The Chapman Report

source: The Chapman Report

Trailer—The Chapman Report

The Chapman Report

What's the first word that comes to mind when George Cukor's name is invoked? Tasteful, right? So why in the name of all that is sleazily, trashily holy is he directing this precursor to "Desperate Housewives"? (Shoulda gotten Blake Edwards or Frank Tashlin instead). The result, as could have been predicted, is an overly talky, undersexed bore.

Not terrible but pretty close. Sex researchers Andrew Duggan & Efrem Zimbalist Jr. come to town & send the women into a frenzy. Nymphomaniac Claire Bloom has a destructive affair with sleazy musician Corey Allen. Unhappily married Shelley Winters hooks up with local theater director Ray Danton. Beatnik artist Glynis Johns has a decidedly un-erotic run in with pro-football player Ty Hardin. Frigid young widow Jane Fonda ends up with Zimbalist! The acting is very uneven with Bloom coming off best. She's really tragic. Fonda is awful in this early role. Winters is Winters and Johns provides the film's (much needed) comic relief. Directed, blandly, by George Cukor. Featuring a lot of lightweight talent in the supporting roles. In addition to Hardin, there's Chad Everett, Jack Cassidy, and John Dehner. Harold J. Stone plays Winters' husband.

Women from various backgrounds and with variances in their sexuality are on full display while opening up being interviewed by Dr. George C. Chapman (Andrew Duggan) and his protégé Paul Radford. Of course the film comes across somewhat like a soap opera but it is still worth watching just for actress Glynis Johns stellar performance. Glynis plays a happily married woman until one day while on the beach she comes across a young and muscular stud named Ed Kraski (Ty Hardin). In the process of attempting to seduce the young stud Eddie she is not prepared for the virility that Eddie reciprocates with. This is a film that has been compared to other films from the 1960s but ignore the other reviews. I believe The Chapman Report is a good film well worth watching for the various character portrayals by both the female and male leads in the film. I give it a worthy 7 out of 10 IMDb rating.

Directed by the legendary George Cukor who was often acclaimed for his success in drawing award-winning performances from female stars, The Chapman Report would seem to be an ideal vehicle for his talents. Alas, his famous flair with women has not clicked this time around. Maybe his heart was not in it? Jane Fonda, for example, is simply awful. Claire Bloom, Shelley Winters and Glynis Johns are obviously not in love with their characters either. And as for the men, especially Ray Danton, Efrem Zimbalist, Jr., and Ty Hardin, most of them seem to be sleep- walking through their roles. Even always-reliables like John Dehner and Harold J. Stone do not come across well. And to add to the movie's woes in my area, the censor has obviously made cuts here and there, destroying whatever momentum the tired plot has managed to build up.

I think sone viewers will be offended by the archaic views of women's sexuality and putting them into categories. Why bother. It was trash 60 years ago. Fun trash if you view it as such. Have fun with it. Whether you are male or female, which character do you identify with? Clair Bloom the nymphomaniac Jane Fonda FRIGID Shelley Winters the cheater Glynis Johns, obsessed with a Himbo Enjoy! Sometimes you can find a copy on YouTube.

Vapid, profoundly trashy film, somewhat redeemed by fair performances and glossy production values. Jane Fonda's acting, however, is indeed surprisingly weak; it's hard to believe that the same actress gave such a powerful and moving performance in "The Chase", only four years later. The film is both sleazy and tame; it deals exclusively with the subject of sex, but it is very un-sexy, and never says anything meaningful, either. At least it's painless to watch.

A few notes about this film. Apparently, director George Cukor was unhappy with the finished product. The studio (Warner Brothers) and producer (Darryl Zanuck) caved to pressure from the Catholic Legion of Decency and altered the ending in order to provide a morally-correct resolution for the main characters (and audience). It would certainly be interesting to see a director's cut of this film, or at least a shooting script to get a better idea of what Cukor and Zanuck intended. Probably Zanuck's goal was to create a film where people more openly discussed sex. However, America was not quite ready to do that yet in 1962, and with the Legion of Decency hovering over the scene, it would be nearly impossible. I do think there are some excellent performances in this film, namely Glynis Johns and Claire Bloom who prove that British actresses often surpass their North American counterparts.