Cruel Passion

The great B movie actress Glory Annen broke into show bizniz with this film. She plays a small part as a prostitute. Not a glamorous role but just seeing her on screen in anything is worth the price of the rental! This movie is real, real bad though. The sex isn't really portrayed as enjoyable, just trashy and depressing. Nothing wrong with trashy sex mind you, but just leave out the depressing part is all, ya dig? Anyway, its worth just to see the sexy Glory Annen in her first role.

This is another adaptation one of the better Marquis de Sade stories "Justine" which tells the story of two sisters, Justine and Juliette, who are orphaned and expelled from their convent school. Juliette becomes a prostitute and rises to a position of power by freely indulging in vice. Her sister Justine, however, tries to remain virtuous and is victimized by nearly everybody. This film was adapted a number of times by European directors of the late 60's and 70's and then, strangely, never really touched again. The best adaptation was Jesus Franco's "Marquis de Sade's Justine" even though it was marred by the wretched over-acting of "name" American actors like Mercedes McCambridge and Jack Palance, and the wretched non-acting of "daughter of an American name" lead actress Romina Powers. It is nevertheless one of Franco's best movies. "Justine" with Alice Arno and the Swedish hardcore film "Justine och Juliette" were less successful; both are so drenched in graphic sex that they lose the fascinating spirit of de Sade, and ultimately any kind of coherent plot at all.

This film actually works pretty well for awhile and is quite faithful to the original story with only a few digressions into the then popular "nunsploitation" genre as in one lurid scene where Juliette makes it with one lesbian nun while her sister is nearly raped by another. The end is kind of abrupt, and not terribly effective though.

The lovely lead Koo Stark who plays the TITular character is definitely a real ASSet here, not because she was a great actress but because she was one of the few European sex stars who genuinely could portray an innocent character. (Some might describe her as a "girl next door" type, but few people were probably lucky enough to have a girl like HER living next door to them). The actress playing Juliette was actually pretty good, making it all the more regrettable that she kind of disappears halfway through the movie. And as others have said, there is also an early cameo appearance by another English cult actress, Glory Annen.

Not a great movie, but worth seeing I guess.

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.

"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.

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.