Carnal Knowledge (Blu-ray Review)
- Review Date: Jul 29, 2025
- Format: Blu-ray Disc
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Director
Mike NicholsRelease Date(s)
1971 (July 22, 2025)Studio(s)
Icarus Productions/Avco Embassy Pictures (The Criterion Collection – Spine #1270)- Film/Program Grade: B-
- Video Grade: A
- Audio Grade: B+
- Extras Grade: A
Review
Examining lust, love and relationships from the male point of view, Carnal Knowledge is a time capsule of toxic masculinity long before the term existed.
The film opens with two unseen men talking candidly about women as the opening credits roll on a black screen. The casual dialogue suggests that these two guys are friends. We soon see that the voices belong to post-World War II college roommates Jonathan (Jack Nicholson) and Sandy (Art Garfunkel).
At a mixer, they meet Susan (Candace Bergen) and both are attracted to her. Their approach, however, differs. Jonathan is self-confident and aggressive while Sandy is shy and awkward.
Susan dates Sandy chastely but has a secret affair with Jonathan. Although she has more fun with Jonathan, Susan recognizes that Sandy is more reliable and marries him. Sandy achieves his goal of becoming a doctor, while Susan abandons her aspiration to be a lawyer and settles for housewifery and motherhood. Fast forward a decade or so. Bored with their marriage, they divorce and she disappears from the screenplay. Jonathan prefers womanizing to marriage and is now involved in a volatile relationship with the insecure Bobbie (Ann-Margret), a buxom model famous for her print and TV ads.
Another ten-year jump takes the two friends into the sexual revolution decade and it becomes clear how morally bankrupt each is in his own way. In fact, that’s the bond that keeps them together. Jonathan and Sandy aren’t typical, sympathetic central characters. Both have a cruel bent toward the women in their lives. On the surface, Jonathan is the worse offender, but Sandy’s misogyny, though more subtle, is also destructive.
The film tosses out years of Hollywood romanticizing to paint a disturbing, authentic picture of a commonplace male perspective on women. The script, by Jules Feiffer, uses a small cast of two male central characters and a few supporting female characters to point out realities that exist and have existed at the expense of women. Jonathan and Sandy aren’t nice people. Early scenes portray them as carefree college boys transitioning into men but falling short of what maturity entails.
Jules Feiffer’s dialogue reveals the ingrained attitudes of the two buddies. They speak about women as objects more than as people and put their own satisfaction and pleasure above the needs of their female partners. Their callous banter makes clear their deep-seated, socially pervasive dismissiveness toward women. In some ways, it appears as if they’re trying to live up to a manufactured image of masculinity.
Jack Nicholson is excellent as the womanizing Jonathan. Brazen, cocksure, with seductive charm, he embodies perfectly the ladies man constantly looking toward the next conquest. He’s entirely convincing as both the unctuous cad and the angry partner bored by his latest lover, and conveys a subtle vulnerability that underscores Jonathan’s anger.
Art Garfunkel has the less showy role and comes off more likable until we learn unsettling things about Sandy and his marriage to Susan. With an almost “Aw shucks” manner, he finally gets up the courage to speak to Susan, and we root for him. He is, after all, the good guy. But as the film proceeds, we see that Jonathan and Sandy are actually two sides of the same misogynist coin.
Ann-Margret is superb as the sad, confused Bobbie. Gorgeous, alluring, and available, she seems the perfect match for Jonathan, yet her surface beauty masks unhappiness, lack of self-esteem and depression. When her insecurities manifest themselves in neglect of herself and their living quarters, Jonathan is turned off and bored. When he lashes out at Bobbie, she defends herself, spewing her own cruelties. Bobbie was an atypical role for Ann-Margret, who was known for light musical comedy as teenager Kim McAfee in Bye Bye Birdie and as the love interest in a couple of Elvis Presley movies. Her performance in Carnal Knowledge is raw with an undercurrent of self-hatred. In her key scene, she’s like a caged animal, pacing back and forth. She was also nominated for an Academy Award as best Supporting Actress, the only actor in the film to receive a nomination.
Candace Bergen’s role is underwritten. Her Susan creates a lustful triangle with Sandy and Jonathan. The men are attracted to her largely for her looks, and the script does little to develop her character. Though her Susan is manipulated by Jonathan, she’s not his victim. Despite disappearing from the film in the first act, her presence is felt throughout. Cynthia O’Neal plays an interim love interest to Sandy, and Carol Kane has a silent walk-on as a young hippie. Rita Moreno turns up late in the film as yet another of Jonathan’s women, this one perhaps with the upper hand.
Director Mike Nichols uses lots of close-ups to reveal character. The film’s thirty-years time span is confusingly compressed and the transitions aren’t as clear as they should be. As the years progress, the men do not. The changing times call for more equality between the sexes, but the men prove impervious to the idea. The film is bleak and brutal about sexual politics, and was provocative when it was released in 1971. The performances are excellent, and the film has considerable relevance even now, when allegations of sexual harassment still make headlines.
Carnal Knowledge was shot by director of photography Giuseppe Rotunno on 35mm film with Panavision cameras and lenses, finished photochemically, and presented in the aspect ratio of 2.35:1. According to information in the enclosed booklet from The Criterion Collection, “this new 4K restoration was undertaken by STUDIOCANAL and created from the 35mm separation masters, as the original camera negative couldn’t be used because of significant damage and mold.” The picture is pristine, with extraordinary detail, including whiskers on Nicholson’s and Garfunkel’s faces, strands of Ann-Margret’s hair, nets on a tennis court, snow and slush on campus grounds, and patterns on the men’s ties. Nichols is fond of long takes, letting the camera linger on the actor’s facial expression and body language to communicate their feelings. Often, actors and scenes are plunged into nearly total darkness, just their outlines visible. The color palette varies, from the drab colors of the men’s conservative suits at the college mixer to the vibrant hues of Bobbie’s outfits. In a long take between Sandy and Jonathan in New York, they’re filmed in front of an ice-skating rink, likely a stand-in for the Rockefeller Center rink.
