The Image

What we have here is a classic slice of pornography, which is wrapped up in excellent production values in spite of the lurid and sleazy nature of most of it's action. Indeed, this film has just about everything a porn fan could want and more, as we get to watch the title character go through a number of 'pleasures' including whipping, public humiliation and mutilation. The film takes place in the upper society of France, and this serves in making the film more shocking as it features an eloquent voice over from the central character, which runs over most scenes, and offsets the gratuitous sex sequences nicely. The plot focuses on a man named Jean, who bumps into his friend Claire at a dull cocktail party that the pair are attending. It's not long before he is introduced to Claire's "friend" - the completely submissive Anne, who delights in bending to her mistress' will, even if that means having to urinate in public or undress in front of strangers. We then follow the trio through a series of sex scenes, most of which see the title character bear the brunt of the less savoury acts.

One thing I've learnt about porn flicks is that there often isn't much of a plot to speak of; and this one is no different, although the slim plot is excellently fleshed out by the three central characters; who are very different and equally interesting. The beautiful Rebecca Brooke takes the lead role and does well with it thanks to her good looks and willingness to show off her 'assets' at every opportunity. Marilyn Roberts plays the older, yet equally sexy woman who is also the labyrinth character of the piece and provides the film with a degree of intrigue. Carl Parker rounds it all off with a brilliantly sleazy performance, and his character actually goes through a bit of development, which is rather odd for a porn film. This film is really head and shoulders above its counterparts, as the production values are good and director Radley Metzger actually seems to care about how good his locations look, as he succeeds in capturing France at its best. Overall, The Punishment of Anne comes highly recommended to anyone that interested in high-class porn films!

This movie falls somewhere between "Last Tango in Paris" and "The Story of O". It doesn't have the realism, the pathos, or the character development of the former, but it also isn't exactly an enjoyably silly sex fantasy like the latter. Like all Metzger films it is well-photographed and classy in a way, but it also contains some hardcore porn scenes which might leave a bad taste in some peoples' mouths (no pun intended).

The story is about a man who meets a jaded older woman who in turn introduces him to a younger woman "Ann" who she is training as a sex slave. Carl Parker, who also had a small part in Metzger's "Score", is pretty good as the man. The young woman played by the pseudonymous "Mary Medum" is also decent, even though she looks more like a young American "soccer mom" than an exotic Euro-beauty like Maria "Last Tango in Paris" Schneider or Corrine "Story of O" Clery. (Thus for me this movie was more of a fantasy of what I'd like to do to that idiot that nearly ran me off the road in her SUV last week while blabbing on her cellphone than it was a sex fantasy). The older woman, on the other hand, is pretty much a superfluous character--for some reason S and M seems a lot classier when it's a woman doing it to another woman at the behest of a man rather than a man directly doing it to a woman. (Not that this movie is too "politically correct" by today's standards--and thank god for that!)

I guess I'd recommend it, even though it's not that sexy on one hand, and pretty hard to take seriously on the other.

Arguably the finest S/M movie ever made, Radley Metzger's 'The Image'(aka The Punishment of Anne) tells of Jean, a writer who meets an old friend, Claire, at a party and is soon drawn into her world of S/M along with her slave, Anne. Based on the French novel 'L'image' by Jean de Berg, a nom de guerre for Catherine Robbe-Grillet, this may be Radley (Score!, Therese and Isabelle, The Opening of Misty Beethoven)Metzger's best film. Beautifully filmed and acted and very erotic. If your up for some primo euro-erotica at its finest, look no further!

This was my first S&M movie. Found by accident and watched it over and over, until I had to take it back. It is very erotic, and definitely a must see! I was happy to find it for sale so I can add it to my Library. If you are a Metzger fan you will want to see this movie. It changed the way I thought about sex, and opened up so many new avenues to explore. I have looked for this movie for about 5 years. I wanted my husband to see it. The Punishment of Anne takes you on a ride through the erotic tales of Dominace and submission. It is a wonderful ride. If you are new to the B&D scene, this is a good movie to start with. It isn't too much, but it is enough to wet your appetite and you will be back looking for more. It will quicken your heart rate, and put you in the right mood. I say it is a must have!!!

So the question is, was Anne punished? Oh yeah. You can bet your ass Anne was punished in this movie. Young Anne is a bad little girl and you've got Sleazy Jean and Bossy Clair to tell her what's what. The Punishment of Anne aka The Image is a moderately sleazy film, but done in a sexy way. Usually when I think "sleazy" it reminds me of gritty, exploit flicks with a rape or two. But not here, TPoA has it's share of sleazy scenes, but overall like I said, it exudes more sexiness.

Not being a big fan of porn I really can't fill you in on any historical importance of this movie. I can't tell you if the main actors are famous porn & S/M stars. I can't even tell you if this is one of the better old school porns out there. Nevertheless I can tell you that this movie has a good amount going for it. For one, for me, this movie had me laughing. Quite a lot. For starters, to open the movie, you see Jean at a party making his rounds. But the funny thing about this scene is he'll just go up to one person at a time, say "Hello" and then a moment later say "Excuse me." "Hello.....Excuse me." Such silly behavior. One scene in particular where Anne is getting punished the first time by both Jean and Clair, Jean begins telling Clair to whip Anne in a rushed manner, and then a moment later he's laughing his head off in a insane manner. And I was laughing right along with him. To top that scene off, Jean looks down at Anne and says "You're about to reap the fruits of your labor." Now that line is pure gold. And like this comical yet sexy scene, the whole movie is filled with "too smart for it's own good" type of lines. There's are numerous scenes where you'll probably be shaking your head with a smile and this is where the movie shines brightest. But the movie does slow down towards the end with "harder" S/M scenes and this is where I got bored. If you're a big fan of porn or S/M you'll probably like this, but for me, they should have stuck to the "weird situation punishment".

Overall, I enjoyed The Punishment of Anne. Anne was played by a beautiful girl and Jean's dubbing, lines and expressions made me laugh at a good rate. The movie sometimes slows a bit between scenes, but if you have a funny bone for silly dialogue, you'll enjoy these scenes because Jean fills them with cheesy narration. So all in all, it was funny, sexy and pretty entertaining. The Punishment of Anne is a recommendable porno in my book.