The Lickerish Quartet

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The Lickerish Quartet
The Lickerish Quartet.jpg
Original film poster
Directed by Radley Metzger
Screenplay byMichael DeForrest
Based on"Hide and Seek"
by Michael DeForrest
Radley Metzger
Produced byRadley Metzger
Starring
Cinematography Hans Jura
Edited byAmedeo Salfa
Music by Stelvio Cipriani
Production
companies
Distributed by
Release date
1970
Running time
90 minutes
Countries
  • Italy
  • West Germany
LanguageItalian

The Lickerish Quartet (Italian: Esotika Erotika Psicotika) is a 1970 erotic drama film produced and directed by Radley Metzger. It was filmed in Italian and later dubbed into English. The film was written by Metzger and Michael DeForrest. [1]

Contents

Plot

In their castle, a wealthy couple (Frank Wolff and Erika Remberg) watch an erotic movie with their adult son, played by Paolo Turco. Later that evening, at a local carnival, they spot a woman (Silvana Venturelli) who appears to be one of the performers in the film, and decide to take her home with them. Although a subsequent viewing of the film calls the woman's identity into question, their house guest quickly succeeds in seducing the various members of the family, resulting in the revelation of certain facts, fears and desires.

Cast

Reception

The Lickerish Quartet received critical praise upon its release by many critics, especially Andy Warhol and Vincent Canby, as being one of the first films with graphic sex to have Hollywood-like production values. [2] Vincent Canby of The New York Times noted: “I must say I find most of Mr. Metzger’s movies entertaining to watch. They are so, well, ripe with incredible color and décor and movement.” [3] Andy Warhol, who helped begin the Golden Age of Porn with his 1969 film Blue Movie , was a fan of Metzger's film work [4] and commented that The Lickerish Quartet, was “an outrageously kinky masterpiece”. [3] [5] [6] However, Roger Ebert found the film to be pretentious and the plot convoluted. [7]

Notes

According to one film reviewer, Radley Metzger's films, including those made during the Golden Age of Porn (1969–1984), are noted for their "lavish design, witty screenplays, and a penchant for the unusual camera angle". [4] Another reviewer noted that his films were "highly artistic — and often cerebral ... and often featured gorgeous cinematography". [8] Film and audio works by Metzger have been added to the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York City. [9] [10] [11] [12]

Related Research Articles

Radley Metzger was an American pioneering filmmaker and film distributor, most noted for popular artistic, adult-oriented films, including Thérèse and Isabelle (1968), Camille 2000 (1969), The Lickerish Quartet (1970), Score (1974), The Private Afternoons of Pamela Mann (1974), The Image (1975), The Opening of Misty Beethoven (1976) and Barbara Broadcast (1977). According to one film reviewer, Metzger's films, including those made during the Golden Age of Porn (1969–1984), are noted for their "lavish design, witty screenplays, and a penchant for the unusual camera angle". Another reviewer noted that his films were "highly artistic — and often cerebral ... and often featured gorgeous cinematography". Film and audio works by Metzger have been added to the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York City.

<i>The Opening of Misty Beethoven</i> 1976 pornographic film directed by Radley Metzger

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<i>The Image</i> (1975 film) 1976 film

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<i>Score</i> (1974 film) 1974 film by Radley Metzger

Score is a 1974 erotic romance film directed by Radley Metzger. One of the first films to explore bisexual relationships, it was part of the brief porn chic fad of the Golden Age of Porn in the early 1970s that also included Behind the Green Door, The Devil in Miss Jones and Deep Throat. The film was based on an off-Broadway stage play that ran for 23 performances at the Martinique Theatre from October 28 through November 15, 1971 and featured Sylvester Stallone in a brief role. The theatrical version of Score was written by Jerry Douglas, who later became a mainstream screenwriter. It was set in a shabby Queens tenement, while the film was set in an elegant, mythical land and sported a relatively high budget for an independent film of that era.

