Lilian (la virgen pervertida)

Before 17 year old Katja Bienert has even had time to close the door behind her, we're treated, quite without warning, to lingering, graphic hard-core shots of gleeful sexual activity. Not entirely shocking for a film whose English translation is 'Lilian the Perverted Virgin', but jarring nonetheless. This is because the sex scenes originally filmed were not considered explicit enough at the time of release, where censorship laws had recently been (very much) relaxed (this became the first legal Spanish hardcore film). To be honest, it maligns this project, as many films directed around this time by prolific Spanish Director Jess Franco have been somewhat dragged down by their gratuitous sexploitation content. That isn't to say he was ever in search of sophistication, but films such as this could have been so much more effective, and better received, without quite so much pornographic content.

Within the first few minutes, the audience is bombarded with a variety of tones. After the initial X-rated scene, we have a dreamy, delirious, poetic image of Bienert running through a desert shimmer in silhouette. After that, comedy, as Franco's own character Bernardo (uncredited) awakes sneezing from a nap, before Mario Pereira (bearded Robert/FosterAntonio Mayans) discovers Bienert (as Lilian) drugged and barely conscious, and we settle into the film proper for a time. All to the placid strains of Pablo Villa/Daniel White's floating score (White also stars in this). Lina Romay, billed as Candy Coster but without the ubiquitous blonde bob wig (she appears to have swapped it for a longer red one here), plays Irina.

It's a familiar Franco story focussing on the tragic corruption of an innocent, with a body double playing Lilian for the more invasive scenes. Tasteful it isn't of course, but it emerges as a film that doesn't know what it wants to be. In parts, it is beautifully photographed, and in others the graphic additions undermine everything else going on here, especially the terrifically wistful performances. My score is 5 out of 10.

Lilian (La Virgen Pervertida) (1984)

*** (out of 4)

This Jess Franco film actually become a huge hit and somewhat historical in his country of Spain. While filming this movie Spain finally removed their no porn policy so Franco went and shot some hardcore scenes making this the countries first (legal) porno. To call this a porno is pretty unfair and takes away from the film because the added scenes are really just there to extend the already there sex scenes. Lilian (Katja Bienert) is found in the desert, near death but when she awakens she tells her savior (Robert Foster) of the hell house she escaped from. She was being held captive by a couple (Emilio Linder, Lina Romay) who ran a brothel and forced her into various sexual acts. In the end, this film is basically about child abuse and the label of being the first Spanish porno is probably going to keep most people away from watching it, which is a shame. I personally wouldn't object to an edited version with the hardcore scenes removed because the film is very strong in its technical style as well as its storytelling. The cinematography is top notch, the music score by Pablo Villa is excellent and Franco wonderfully captures that dreamlike nature that only he can build. This was my first time seeing 17-year-old Katja Bienert and she was very good in the role, perfectly capturing the innocence of her character and the eventual innocence lost.

In 2010 Katja Bienert told me, that this movie was absolutely unknown to her. I gave her a DVD and after having watched it she was really angry, because she didn't know having played in a pornographic film. She also wasn't paid for it, as presumably all of the other actors obviously were not paid. Jess Franco shot some scenes while doing the other movies with her, later on he took the material and compiled an additional film, adding hardcore elements. But she has forgiven him, this happened more than 25 years ago ... so far Katja's memoirs concerning Lilian. Apart from this, it's a typical Jess Franco movie, a gloomy story with SM elements and a touch of surrealism. But this is only the frame for explicit, but rather uninspired hardcore scenes. Like this, it's neither-nor ...