Audio is included in English 1.0 LPCM with optional subtitles in English SDH. According to information in the accompanying booklet, the original monaural soundtrack was remastered from magnetic tracks. Dialogue is clear for the most part, though in some scenes it’s low and difficult to understand. The opening, when Sandy and Jonathan are talking with only credits against a black background on screen, their voices lack clarity. Jules Feiffer’s dialogue is brutally frank, and delivered in such a matter-of-fact manner that it often shocks. Moments of humor add balance to a serious topic. There’s only one intense scene, when Jonathan and Bobbie explode at each other. The scene brings out raw emotions and enables both characters to demand what they want from each other.
The Blu-ray release of Carnal Knowledge from The Criterion Collection sits in a clear Amaray case alongside an insert with artwork by Catarina Sampaio and a 40-page booklet containing cast and crew information, the essay Men Talking by Moira Weigel, a 1971 article from American Cinematographer magazine titled On Location With Carnal Knowledge by Herb A. Lightman, color and black & white stills, restoration information, productions credits, and special thanks. Bonus materials include the following:
- Audio Commentary with Neil LaBute
- Mark Harris and Dana Stevens Interview (29:04)
- Mike Nichols and Jason Reitman Conversation (36:02)
- Q&A with Screenwriter Julie Feiffer (43:20)
- Bobbie O’Steen Interview (19:14)
- Trailer (:57)
- Radio Spot (:58)
Audio Commentary – Filmmaker and playwright Neil LaBute says that Avco Embassy financed Carnal Knowledge. He describes the film as a “rough ride” because it’s disturbingly frank about how people treat other people. Mike Nichols had made three films prior to Carnal Knowledge – Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, The Graduate, and Catch-22. Though he had directed frequently on Broadway, especially Neil Simon comedies, his work in film took a darker turn. Nichols is fond of lengthy shots in which actors move within the frame. This puts pressure on actors to know their lines thoroughly and maintain tempo. Many scenes were created with a minimum of camera set-ups. The film was shot in Vancouver and New York City and the cinematography features a “European sensibility.” Though the film speaks a lot about sex and sexuality, there isn’t a lot of actual sex in it. Nichols was generous in giving actors time to create. The building blocks of the film are lean. The director aimed for a picture without padding that would slow its pace: “Only the best stuff stays.” Nichols regarded the script as an opportunity to make a significant mark in film. Carnal Knowledge is “physically tame” but graphic in the openness of its language. Ann-Margret, who had mostly appeared in sex kitten roles, longed for a role that would challenge her. She campaigned for the part of Bobbie and immersed herself in the character. It was a painful experience for her, but she managed to exude a tragic sense for Bobbie. Jonathan searches for the unattainable—the perfect woman—but when he believes he’s found her in Bobbie, he feels she’s not worth holding onto. The final scene with Rita Moreno’s Louise suggests that Jonathan gains euphoria by getting exactly what he wants from a woman who happily complies. Carnal Knowledge cost $5 million and was a box office success.
Mark Harris and Dan Stevens – In this 2025 interview, Mike Nichols biographer Mark Harris and film critic Dana Stevens discuss how Carnal Knowledge marked a significant return to form for Nichols. Harris provides a brief overview of Nichols’ career, which includes his partnership with Elaine May, theater directing, and film directing. Harris notes that Nichols had to “regain his footing” after the box office failure of Catch-22. He refers to Carnal Knowledge as a small film, a “chamber piece.”
Mike Nichols and Jason Reitman – This 2011 interview was conducted after a screening of Carnal Knowledge hosted by the Film Society of Lincoln Center. Nichols relates some amusing anecdotes, but unfortunately Reitman dominates the conversation, missing an opportunity to have Nichols delve into why he chose to direct the film and learn his insights into its critical and public reception. The conversation meanders, with Reitman failing to maximize the opportunity to ask Nichols probing questions.
Q&A with Jules Feiffer – This is an episode of the podcast To Live and Dialogue in LA, hosted by Aaron Tracy. Screenwriter Jules Feiffer participates in a Q&A after a 2019 screening of Carnal Knowledge. In the 60s and 70s, Feiffer was one of the biggest names in American culture. He was a syndicated political cartoonist, author, playwright, and screenwriter. He says that working with Mike Nichols on Carnal Knowledge was “creative joy.” He believes the film holds up quite well thanks to Nichols’ astute direction and the team he assembled, and singles out director of photography Giuseppe Rotunno for creating the look of the film. Nichols always surprised Feiffer in a good way. The on-the-money casting brought his script to life. Art Garfunkel was cast because Nichols had used him in a role in Catch-22, was impressed by his performance, and felt he would be perfect for the role of Sandy. Garfunkel’s failure to tell Paul Simon that he was doing the film caused a rift in their relationship.
Bobbie O’Steen – In this 2025 interview, film editing historian Bobbie O’Steen explores the inventive cutting techniques developed by her former husband, editor Sam O’Steen, during the making of Carnal Knowledge.
Though the time span of Carnal Knowledge is sprawling, Nichols and Feiffer sustain a tightly focused look on friendship between two men while providing a ruthless examination of their evolving sexual and personal lives. The film doesn’t have a traditional linear plot, and its scenes are either poignant and accurate or cruel. This structure eventually leads to tedium, as interest in these unsympathetic men wanes well before the last frame.
- Dennis Seuling