Movie Talk: Score (1973)

If I am going to talk about dirty movies I have to start with Score.  Directed by Radley Metzger and based off of the  off-Broadway stage play by Jerry Douglas, Score is a unique film that focuses on a little bit of everything as far as sexuality goes. It is also one of my all time favorite films. I have seen it probably fifteen times, and I love it just as much every time I watch it. Never have I seen a movie celebrate sexual fluidity the way Score does since. Well, maybe Shortbus, but that movie is for a different blog post. 

The basic story is that you have Elvira (Claire Wilbur) and Jack (Gerald Grant), a married couple who love to swing any which way the wind blows. Men, women, they don't care. For them it is more about the game of seduction. They have their sites set on young, naive Betsy (Lynn Lowery) and Eddie (Casey Donovan). The game is simple. Elvira must seduce Betsy, and Jack must seduce Eddie. Whoever succeeds first before midnight wins. 

While the plot is VERY porny, the movie itself is anything but. Don't get me wrong. There is plenty of sex and nudity, but there is also some very enjoyable performances. The dialogue feels very much like a stage play, with characters volleying back and forth off each other at rapid speed. The humor is wicked, but never mean, and there is far less focus on bedroom gymnastics. Instead we watch as Elvira and Jack do their best to corrupt a the couple. 

Anyone who is familiar with Radley Metzger (or Henry Paris when he was directing hardcore films) will know that he was a man who loved to make his movies look good. This does not feel cheaply shot. It uses beautiful European locations and interesting composition to keep the film visually compelling. He was able to also get performances out of the cast that kept the mood light and playful. There are no dark or dreary moments here. 

The film is light, and fun. It isn't afraid to go to places that most movies of this ilk would. Including featuring an unplanned hardcore sex scene between the two male leads. Interestingly enough, while the women in the film did not get along due to an issue one being paid more than the other, Gerald Grant and Casey Donovan found that they very much enjoyed each other, and asked if they could actually have sex during their big, climatic love scene. Radley Metzger said yes, and the results ended up on screen (in certain prints). 

One of the things I love about Score is that it is a movie about sexuality, not just sex. It is about the fluid nature of attraction, and the joy and freedom that can be had when someone allows themselves to enjoy what they really want. There is a freedom to that idea that is not seen in most movies. This is very much a free love kind of film, and I love it all the more for it. 

This is a dirty movie I recommend for pretty much everyone. It works as a movie, but it is also sexy and fun. It has a solid balance between plot, characters and erotica. From the opening shots, when Croatian Trio's Where is the Girl starts playing, I am locked in and ready for a catty good time. 

I'll leave you on a fun trivia note. When Score was performed as a stage play, the part of Mike the repair man was originally played by a pre-Rocky Sylvester Stallone. He had briefly been in consideration for the role in the film, but they went with male model Carl Parker instead. 

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