Justine: 'A Matter of Innocence'

Justine: 'A Matter of Innocence' (1980)

*** 1/2 (out of 4)

After the death of her father, Justine (Hillary Summers) travels from France to the United States to live with her uncle. The virgin Justine soon realizes the various kinky things going on inside the house and before long her beauty becomes a fixation for several men.

Roberta Findlay's JUSTINE: A MATTER OF INNOCENCE is without question the crown jewel in the director's career but I'd take it a step further and say that this here is one of the greatest adult movies ever made. It's really a shame that so many people look down on the adult genre because it features hardcore sex because there are a handful of movies that really deserve much more credit and this here is one of them.

I was really blown away by how entertaining this movie was as it tackles incest in a very serious way and the drama that the film carries is very impressive. I'm going to avoid spoilers so I won't go into the details of the hardships this Justine character goes through but it was perfectly handled by Findlay and it leads up to a wonderful and very satisfying ending.

What's even better is that we get some terrific performances scattered throughout the cast. You've got Summers who is terrific in the title role and she really does make you believe she's this naive virgin. So many films go for the "young girl" route but more times than not the actresses are bland or not believable but that's not the case here. Summers really sells the role and makes you believe everything you're watching. Vanessa del Rio is terrific in her part as is Ashley Moore in the role of the uncle who has his own desires.

The sex scenes are also extremely good. Not only is the cinematography terrific but all of the sex scenes are quite erotic and especially the bathtub sequence between Moore and del Rio. I think I can honestly say that there wasn't a single sex scene here that didn't have some fire behind it and once again Findlay deserves the credit for really delivering the goods. Through in the wonderful set design and you've really got a memorable film that deserves to be better known than it is.

Late carnal critic and "acclaimed adult filmmaker" Jim Holliday was fond of describing JUSTINE as "a poor man's SCENT OF HEATHER" and, as usually, he was not altogether wrong in his assessment. Released hot on the heels of Bill Milling's relatively lavish period epic, the similarities between the two are a bit too obvious as to be considered entirely coincidental. This variation from the reliable Roberta Findlay (who ground them out hard 'n' fast yet still maintained an impressive amount of quality, as evidenced by genre classics such as ANGEL #9 and THE TIFFANY MINX) may be set in the present day but still operates on a Mills & Boon level of convent-bred virgins and star-crossed lovers.

Naive Justine (surprisingly well-played by underrated Hillary Summers, one of very few adult actresses able to project innocence without coming across like a retard) bids her goodbye to the nuns to go and live with her recently deceased dad's estranged brother Steven, a convincing performance by habitual second banana Ashley Moore in what probably constitutes his finest work next to his memorable turn in Findlay's PLAYGIRL. Disillusioned since his faithless wife (the always interesting Linda Vale) left him, Uncle Steven moves from one female honey pot to the next with only equally cynical mistress Vanessa Del Rio (looking absolutely resplendent by the way) for semi-constant companionship. A lengthy sexual episode finds him picking up a pair of inebriated stewardesses (lookalikes Merle Michaels and Christie Ford) and taking them to a live sex show featuring the likes of Beth Anna and Christine DeShaffer. The man's emotional aloofness is hard on his son (one shot Andy Hayes) who seeks solace with the "wrong kind" of friends, pioneering punkette Robin Sane (Carter Stevens' saucy secretary in Howard Winters' exceptional PLATINUM PARADISE) and handsome Rick Iverson (star of THE LOVE-IN ARRANGEMENT), who definitely provide the right kind of sex with a sizzling double penetration of the rarest kind, i.e. two poles in a single hole ! There's also a slow-witted if perpetually randy gardener (Dave Ruby, the Al Bundy of porn) who's usually kept out of trouble by the household's scheming maid Marlene Monroe, the wicked stepmother from Fred Lincoln's SERENA, and they share one of the hottest scenes in the movie. Fending off the advances of all available men, Justine naturally longs for the one who seems least interested, Uncle Steven.

Pulling out all the stops production-wise, as befitting a movie from the Golden Age mid-section, JUSTINE rises above occasional narrative sluggishness with glowing cinematography by Findlay herself, assuming the capacity under her "Anna Riva" name from the sexploitation days, splicing in footage from Paris landmarks like the Arch of Triumph from stock for additional gloss. Equally befitting, there also happens to be a syrupy title song, of course. The acting, when called for, is generally competent though the delectable Del Rio is rather unceremoniously discarded after her scalding bathroom bit with Moore. No matter how hard she tries, simpering Summers – the fault lies with the writing, not her acting – can't make up for the untimely departure of this magnificent lady from progressively pathetic proceedings.

Another solid hardcore effort from Findlay and Sear following the title Justine, a naive girl who returned from her French school to live with relatives after her father dies. They do a good job of holding a lighter tone without diving into corny comedy, and it plays pretty straight as she navigates numerous sexual pitfalls without getting too dark or problematic like these typically do. If there's any knock it would be a lack of star-power, but the performances and pacing make up for it.

I first saw the trailer of this movie in the mid 80's. When I finally saw the movie it's self I was awe-struck! I don't like to be mean, but anyone who doesn't like this movie is brain dead. All the sex is supreme, and the acting completely believable! Hillary Summer gives what would have been an academy award winning performance...Vanessa Del Rio's best scene is found here, and Ashley Moore's pall-mall office meeting proves his acting capabilities. There is wall to wall sex in this one, and none of the ladies could have been more gorgeous. I only hope the DVD quality (if it's available on DVD) is as brilliant in color as the VHS release was!

The Justine Movie series, is a brilliant series based on Justine a boarding school student who falls in love with her History/Archaeology teacher, Professor Robeson & keeps going on Archaeological trips with him. Turning this into a cross between Romance & Adventure (Indiana Jones)