (hopefully?) to this narrative
November 15, 2017
10 stars
July 4, 2016
Mostly read this because I need to see how a screenplay is formatted and carried out. I realize that there is a foreign format, but, still, what is put on the page and what is envisioned on the screen? How much can they differ? Well, I don't know, yet, because I left my copies of the movie in the States. All in all, though, I really enjoyed reading this. It raised a lot of big ideas for me that I never even thought of. This really expanded my political territory. I feel like I've taken an even sharper turn left at this point. Non-violence on the State level was beautiful to envision!
January 21, 2019
Saw the movie sometime around 1966. I was old enough to enter the theater at 17. Usually I avoid a lot of nudity, sex scenes especially when the scene offers nothing towards the story line or is blatant tasteless scenes of intercourse. The person I was with (my husbands sister) laughed a lot, jobbed me in the ribs a lot throughout the movie. I think she had some titillating fun. The movie was nicely done otherwise. I would like to read the book, but the movie may have been better.
June 10, 2015
I found this book somewhere, when I was about 13 and read it. I don't know if it was my age or the fact that it was a taboo book, but it was interesting and exciting. Years later I read it again. It was just ok. I guess back in the day when it was written it was very controversial, but in today's light, not so much.
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March 27, 2014Dangerous and deeply disturbing, a post-modernist socio-sexual-political atom bomb of a film.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews