I saw this today for the first time and was surprised by its grit. For a 1969 film, this must have been super controversial. Raquel having sexual relations with Jim Brown (nothing seen but still) must have been scandalous. A black man all over the nation's sex symbol? Not to mention Jim Brown being a leader. I think it's great and well done but for the day it must have ruffled a few feathers.
shareI saw it recently and thought the same thing. I'm surprised that it didn't kill Raquel's career. There had to be some mad folks in America over that one. Cool points for her for having the guts to do that, in that era.
shareI remember when it came out in 1969, and it did cause a stir among certain groups. There were theaters in the South, and a few in the Midwest, that wouldn't show it because of the Brown/Welch "sex" scene. And it wasn't all that "gritty" for the time; remember, "The Wild Bunch" came out in the same year, and that was far bloodier and "grittier" than this one.
Actually there wasn't a huge stir made over it. In an interview with Men's Health this month Raquel is told that Jim Brown stated that he thought the director did the scenes "just to piss off some white folks"....
Didn't she always have to hide her true ethnicity (pass)in order to get work in hollywood? Maybe this was her way of getting back at them? To me she looks very ethnic. I think this is why she still, to this day looks so stunning.
shareI'm sure had it been another actor, maybe it would have caused more of a controversy.
However, Jim Brown was a legend of his own at the time, having wrapped up a successful NFL career where he was celebrated and loved by many.
One would think that it was more than a little bit controversial, but for some reason it is not remembered that way.
Jim Brown probably had enough good will where he was accepted in a role opposite Welch.
[spoiler]
I was in college when this came out and chose to see it precisely because of the sex scene, which was widely reported in the media, in Life Magazine and other places. Just in case there was a riot, I chose the seat nearest to the exit. But the only violence was on-screen. For a college boy like me, the sex was mild and disappointing. Nothing was seen and the movie immediately moved to the climactic action sequence. We never know if it meant anything to Raquel's character, not even if she enjoyed it (feminists today might call it a rape [?]) Anyway, Raquel's character is killed in action. I wondered if the sex and Raquel's death were added into the script in hopes of improving the box office.
Dirty Old Man in Training 😀
Wish I could’ve seen it then.
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