Customer Reviews

The Love God?

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

This was a missfire at the box office.

It was also the first Don Knotts film to miss getting a "G" rating.

It's also his best film, in my own humble opinion.

There is absolutley nothing offensive about this gentle little comedy that has Don Knotts duped into becoming the publisher of a racy mens magazine.

The laughs come fast, the script is wonderful, there is a wonderful song in the middle of the film called "Mister Peacock" (Don's character's name is Abner Peacock") that has Don strutting to the music, in a montage of openings of the "peacock" club's around the world, and the pacing is just right!

Of course, in the end, Don realize's he can't buy into this lifestyle and he winds up marrying his virginal high school sweetheart- what a wonderful movie! I am so glad it's finally on video!

The Love God is not only hilarious, it's a bit of an eye-opener, as well. I was perplexed when I saw the PG-13 rating attached to the film just before it began. For one thing, you don't expect a classic Don Knotts movie to be PG-13 material; for another thing, I don't remember ever seeing an old movie retroactively being given a PG-13 rating. Don't get me wrong here. The Love God is quite tame by today's standards, but it deals with sexuality and censorship in a surprisingly upfront way. I was amazed just to hear the word sex repeated multiple times throughout the film - obviously, the sexual revolution of the 60s was in full swing by 1969, but it's almost surreal to see a Don Knotts film that is ostensibly about that very subject. I should make it clear that this film, while taking some amazing detours through the free and sexually conscious streets of town, does find its way back home to small-town America and its traditional values. Virtue and honor are put to the test here, but they prove equal to the task in the end.

Poor Abner Peacock (Don Knotts) is the fourth-generation publisher of the Peacock, a magazine devoted to birds. We see Peacock show off his personal bird-calling skills at the beginning of the movie, but he can't whistle up the tens of thousands of dollars he needs to save his magazine. Enter one Osborn Tremaine (Edmond O'Brien), notorious peddler of smutty magazines; his investment saves the magazine, and in a matter of hours Peacock is happily on his way to the jungles of Brazil to try to get the first photograph ever of the world's most elusive bird. Tremaine, in Abner's convenient absence, quickly changes the Peacock into a girlie magazine; when the authorities come calling with an indictment for peddling smut, it is poor, ignorant Abner who finds himself on trial. His arrest sparks waves of protest all over the world, and the trial is transformed into a fight over freedom of speech. The end result of it all is to make Abner Peacock the most famous swinger of his day; he's got more mojo working than Austin Powers, despite the fact that poor Abner is still the same old shy, regular little guy with a sweet and innocent girl waiting for him back in Peacock City. Knowing the next issue of the Peacock is going to sell like hotcakes thanks to all the publicity, Tremaine is forced to bring in an outside investor by the name of J. Charles Twilight (better known as "Icepick" Charlie). He also hires publicity-craving Lisa LaMonica (Anne Francis) to be the new editor. So many powerful forces working in tandem compel Peacock to hang around a while, and he settles into the life of a famous playboy. It is hilarious to watch the progression of shy Abner into the world's most famous swinger - and those outfits!

Dear, sweet Rosa Ellen still waits for him back at home, but Peacock seems unable to leave his lavish new lifestyle; indeed, his business partners are pretty darn determined that he not leave because it would mean the end of the fortune they are making off his image. I think the movie ends wonderfully; you pretty much know how things are going to turn out in the end, but The Love God has a pretty effective way of taking you to your expected destination.

This has to be one of the first movies to satirize the hot-button issues of morality and censorship. The very premise of the film speaks directly to the audiences of today. You won't find the sort of behavior, nudity, and language of today's films here, but The Love God really was ahead of its time in terms of the issues it addressed. I assume the nature of the discussion accounts for the PG-13 rating attached to it now, but rest assured you or your kids won't see a single thing here that they haven't seen long, long ago - probably on network television. This isn't Don Knotts' best film, but it gives you Don Knotts as you've probably never seen him before - and the film is very, very funny.

I discovered this fine film as a result of a friend and I was so grateful to her. Don Knotts is one of the most underrated comic actors of our time and this is perhaps his finest film with the notable exception of "Mr.Limpet."

Aside from the excellent comedy of Knotts and great performances from classic character actors, the film can boast that it was one of the first comedy satires dealing with sex, censorship and media perception.

Abner Peacock (Knotts) is a nerdy but decent guy who tries to save his failing bird magazine and is tricked into publishing a racy magazine with scantily clad women. When he's brought to trial on charges he wins and becomes the symbol for the sexual freedom of a generation. Even though he's not movie star handsome like his obvious real-life counterpart, Hugh Hefner, Abner is seen as sexy to women and is envied by men because society needs an outlet for its frustrations. The media makes Abner the Love God.

This film would be PG by our standards today. In the end, it extols many of the values that we've sadly lost. It is funny, smart and has a theme song that will have you tapping your foot days after you've watched it. "The Love God" is a little masterpiece.

