Home | Movies By Year | Movies from 1997
Bliss (1997 film)
Buy Bliss (1997 film) now from AmazonFirst, read the Wikipedia article. Then, scroll down to see what other TopShelfReviews readers thought about the movie. And once you've experienced the movie, tell everyone what you thought about it.
Wikipedia article
'Bliss' is a 1997 American erotic drama film written and directed by Lance Young, in his film debut. It stars Sheryl Lee, Craig Sheffer, and Terence Stamp. The film also features appearances by Lance Young's sister, Leigh Taylor-Young, as well as Molly Parker. The story revolves around a young married couple who are trying to address issues impacting their sex life. The film is also a surreptitious analysis on the teachings of tantric sex.
Media attention on the film was limited yet the reception was divided among the critics. It was screened during the opening of the San Francisco International Film Festival.'[http://www.sfgate.com/entertainment/article/The-Bliss-of-Being-Sheryl-Lee-The-career-of-2837283.php "The Bliss of Being Sheryl Lee / The career of `Twin Peaks' ' famous corpse has come alive on screen"], SF Gate', 8 June 1997. URL accessed on 3 May 2015.
Plot synopsis
Maria (Sheryl Lee) and Joseph (Craig Sheffer) are a young couple, married for only six months, but already facing issues that prevent them from enjoying a fulfilling sex life. In their attempt to address and resolve the issue, they reach out to marriage counsellor Alfred (Spalding Gray). During the process, Joseph is shocked to find out that Maria has never had a genuine orgasm when they had sex with each other. Meanwhile, Maria, who is not happy with the results of Alfred's traditional psychoanalytic approach, reaches out to Baltazar (Terence Stamp).
Joseph works as an architect at a construction site. One day, while at work, Joseph's site colleagues invite him to spy on an old man who is having sex with The Redhead. It is only when he decides to look through the telescope lens that he finds out that one of the women is Maria. The old man is Baltazar, an alternative sex therapist who engages in sex with his patients as part of his technique. Joseph, furious, confronts Balthazar about him and his wife, but in a turn of events he becomes a patient himself. During one of his attempts to practice the techniques taught by Baltazar, Joseph causes Maria to suffer a seizure, which results in her hospitalization. At that time it is revealed that her sex life dysfunction is linked to the sexual abuse that she suffered as a child, perpetrated by her father. She is now called to confront the memories of her past in order to recover.
Cast
* Sheryl Lee as Maria
* Craig Sheffer as Joseph
* Terence Stamp as Baltazar
* Casey Siemaszko as Tanner
* Spalding Gray as Alfred
* Leigh Taylor-Young as Redhead
* Lois Chiles as Eva
* Blu Mankuma as Nick
* Ken Camroux as Hank
* Pamela Perry as Dottie
* Eli Gabay as Carlos
* Molly Parker as Connie
Production
Casting
Sheryl Lee researched into psychology and attended a tantric sex workshop, in preparation for the role of Maria. Craig Sheffer was hired to be the main character in this movie after Leigh Taylor-Young recommended him to her brother Lance Young. Both Leigh and Craig worked together in the Hamptons TV Series. Leigh played Craig Sheffer's mom in that 5 episodes TV Series.Soundtrack
The score for the film was written by Polish composer Jan A. P. Kaczmarek (winner of the 2005 Academy Award for Best Original Score ' for 'Finding Neverland').' The soundtrack is furnished with classical orchestra cues, primarily accompanied by piano or violin, and occasionally features a soprano.Jason Ankeny, '[http://www.allmusic.com/album/bliss-mw0000593723]', Allmusic.com. URL accessed on 3 May 2015.
