Sargasso Sea

MPAA Rating: NC-17

Entertainment: +2 1/2

Content: -3 1/2

To get to Jamaica you have to cross the wide Sargasso Sea, one that swimmers can easily drown in as they become entangled in the seaweed. The sea works as a metaphor for the influence that the bewitching native girls can have on a proper English gentleman who comes to marry during the 1840's. Edward Rochester (Nathaniel Parker) marries the beautiful Antoinette (Karina Lombard). Their marriage begins passionately, but Edward quickly becomes disconcerted by some of the strange island ways. Antoinette takes advice from the local witch Christophene (Claudia Robinson) and likes to dance in the tribal dances. Antoinette tries to get Edward's love back by feeding him a love potion. The potion works but Edward takes "revenge" on Antoinette by having an affair with a local native. Finally Edward takes his "crazy" wife back to England and locks her away in the attic while he makes plans to marry respectably. The adult sexual theme will keep most people away from this story about the clash of two cultures.

This movie looks like a painting from Gaugin, with many nude natives against a colorful background. Breast nudity is prevalent in the frequent love scenes, with full female nudity twice and full frontal male nudity once. Male rear nudity is seen about four times and female rear nudity three or four times. Edward and his wife's lovemakeing scenes increase in length and violence the longer the couple is married. Edward and the native girl are shown together once. Its NC-17 rating relates to the explicit sex scenes and nudity. Surprisingly, there is very little violence and only one profanity and two obscenities included. What could have been an insightful movie about the relations between islanders and the English during the 1840's becomes mired in sensual overindulgence. The excessive nudity and sexual activity leaves SARGASSO SEA drowning in its own sensuality.

Preview Reviewer: Greg Wilson
Distributor: Fine Line Features, 888 7th Ave., 20th Flr, NY, NY 10106

Summary
The following categories contain objective listings of film content which contribute to the subjective numeric Content ratings posted to the left and on the Home page.

Crude Language: Once - Mild

Obscene Language: Twice (no s- or f-words)

Profanity: Once - Exclamatory

Violence: Once - Moderate (house burned)

Sex: Many times (eight scenes of intercourse, with both male rear and female breast nudity in most)

Nudity: Many times (full female nudity twice, male frontal nudity once, breast nudity many times)

Sexual Dialogue/Gesture: Few times - references to intercourse

Drugs: Voodoo potion used once

Other: None

Running Time:
Intended Audience:

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