Sooner or later someone is going to rediscover Don Knotts, a comic genius who made four really funny films in the sixties: The Reluctant Astronaut, The Ghost and Mr. Chicken, The Shakiest Gun in the West, and The Love God. Honestly, Laurel and Hardy have nothing on Don Knotts in terms of comic timing and delivery, and he could teach Jim Carrey a thing or two about discipline and creating a character. This one has a great cast. Edmund O'Brien is great as a seedy girlie magazine publisher, and Anne Francis is so lovely that after it was over I sent her my very first fan letter. This is the most satirical of Knotts' films, and satire isn't always laugh-out loud funny, but even when the material falters a little, watching what Knotts does with it is pure pleasure. Abner Peacock is a great comic creation, a true innocent in a world of hustlers and exploiters, an American Candide caught in the culture war that continues to this day.

A very funny movie, except that the credits start rolling on the screen before the movie ends. On the DVD At the very end of the movie when Peacock (Knotts) tells the minister that he can get up, the movie ends and starts the rolling credits. When the movie was played on television and showed in theatres, after Peacock tells the minister that he can get up, the next scene shows his wife playing the piano in the church and the choir is singing, and he then starts the bird calls, as he is doing the bird calls the rolling credits start and he continues doing the bird calls until he finishes. This is then the end of the movie. This is left off the DVD edition!! One of the funniest parts of the movie and it's left off. He does the bird calls twice in the movie, not just once as shown on the DVD!!

Before there was Jim Carey, believe me, there was Don Knotts.

Jim is a master at contorting his face in any number of comical ways

but let's face it...then there is Don Knotts.

Don wrote the BOOK on facial hysteria! His numerous facial twitches, bug-eyed wonder and slack-jawed dumbfoundedness are a thing to behold.

And all of it is wonderfully on display in The Love God?

Don plays the meek editor of a bird magazine which has fallen upon hard times and just like that a saviour arrives in the personage of a rather seedy, slimey girly magazine publisher who manipulates poor Abner(Knotts) into turning his beloved Peacock magazine into a SMUT publication!

Well, one thing turns into another and before you know it Abner is leading a swinging lifestyle complete with his own Peacock clubs and a posse of Pussycat girls at his beck and call. And, the real love of his life, the ministers' daughter RoseEllen left back home waiting .....and waiting, for Abner to come home.

Abner is strung along in his new publishing venture by a fast city slicker editor by the name of Miss Lisa Lamonica played by Anne Francis.

As much of a tour-de-force that Knotts is, leaving us in stitches as he muggs his way through the grand musical number performed at the Peacock club, it is all equaled by the talent and charm of miss Francis. With her trademark beauty mark at the corner of her smile Anne is sharp, funny, beautiful and sexy all rolled into one. This movie cemented my attraction to her and now i want to see every movie she's been in!

In summation...if you want to laugh till it hurts watching Don do his thing and be smitten by the lovely miss Francis, try The Love God?

Music by Vic Mizzy. of course.

This might be my favorite Don Knotts film. It is funny as all get out. My favorite scenes have to be the "bird calling" scenes. Done twice and different each time it has to be one of the best parts in the film. Also the clothes that he wears are great. They may look funny how but at the time they were cool(still are). I'm waiting for them to come back in.

This film is absolutely hilarious for reasons too numerous to list. I can't remember a time when I laughed so hard! Don Knotts rocks!!!

I first saw this as a 13 year old on UHF television back in the early '70's, and though I didn't understand some of '60's sexual revolutionary themes this movie is based on (in a hilarious way) I've never forgotten many of the visuals of this fast-paced comedy and I still hum that catchy "Mr. Peacock" tune even now, over thirty years later. The transfer of the audio and celluloid print is excellent; the film could have been released last year. You'll recognize many of the character actors in this "Hugh Hefner fighting for his First Amendment rights" parody of an unwitting bird magazine publisher (Knotts) who gets conned into giving up his 4th class postal rights to a gentleman's skin magazine (tame by today's standards). Lots of laughs, girls (hence the PG-13 rating) and plot to amuse any fan of Don Knotts.

In the Don Knotts canon, "The Love God?" occupies a unique place--not only because of its adult slant on sex, but because the ensemble cast is the strongest Don ever had. Edmund O'Brien and Anne Francis had both been feature stars, and they are ably abetted by a half-dozen vivid supporting actors. (The best of these is the great James Gregory as a legendary First Amendment attorney. What scenery chewing! You will never forget the sneering contempt in Gregory's voice as he defends "this filthy little degenerate" in court.)

By portraying the Swinging Sixties and its sexed-up icons as silly creations no more "with it" than the Silent Majority they mocked, "The Love God?" actually stands up pretty well for today's viewer. Plus it's fun to watch Don tricked out in mod fashions, making the scene in those groovy nightlife montages!

I think you'll enjoy this quirky mixture of "Austin Powers" and "The Trial of Larry Flynt," especially when it makes clear just how seriously many people took these issues at the time.