Carnal Knowledge
| Carnal Knowledge | |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Mike Nichols |
| Produced by | Mike Nichols Joseph E. Levine |
| Written by | Jules Feiffer |
| Starring |
Jack Nicholson Arthur Garfunkel Ann-Margret Candice Bergen Rita Moreno Carol Kane |
| Cinematography | Giuseppe Rotunno |
| Edited by | Sam O'Steen |
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Production
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| Distributed by |
AVCO Embassy Pictures (1971, original) Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (1999, DVD) |
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Release date
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Running time
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97 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $12,351,000 (US/Canada rentals) |
Carnal Knowledge is a 1971 American comedy-drama film directed by Mike Nichols and written by Jules Feiffer. It stars Jack Nicholson, Art Garfunkel, Ann-Margret and Candice Bergen.
The story follows the sexual exploits of two Amherst College roommates over a 25-year period, from the late 1940s to the early 1970s. Sandy (Art Garfunkel) is gentle and passive, while Jonathan Fuerst (Jack Nicholson) is tough and aggressive. Sandy idolizes women, Jonathan objectifies women. He frequently uses the term "ballbuster" to describe women as emasculating teases whose main pleasure as he sees it is to deny pleasure to men. Since each man's perspective of womanhood is extreme and self-serving, neither is able to sustain a relationship with a woman.
The film has three parts. Part I occurs when Sandy and Jonathan are college roommates. Part II follows the men several years after college. In the final part, the men have become middle-aged.
In the beginning, Sandy and Jonathan are discussing women, and what kind appeals to each. Sandy wants a woman who is intellectual. Jonathan is more interested in a woman's physical attributes.
Sandy shyly meets Susan (Candice Bergen) at an on-campus event and they begin dating. Although they enjoy each other's company, Susan is reluctant to enter into a physical relationship. Unknown to Sandy, she meets Jonathan, feeling a physical attraction for him. They have sex. Jonathan convinces Susan not to have sex with Sandy. Susan therefore has a purely intellectual relationship with Sandy, while at the same having a purely physical relationship with Jonathan.
Part II finds Sandy married to Susan, while Jonathan is still searching for his "perfect woman." Jonathan now defines perfection by a woman's bust size and figure. Jonathan begins a relationship with Bobbie (Ann-Margret), a beautiful woman who fulfills all of Jonathan's requirements. However, Jonathan constantly berates Bobbie for being shallow. Jonathan finds that this purely physical relationship is no more satisfying than his previous relationship with Susan.
Sandy's relationship with Susan is faring no better. Sandy is dissatisfied with the physical part of their relationship. He relates how they are "patient with each other" and concludes with a statement that perhaps sex is not "meant to be enjoyable with a person you love."
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