Why Germaine's no longer keen on sex toy movie

Her ground-breaking book The Female Eunuch became an international bestseller in 1970, turning her into a household name overnight and bringing her both adulation and criticism.

Now she finds herself at the centre of an extraordinary row with the makers of Rabbit Fever, a film in which she appears.

Greer, 67, joins a number of famous names making a cameo appearance in the mock documentary released last week, enthusing about the Rampant Rabbit sex toy.

However, the producers are furious at Greer's scathing comments this week in which she described the film as "a stinker".

In an article in The Guardian, she says: "Rabbit Fever is a stinker but it's just odd enough to make it to the ranks of cult stinkers."

She adds that product placement was rife in the film, which also features Emily Mortimer, Toby Young, Tom Conti and Sir Richard Branson. She says: "Though it is, I am assured, an entirely independent production, there were Ann Summers products all over the foyer at the premiere."

Greer further upset Rabbit Fever's makers by commenting after having attended the premiere. Sources close to the production said that legal action was now being considered for breach of contract in being so disobliging.

Rabbit Fever's writer and producer Stephen Raphael, who financed the film by persuading 25 people to invest, said: "Germaine's comments are a betrayal for everyone who worked on the film.

"She was fantastic on camera and very enthusiastic about Rabbit Fever - she didn't seem at all horrified about being in a film about a vibrator.

"She's entitled to her opinion but to have someone so positive about the film then become so negative is astonishing." Greer caused more anger by wrongly alleging that Raphael's father, author Frederic Raphael, was an executive producer on Rabbit Fever.

He said: "My brother Paul was an executive producer and my father has a small role in the film playing a producer but he was not involved in producing it. She implied there was a 'Raphael mafia' at work which was far from the truth."

Greer's comments followed other negative reviews. However, an email she wrote to Raphael in August 2004 which the Evening Standard has seen, reveals that she predicted the film would be a hit and sent her congratulations.

Of the script, Greer wrote: "Laughed all the way through. What exactly do you want from me? Congratulations, by the way. If the direction is as savvy as the writing, you'll have a hit."

A friend of Greer said: "What do you expect from Germaine? She is a writer who has done things like this all her career."

Raphael added: "I do think Rabbit Fever has been reviewed unfairly, apart from a few who judged it for what it was, but the punters have been very positive."

The Rampant Rabbit become known as the world's favourite sex toy after it featured in TV's Sex In The City.