Histoire d'O

As a teen I thought "Story of O" was a brilliant and strange masterpiece of erotic cinema. Today I can see it as a very pretty, although flawed work. Corinne Clery is good in the role of 'O', the delicately pretty young fashion photographer who initially wants nothing more than to be a slave to her lover, Rene. The film's opening scenes are impressive, to say the least. O's abduction in the Rolls Royce and her trip to Roissy, is a soft-focus wet dream, accompanied by lush, romantic music and beautiful surroundings. Roissy is a mens club, filled with beautiful, submissive women who only exist to please the members of this exclusive, other-worldly place. Roissy is a bit like a convent, very Gothic, where the women whisper and are dressed in garments that keep their sex on constant display. The sets are glorious; O's bed is covered with animal furs, and everywhere crystal chandeliers glitter in soft focus enchantment. While at Roissy O learns how to be an obedient slave, but she possesses a proud quality, bordering on arrogance, that she cannot always disguise. This quality is detected by some of the men, who develop strong feelings for her. The way Clery plays the part, as a submissive who is also aware of her power is very well done. O becomes steadily stronger as the film progresses, and after a time, her 'masters' begin to doubt their own power, as they realize that their desire for 'O' gives her the upper hand. It is at times fascinating to watch the tables turn, and to see the subtle changes in the story's heroine, as she begins to recognize her own power, and becomes more self-confidant because of it. Those who don't pay attention, and only look at the images of women in chains, being whipped, might mistake 'Story of O' for being sexist, when in fact, this is more of a feminist film in many ways. It has to be remembered that although the book was written by a woman, the film was directed by a man. Just Jaeckin was first and foremost a fashion photographer, who had quite an obsession for the beautiful female form. He is responsible for some of the most well-known erotic films to emerge from the 70's to early 80's, bringing famous erotic novels to the screen. Jaeckin has an eye for aesthetic beauty, and it is evident in "Story of O'. But at times it seems that he is more interested in soft focus female nudity than in the deeper meaning behind these classics. "Story of O' is certainly a cult classic, despite it being a flawed picture. For the most part it has dated better than "Emmanuelle", although a couple scenes are now unintentionally funny, such as a photo shoot featuring a model dressed in a Mickey Mouse top and swinging a light bulb to tacky 70's music. But that is just a 1 minute scene in a film that for the most part looks wonderful. Pierre Bachelet's lush score is gorgeous, romantic and haunting. There is now a wonderful DVD from France, which features two different versions of the film. The first is the English dubbed version, which i basically grew up watching. The dubbing is acceptable, and this version is around 10 minutes shorter. The longer, French language version with English subtitles is also contained here. Initially I was looking forward to seeing this more 'complete' version, but in the end was disappointed, as the new scenes were mostly of 'O' pouting and being coy with Rene, and even being whiny and immature. I understand why these scenes were cut, as they take away greatly from 'O's mystique. Showing less of her human side made her seem stronger, kind of 'otherworldy', not so much like a real woman, but rather like an unattainable heroine. Therefore I prefer the slightly cut version, even though it features the inferior English track. But the DVD is terrific, and offers the opportunity to see both versions and decide for yourself. As a side note, I must mention the character 'Nora', Sir Stephans maid; Wonderful casting; she is the most frightening character of all, somehow, and watching her relationship with 'O' develop from hatred and distrust, to this strange bond that the two women begin to share, which is expressed solely through eye contact, with few words spoken. These little details are so important. Fans of the book might miss the character Natalie, the young girl that is introduced late in the story. Perhaps including such a young girl in a film of this kind was a bit too much for censors in those days. Although not as strong as Radley Metzger's "The Image", I do recommend "Story of O". In all it's strangeness and otherworldly quality, it can be seen as a fairytale for adults. Like Alice In Wonderland, only the white rabbit is carrying a whip instead of a gold watch. It might be flawed somewhat, but it certainly is considered a cult classic, as well as a milestone of erotic cinema!

