The plot depicts incidents
from de Sade's childhood, adulthood, marriage, imprisonment, institutionalization
in an asylum, old age, and finally death. The episodes are filmed as dreams,
reminiscences, hallucinations, theatrical performances, and - of course
- as reality. Excerpts from de Sade's biography (some of which are controversial)
include accusations of child molestation at the hands of the Catholic
clergy, his own criminal history of abuse (against a prostitute), his
arranged marriage, sex orgies, his obscene writings and his committal
to Charenton asylum for the insane.
This film was an attempt
for Roger Corman's American International to leave the Grindhouse/Drive-In
circuit and enter the 'arthouse' arena. In essence, the studio was consciously
making a "thinking man's exploitation film. But unfortunately the
project was plagued with problems from the inception (including a director
who flatly refused to helm the required sex scenes forcing Corman himself
to get involved). The result is an - admittedly - flawed film that yet
remains fascinating in retrospective. Keir Dullea (straight from Stanley
Kubrick's 2001 Space Odyssey) makes a convincing DeSade
and John Huston brings integrity to the film with his powering presence
as DeSade's father.
Following a lucrative
career, Senta Berger cut ties with Hollywood after this film and formed
her own production company in Europe with husband Michael Verhoeven, a
German film director. She began starring in and producing genre films
- mostly sex comedies and thrillers (including the excellent giallo MAN
WITHOUT A MEMORY) - and is still active today. Lilli Palmer (born
Lilli Marie Peiser in Poland, 1914) relocated to England after Hitler's
rise to power. She managed to break into the entertainment field as a
stage actress and quickly moved to motion pictures. Lilli met actor Rex
Harrison during the filming of Notorious Gentleman (1945);
they soon married and relocated in the United States. After a decade of
being the wife to 'Sexy Rexy,' she divorced him and moved to Germany where
she continued her acting career. Easily, she is best known to genre fans
for the headmistress role in Narciso Ibáñez Serrador's HOUSE
THAT SCREAMED (aka RESIDENCIA). Ms Lilli Palmer died from
Thrombocytosis June 2012 at age 67.
An
American film in English language; widescreen format (16:9), uncut (104
minutes)
DVD encoded for ALL REGION NTSC WORLD FORMAT; extras include theatrical
trailer.
Violence/Nudity/Sexual
Brutality
For Mature Audiences Only