<i>Camille 2000</i> 1969 film by Radley Metzger

Camille 2000 is a 1969 film based on the 1848 novel and 1852 play La Dame aux Camélias by Alexandre Dumas, fils. It was adapted by Michael DeForrest and directed by Radley Metzger. It stars Danièle Gaubert and Nino Castelnuovo with Eleonora Rossi Drago and Massimo Serato.

<i>The Private Afternoons of Pamela Mann</i> 1974 American hardcore adult film by Radley Metzger

The Private Afternoons of Pamela Mann is a 1974 American hardcore adult film starring Barbara Bourbon and directed by Radley Metzger that is considered one of the classics of the Golden Age of Porn (1969–1984). It was a step forward in the development of the genre, as it had a plot and good acting. The movie can be seen as a meditation on voyeurism, due to the trope of Mann being spied on by a private detective hired by her husband, and the production of pornography itself, as the detective films her sexual encounters.

<i>Carmen, Baby</i> 1967 film by Radley Metzger

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<i>Barbara Broadcast</i> 1977 film by Radley Metzger

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<i>Naked Came the Stranger</i> (film) 1975 film by Radley Metzger

Naked Came the Stranger is an American adult erotic film released in 1975. The film was directed by Radley Metzger and filmed in several elaborate locations in New York City.

<i>The Tale of Tiffany Lust</i> 1981 film by Radley Metzger

The Tale of Tiffany Lust, also known as Body Lust, is a 1979 American adult erotic film. The film was directed by Radley Metzger and filmed in several elaborate locations in New York City.

<i>Therese and Isabelle</i> 1968 film by Radley Metzger

Thérèse and Isabelle is a 1968 erotic drama film directed by Radley Metzger from a screenplay by Jesse Vogel, based on the 1966 novel Thérèse et Isabelle by Violette Leduc.

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<i>La baie du désir</i> 1964 film

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<i>The Sins of Ilsa</i> 1985 American film

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References

  1. "Watch the Lickerish Quartet".
  2. The Lickerish Quartet trailer.
  3. 1 2 Sandmir, Richard (4 April 2017). "Radley Metzger, Whose Artful Erotica Turned Explicit, Dies at 88". New York Times . Retrieved 5 April 2017.
  4. 1 2 Gallagher, Steve (7 August 2014). ""This is Softcore": The History of Radley Metzger". Filmmaker Magazine . Retrieved 23 May 2015.
  5. Metzger, Juliette; Feldman, Caryl; West, Ashley (2 April 2017). "Press Release: Radley Metzger, pioneering filmmaker, dies at 88". The Rialto Report . Retrieved 2 April 2017.
  6. Staff (8 August 2014). "The Lickerish Quartet". Film Society of Lincoln Center . Retrieved 24 May 2015.
  7. Ebert, Roger (29 April 1971). "The Lickerish Quartet". Chicago Sun-Times . Retrieved 28 January 2016.
  8. Simpson, Claire (2 October 2013). "Adults Only: 5 Films By Radley Metzger". WhatCulture.com. Archived from the original on 24 May 2015. Retrieved 23 May 2015.
  9. Rist, Ray C. (4 January 1974). Book - The Pornography Controversy: Changing Moral Standards in American Life. p. 124. ISBN   9781412838467 . Retrieved 29 February 2016.{{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  10. Lehman, Peter (2006). Book - Pornography: Film and Culture. p. 9. ISBN   9780813538716 . Retrieved 29 February 2016.{{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  11. Staff (2016). "Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) - DadaBase Search Results - Radley Metzger". Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) . Retrieved 29 February 2016.
  12. Staff (4 March 2017). "Obituary Of The Righteous - The Porn Of The Fabulous 60s And 70s Loses One Of Its Pioneers And Masters: Radley Metzger - Photographer Of War, The MOMA Presents A Retrospective: His Erotic Films Made History - Video: 'Score', On The Relationships Of Couples Of The 70s, In An Uncensored Version". DagoSpia.com. Retrieved 12 November 2019.

Further reading