There is a good argument to be made for labelling this as the most outrageous film of the 1960s. Firstly it came out in 1965 when the world was still unprepared for the hippie, let-it-all-hang out revolution of the next few years. Secondly it is not looking to preach to the converted but is aimed straight at your average cinema goer regardless of age. While the film works on many levels what struck me as most outrageous was the steady and blatant references to a full gamut of sexual adventure. It is almost as if the writers wanted to see how much they could get away with. It starts out with adultery and the full impact of this on a family, followed by oral sex, an orgy, a private sex show, sex between different races, homosexuality, lesbians. Perhaps most outrageous is the scene where the Italian waiter first gets off with the male photographer and then the next night gets off with Diana. Arguably there is also a whiff of incest when Diana first fancies the son of the Italian duke and then marries the Duke himself. Of course this being 1965 this is a million miles from porn, but simply referencing this stuff in a film is incredible enough.
