The Story of O

Just Jaeckin's film version of the celebrated novel by Pauline Reage manages to completely miss the point of her work (by changing the ending, specifically), but taken purely as a movie has a certain amount of interest.

Corrine Clery plays 'O', a photographer who is taken by her boyfriend Rene (Udo Kier) to a sado-masochistic den where she willingly submits to physical and sexual abuse. 'O's motivation was much more obvious within the novel, but here it is secondary to the titallating spectacle of soft porn. Clery is not really the ideal 'O', either, her looks being too idealistic and her acting just too bad.

After a spell in the academy which serves to turn her into a total submissive she is practically sold on to Sir Stephen (50s pin-up Anthony Steel, of all people!) who is even more depraved and dominating than anyone else she has met. Perhaps the strongest sections of the film concern 'O's relationship with Sir S, but I wasn't convinced by the changed ending (powerful though it was from a movie standpoint). The cinematography is also attractive, particularly in its use of colour, and the French language version adds a certain mystique to the story.

I have read the book quite few times and I decided to see the movie even though I knew it was not going to be anything even near to the book's incredibly erotic atmosphere. I have been disappointed before with movie adaptations of books but this one is by far the worst ever. The acting is bad, the settings are cheap and the sex scenes are awfully boring. They concentrate endless minutes on tits and nsist on some sort of bad taste loud background music. Totally bad. Not even the taxi scene can be saved. Those mini kisses they give each other are just so out of purpose. The ending also goes against the idea of the book, makes the whole thing become meaninsgless, to begin with her name "O". Use the rental money to buy the book instead.

This one is surely the most interesting(and probably even the most intelligent)adult movie I´ve seen.The plot is very boring on some places,but the psychological aspects of the characters and the locations are stunning.It´s really a movie you can think about afterwards.Besides of that it´s really erotic.The atmosphere is very intense and the nude scenes have a great photography.Bondage and torture of naked women surely was a bit too hard in people´s stomach back in 1975 and it was banned in several countries.But believe it or not:You can see it in German TV from time to time(uncut)...this is unpossible with a X-rated film in other countries.

'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!

"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