Marquis de Sade's Justine (1969)

Without a family, penniless and separated from her sister, a beautiful chaste woman will have to cope with an endless parade of villains, perverts and degenerates who will claim not only her treasured virtue but also her life.

Director:

Jesús Franco (as Jess Franco)

Writer:

Harry Alan Towers (as Peter Welbeck)

Stars:

Klaus Kinski, Romina Power, Maria Rohm

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Klaus Kinski	...	Marquis de Sade (as Klaus Kinsky)
Romina Power	...	Justine
Maria Rohm	...	Juliette
Rosemary Dexter	...	Claudine
Carmen de Lirio	...	Madame de Buisson
Akim Tamiroff	...	Du Harpin
Gustavo Re	...	Desroches
Mercedes McCambridge	...	Madame Dusbois
Serena Vergano	...	Prisoner
José Manuel Martín	...	Victor (as José Manuel Martin)
Mike Brendel	...	Pierre
Harald Leipnitz	...	Raymond
Horst Frank	...	Marquis de Bressac
Angel Petit	...	Jasmin
Sylva Koscina	...	Marquise de Bressac

Storyline

Left without a family and a few crowns each, cloistered sisters Juliette and her innocent chaste sibling Justine are forced to leave the nunnery's protection, and for the first time in their life, dwell by themselves in the harsh outside world. But fate can be relentless as it can be cruel and undeserved, and while Juliette finds shelter in Madame de Buisson's welcoming brothel, at the same time, beautiful auburn-haired Justine will have to cope with an almost endless parade of villains, perverts and degenerates who will claim not only her puny fortune but also her treasured virtue and her life. As a result, Justine humiliated, wrongfully accused and brought to her knees, she will inevitably question her life of uprightness, chastity and suffering, reaching to a reluctant and unpleasant conclusion. Is it blasphemy or is it the voice of reason?

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Plot Keywords:

prostitution | reference to the marquis de sade | despair | horse drawn prison wagon | locked in a cell | 

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Taglines:

In order to know virtue, we must first acquaint ourselves with vice...

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Genres:

Drama | Horror

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

Liechtenstein West Germany Italy USA

Language:

Italian

Release Date:

3 April 1969 (Italy)

Also Known As:

Marquis de Sade's Justine

Filming Locations:

Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain

Company Credits

Production Co:

Etablissement Sargon, Corona Filmproduktion, Aica Cinematografica S.R.L

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min 105 min (Italian) 124 min (2002 video release) (uncut) 124 min (uncut)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Italian censorship visa # 53569 delivered on 1-4-1969.

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Goofs

The sound we hear on the soundtrack (at c. 26 minutes) is clearly the spanking of bare flesh but the film shows that the blows only strike clothed buttocks.

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Quotes

Antonin: The agonies you have endured, suffering you have endured. If these are the fruits of virtue, do not you think they represent for you ultimate enjoyment?
Justine: I do not understand.
Antonin: Really? Is it not possible that for you enjoyment Supreme lies in suffering?
Justine: But, if what you say is correct, so I am the sinner, and you, the man of virtue?

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Connections

Featured in La noche de...: Negociador (2016)

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Soundtracks

Plaisir D'Amour
(uncredited)
By Jean-Paul-Égide Martini

User Reviews

Very strange film but certainly not unwatchable

Marquis De Sade: Justine is a long way from being unwatchable as there are a number of things that are good. It is however a very strange film and not a very easy one to rate.

Starting with what is good about Marquis De Sade: Justine, coming off best is the music score which is outstanding, if on occasions overpowering, very stirring and rich in sound and it fits the film very well. The film also looks good, the sets are simply gorgeous, the plentiful costumes are certainly attractive and a lot of care was clearly put into the cinematography which is beautiful. The crowd scenes are tense and rousing and while he sometimes overdoes with the fading in and out Jesse Franco does give some of his most competent directing ever, though it does feel very different for him. While I was not very impressed with the acting generally, the charming Maria Rohm makes the most out of her brief role and Mercedes Mccambridge is an absolute hoot.

Romina Power is very wooden in the lead role on the other hand, while Klaus Kinski is criminally underused and pretty much wasted, spending his entire screen looking remote, and Jack Palance is embarrassingly over-the-top and out of place. I like Palance but not here, he's not as bad as he was in Che! and Outlaw of Gor but this is one of his worst performances. While the film is undeniably fun there are too many times where the story is episodically disjointed and lethargically paced, sometimes not as cohesive as it could be. It also feels very tame and toned down by today's standards and not sleazy or sensual enough, the story is one where those qualities are necessary and it just felt bland and agreed too correct. The ending is very heavy-handed when you can actually hear the dialogue when it's not being drowned out the stilted way it's written and uninvolved line delivery from most makes it not really worth listening to.

In conclusion, not unwatchable but very strange and not easy to make of. 5/10 Bethany Cox