| Immoral Tales |
  | Starring: Lisa Danvers, Paloma Picasso Directed: Walerian Borowczyk Release Date: September 15, 2015 Run Time: 103 Minutes Format: Blu-Ray Color: Color Distributor: Arrow Video / MVDvisual | |
| Synopsis |
Although it has much in common with Walerian Borowczyk’s earlier work, Immoral Tales marks the point where his reputation as an arty pornographer began, and was sexually explicit enough to have caused problems with the censors on its original UK release.
It tells four stories revolving around particular taboos (virginity, female masturbation, bloodlust, incest), each delving further back in time, as if to suggest that the same issues recur constantly throughout human history and in all walks of life, whether it’s Lucrezia Borgia (Florence Bellamy) or Erzsébet Báthory (Paloma Picasso in her only screen role) or the anonymous teenagers of the earlier episodes.
This high-definition restoration by Argos Films is being released on Blu-ray with English subtitles for the first time. The film is presented in two versions: the familiar four-part edition, and the original five-part conception, including the short film The True Story of the Beast of Gévaudan that was later expanded into Borowczyk’s later feature The Beast. The disc also includes both cuts of A Private Collection (1973), the short film that scandalised film festival audiences with its witty and often graphic study of vintage erotica. – Arrow Video
| Audio/Video |
Audio Audio Language: French The Sound Quality sounds pretty good with no distortions, Dialogue is clear and being Mono I don’t think you can get any better. Rating: |
Picture Quality Disc Format: Blu-Ray The Picture Quality is really good, Super Sharp as in every detail is visible during close-ups and colors are vibrant but the film still has that old movie feel which I like. The one thing that holds it back is the second act of the film is not sharp and has a ton of film grain. The rest is very good-looking. Rating: |
Note: Equipment used to watch the film can be found below
| Theatrical release Date: August 28, 1974 (France) |
| DVD Disc release Date: September 15, 2015 (USA) |
| Extras |
- New high definition digital transfers of the feature and the shorts
- Uncompressed Mono 2.0 PCM Audio
- Optional English subtitles
- Introduction by Borowczyk expert Daniel Bird
- Love Reveals Itself, a new interview programme featuring production manager Dominique Duvergé-Ségrétin and cinematographer Noël Véry
- A Private Collection (1973), presented in the commercially released version and the more explicit ‘Oberhausen’ cut
- Boro Brunch, a reunion meal recorded in February 2014 reuniting members of Borowczyk’s crew
- Theatrical trailer
- Reversible sleeve featuring original poster designs
- Booklet (details tbc)
| My Thoughts |
Immoral Tales is a film that features Four tales or Four story lines. Two of the Story’s deals with religion, One deals with A young guy getting a blowjob on the beach from a girl who’s never done it before and lastly we have a story where girls are taken from small towns and slaughtered so the one lady can bath in their blood. The film is presented in two cuts with the longer cut featuring one more tale in-which was already told in Walerian Borowczyk other film called The Beast.
The story lines are all small with some or most of the viewers may not understand. All four story’s has a good amount of nudity and at some points it gets porn like. Now this is the 70’s in France so we are talking big bushes and unshaven underarms and most of the Lady’s are sexy but sometimes the mass of hair that hides the goods is some what of a downer. Not that I’m trying to get pleasure or a porn viewing out of this film, it;s just the Ninja likes good hygiene. My favorite story was the third act with the lady taking a blood bath because its nasty and you know a bunch of chicks died for that bath.
Overall the film was an OK watch with eye pleasing nudity until the bush gets in your face. Story wise it was just OK with all the story’s being small but also I feel some other plot might slip over the head of some viewers and the nudity could play a part in helping that.
With that said I give the film a 3 out of 5 stars and feel this could be a hit or miss with audiences. Arrow Video collectors Nudity watchers, french film buffs or Walerian Borowczyk fans should check it out.
| Rating – 5 Star System |
Film: PQ: Sound: |
|
| Trailer |
| Buy Film |
| Blu-Ray | |||
| Prices are posted at time of review and most likely before release. Prices will or could have changed after this review. |
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
This Film was Played on the listed Equipment below |
