Cruel Passion

Cute girl, somewhat shocking for its' time. Captures a little of the dark humor and irreverence of de Sade's story. Lot's of nudity. Somewhat similar to Caligula but not nearly as good as that movie. Naughty lesbian nuns frolic in this r-rated romp. You get the picture, like a soft core porno with a b-movie plot and acting.

The version I own is the unrated De Sade's Justine, proudly displaying Kook Stark's name on the cover. While she's tender and lovely in this movie, there is room for an exciting and tantalizing plot which never develops.

The acting is mediocre, sets/scenery are good but the dialog is contrived making the whole thing a bit of a disappointment. There's not even enough nudity/debauchery to excite much more than a 12 year old male.

It could be conjectured that if Koo Stark had not appeared in this film and a couple of others like it that she would have ended up as Duchess of York.Was that a fair exchange? Basically it is a fairly tawdry film.In the last quarter of an hour nearly everyone,including a dead woman,gets raped or killed or both.Not very pleasant.

Cruel Passion is a film that wraps its tale of innocence and depravity in a moody, atmospheric shell. From the opening frames, the film leans heavily on a Gothic sensibility, with misty countrysides and dimly lit interiors that evoke a sense of foreboding and moral decay. The cinematography, handled by a young Roger Deakins, is easily the film's standout technical achievement. Deakins manages to imbue even the most lurid scenes with a painterly quality, using soft focus and shadow to suggest more than he shows. The result is a visual style that feels richer than the material often deserves, lending a touch of class to what is otherwise a rather straightforward exploitation narrative.

The acting is a mixed bag, yet Koo Stark as Justine anchors the film with a performance that is both earnest and sympathetic. Stark brings a believable naivete to her role, never tipping into parody or melodrama, which is no small feat given the relentless misfortunes her character endures. Lydia Lisle, as her sister Juliette, offers a sultry counterpoint, though her character is given less room to develop beyond the archetype of liberated temptation. The supporting cast, including Martin Potter and Katherine Kath, generally play their roles with the broad strokes typical of the genre, sometimes veering into camp but never outright derailing the film's somber tone.

Where Cruel Passion falters is in its pacing and narrative focus. The film often feels episodic, with Justine stumbling from one ordeal to the next, rarely pausing to let the viewer catch their breath or invest emotionally. The script, while occasionally borrowing poetic passages from de Sade, too often relies on shock value rather than genuine character development. Despite its provocative premise, the film is surprisingly restrained in its depiction of sex and violence, which may disappoint viewers expecting a more explicit adaptation. The result is a movie that feels caught between artful period drama and exploitation, never fully committing to either.

In summary, Cruel Passion is visually striking and features a sincere lead performance, but its repetitive structure and shallow characterizations keep it from rising above the level of a curiosity. It is worth a look for fans of Gothic cinema or those interested in early Deakins cinematography, but its impact is ultimately muted by a lack of narrative depth.

"Justine: Cruel Passion" is much better than expected. This 1977 film version turns out to be very faithful to it's source material, in this case the writings of the Marquis De Sade. His tale of a young innocent, cast into the cruel, corrupt World when her parents die, is certainly a grim one. Koo Stark does surprisingly well at portraying virginal innocence, disgusted by the violence and vice surrounding her. The more she resists, the harder she is pursued by the corrupt people in her midst. Stark really is good here; she doesn't overplay it, she never comes across as unbelievably naive and innocent. Overdoing it might have made it seem silly to care for Justine. I was rather expecting a trashy excuse to show wall to wall soft core sex, but "Cruel Passion" turns out to be rather tame in that regard, which probably explains the low ratings here. Any viewer looking to get a lot of nudity and sex out of this production might be a bit disappointed. What we have instead is a very handsomely filmed, Gothic/Victorian "bodice ripper," only with a surprisingly bleak and grim conclusion, that I was not expecting. Beautiful sets and costumes, mist shrouded countrysides, and a fine utilization of it's classical soundtrack, all come together to make an above average film that is essentially about the loss of innocence. Entire passages are taken verbatim from the Marquis De Sade, resulting in dialog that is at times poetic. The story of Justine was filmed several times, but this 1977 version remains the most faithful to the original writings. Recommended for anyone interested in the writings of Sade, as well as fans of Gothic and erotic films.