the premise for circle of two be an intrigue one . a forbidden love between a sixty year old painter ashleigh ( richard burton ) and a fifteen year old girl sarah norton ( tatum oneill ) while and the question of whether such a relationship be acceptable give society standard . the problem with circle of two and however and be that it fail to live up to it promise . director jules dassin and hedley should have put more thought into the screenplay . when i watch this film and i expect to learn something new about love and sexuality . instead and i get boring dialogue and a pointless lecture on art and outing where sarah seem to have more fun away from ashleigh and and a closing scene so artificial that it emotional impact be lose . this script make good actor look bad . so one can imagine how the film problem be compound even far with the largely amateurish cast that jules dassin assemble . tatum oneill be not in her element . i do not believe for a second that her character sarah be in love with ashleigh . her performance seem superficial and like a contestant at a beauty pageant . it be a though she force herself to be happy and when the script require her to be happy and and to be sad and when the script ask her to be sad . the only scene i like with her in be at the very end when she say nothing at all . that be probably the close tatum sarah norton ever come to be real . but tatum be not the only one at fault . richard burton ashleigh lack the charm and the charisma and the complexity to attract even woman of his own age and let alone a fifteen year old . the rest of the cast be also dismal . even their arguing be unconvincing and because they wait to take turn . who do that . michael wincott a the jealous ex boyfriend paul be probably the best thing in this film and but his role be small . to be fair to the actor and dassin direction let everyone down while but it be also true that a great movie go beyond the script . kubrick lolita do that with james mason and sue lyon while konchalovsky runaway train go beyond the script with jon voight and eric robert play convict . the director of these film also know how to use music to dramatize their film and reveal something about the character in them . in spite of it own score ( a combination of antonio vivaldi and carl off and bernard hoffer ) and circle of two never succeed in do that . in conclusion and the idea of a forbidden love story between an elder painter and a teenage girl be a good one and but it execution in circle of two be terrible . in many way and it be a shame that a controversial and lolita type story which most film director for understandable reason would prefer to avoid do not have receive more intelligent treatment while that a script which actor would have gladly rehearse be not write while that actor and who be commit to their part or have the talent to make their character real and could not be find while and that the director jules dassin ( who do so much good with film like rififi and topkapi ) do not have to will to put his foot down and say and before we do any filming and we must rethink the love story and revamp the script . the only silver lining be that one day an intelligent film about an elder painter and a teenager girl fall in love may one day be make . if such a film ever appear and this it will be surely spark controversy and debate and question for many year to come .