Le désirable et le sublime

Jose Benazeraf outdid himself with this 1970 film, the quintessence of high-brow soft porn. With a script credited to philosophers (plus himself, of course), he provides some erotic visuals but has his cast literally talk the subject of sex to death.

Atmospherically set at a remote castle by the shore, for maximum Gothic atmosphere, this tale of a couple and a visitor yapping philosophically into the night while a TV set shows famous personages (like Pompidou) is fortunately interrupted by monochrome, oddly-tinted sex sequences. Benazeraf was obviously also taken by Antonioni's BLOWUP, as he inserts a bizarre pre-"rave" by rock musicians that becomes an impromptu orgy.

The severely styled beauties Lara Lane, Ludia Lorenz and Jane Avril add both class and sexiness to the rather tedious proceedings. Avril soon became Italian underground maestro Alberto Cavallone's regular leading lady, to my mind a severe step down.