Based on a novel by Dominique Aury, Story of O is an arty version of the classic story of S&M. Despite the sadomasochistic tone, the film is actually rather soft; but while it may not delight fans of the more hardcore pornography, the way that director Just Jaeckin tried to elevate the story above what it is and make a 'classic' film, as well as the fact that parts of it actually are erotic means that this is at least a fairly successful piece of softcore porn. The film focuses on a woman simply named 'O' (which is somewhat ironic because it sounds like a James Bond codename and the lead is played by Moonraker Bond girl Corinne Clery). She goes out with a man named Rene, who decides to take her to a retreat where she is trained in sexual perversion. It's clear that the director obviously valued his subject material and although the film fails as a classy drama; the way that it's filmed does give some extra interest. The acting is actually fairly decent, with Corinne Clery standing out alongside Anthony Steel and Udo Kier. There's a fair amount of sexual perversion involved although the film does not go into great detail with most of it; but we do get plenty of whipping and lesbianism at least. I have to say that I preferred Gerard Damiano's 'The Story of Joanna', which was also based on the classic French novel; but this is decent enough stuff and worthwhile for one viewing.

I admit I know little about the S+M/B+D lifestyle, but if this is any indication, it must be kind of like being in a bad European "art" film. This is one movie that truly does not deserve its notorious reputation(either in the negative or positive sense). It's just your typical silly and pretentious 70's Eurotrash. It is slightly less boring than the director's previous "Emmannuelle" (1974) but only slightly. The lead (and only conceivable reason to watch this nonsense) is Corrine Clery,who was later a second-string Bond girl eaten by vicious dobermans in "Moonraker". Clery spends most of the movie naked and being whipped by various men and women. This certainly sounds pretty sordid, but the movie (tastefully?) never shows the whip actually hitting her. And though she is almost constantly being flogged, there never seems to be a mark on her on her perpetually on-display body. She is also passed around by various men, but the sex scenes are even more circumspect than the whipping scenes. I'd enjoy watching Clery doing anything naked(mowing the lawn, painting a fence, digging a garden), but there's just nothing especially exciting here. Mostly, the movie consists of cheesy dialogue and idiotic libertine philosophizing. I don't know if you have to be a sadist to enjoy it, but you definitely have to be a masochist to sit through it.

"Story of O" is luxuriant, nicely photographed, and Corinne Clery is quite appealing as a sensual actress…

The film is an adaptation of Pauline Reage's novel about a young girl called O and her entry into the art of loving… The special philosophy here is that women, by nature, are inferior to men and should therefore submit to their every emotion and desire. This is the only way for a woman to find ecstasy…

O falls in love with a practitioner of this doctrine, and is forced to go through quite a lot before he will take her in…

The treatment of eroticism is slow and careful… O is initiated into a house of bondage where the women are playthings for the male clientele… No talking or complaining is permitted... If the rules are broken, they are "punished" in the collar with whips and chains...

One can call this film a lot of things, but "subtle" isn't one of them… Still, it's not overly offensive either, despite its extremely one-sided view of femininity... It does have a seductive quality, and we are attracted into its exotic fact or assumption largely because of Corinne Clery's beauty and sensuality

'The Story Of O' was one of the best known and most successful soft-core movies of the 1970s. While it reeks of kitsch appeal all these years later, it is actually a pretty good movie overall, and it still has some genuinely erotic moments. Corinne Clery ('Moonraker') plays the title character simply referred to as 'O'. She is absolutely beautiful and has a great body (which we see frequently as she spends much of the movie naked), so even if bondage isn't your thing there's much to hold any straight man's attention throughout! O is introduced by her boyfriend Rene (the legendary Udo Kier) into the world of b and d, s and m, and suchlike. Initially reluctant to participate in these sex games she begins to blossom. Rene "gives" her to the sophisticated Sir Stephen (Anthony Steel, a major British star of the 1940s and 1950s), and O eventually finds herself falling in love with the older man. This is a generally well acted movie with lots of visual style and a haunting score by Pierre Bachelet. 'The Story Of O' has aged much better than one might assume and is worth a look, even if it is just to drool at Ms. Clery and marvel at how young and fresh faced Udo Kier looks in it!