Release
Critical response
The film received mixed reviews by the critics in both mainstream media as well as smaller publications. Sheffer and Lee's performances were harshly criticized by 'The New York Times' critic, Stephen Holden, who mentioned that "If the cast deserves at least half a gold star for pretending to take this stuff seriously, neither Mr. Sheffer nor Ms. Lee are able to make their yuppie characters likable".Stephen Holden, '[https://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9504E7DE143CF935A35755C0A961958260 "Bliss (1996) Sexual Dysfunction Is Fine (Compared With the Healer"], The New York Times', 6 June 1997. URL accessed on 3 May 2015.Richard von Busack was of similar opinion regarding Lee's acting, noting that "Almost useless as either erotica or therapy, Bliss squanders Lee. As good as she is as a vengeful girl, she's still awfully soppy as a weeper."Richard von Busack, '[http://www.metroactive.com/papers/metro/06.26.97/bliss-9726.html "Hit or 'Bliss'"], Metroactive.com', 26 June 1997. URL accessed on 3 May 2015. At the same time both Lee and Sheffer were praised as extraordinarily layered, powerful, physical and fearless, by Jeffrey M. Anderson of Combustible Celluloid.Jeffrey M. Anderson, '[http://www.combustiblecelluloid.com/archive/bliss.shtml "Sex Ed"], Combustiblecelluloid.com', 14 April 1997. URL accessed on 3 May 2015.
Terence Stamp was unanimously considered to be predictably good and well-suited in the run-of-the-mill role of the therapist. Moving away from the quality of the acting itself, Kevin Thomas of 'Los Angeles Times' felt the film fails primarily due to Young's writing and direction. He highlights that information about Maria's character is mentioned by the other leading characters instead of the viewer discovering it through the film's plot. Another point Thomas raises is the fact that there is considerable imbalance on the level of graphic depiction of sex scenes based on gender participation. Even though the film has extensive sex scenes involving a female character (Maria) and a male character (Joseph), he points out that it becomes conservative when it comes to equivalent scenes between two male characters (Joseph and Baltazar).Kevin Thomas, [http://articles.latimes.com/1997-06-06/entertainment/ca-464_1_baltazar "'Bliss' Carries a Difficult Theme to Uneven Extremes"], 'Los Angeles Times', 6 June 1997. URL accessed on 3 May 2015.
What the critics agreed on, across the board, is that the film has a plethora of erotic scenes. So much so that it can be mistaken for educational or academic manual about sex. Despite the varying opinions on the quality of the film overall, it was generally acknowledged by the critics that the topic addressed in the film is very important.'[http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/bliss-1997 "BLISS-1997"], Rogerebert.com', 6 June 1997. URL accessed on 3 May 2015.
Box office
The film screened on the weekend of June 68 in the United States, making $54,547 in that first weekend of its release. 'Box Office Mojo'. URL accessed 3 May 2015 Ultimately, it grossed $294,064.Controversy
Significant controversy arose regarding the film's rating, due to the extensive erotic scenes, strong sex related dialogue as well as the rather novel (at the time) topic it negotiates.Michael Fleming, [https://variety.com/1997/voices/columns/bliss-sticks-in-ratings-mire-col-chops-woods-1117433140/ "'Bliss sticks in ratings mire; Col chops Woods"], 'Variety', 22 January 1997. URL accessed on 5 May 2015. As a result, it was initially assigned an NC-17 rating by the Motion Picture Association of America which was heavily contested by Young. After a lengthy process of numerous re-submissions to the MPAA and arguing his case in front of a special appeals board, the film was eventually released with an R rating in the American theaters.'[http://www.itnsource.com/en/shotlist/RTV/1997/06/14/706140031/?v=1 "'USA: NEW PSYCHOLOGICAL DRAMA "BLISS" CAUSES AN UPROAR IN THE UNITED STATES"], itnsource.com', 14 June 1997. URL accessed on 5 May 2015.Scott Collins, "[http://articles.latimes.com/1997-06-08/entertainment/ca-1135_1_mpaa-ratings "'A 'Bliss'-Less Rating Game"]", 'Los Angeles Times', 8 June 1997. URL accessed on 5 May 2015. The final version of the film suffered several scene omissions and script edits.
References
Buy Bliss (1997 film) now from Amazon
<-- Return to movies from 1997