The Story of O (1975)

That was an excellent one.

A Masterpiece!

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

Well, where do I start...Dialogues were emptily delivered and didn't carry any or almost any weight (you can straight up forget about basic human emotions and/or facial expressions). Throughout the whole movie, and yes, I was able to somehow sit through the whole thing, I had a feeling, that none of the actors were actually familiar with the script. So no points in that department. Interesting, what the casting process was like... Speaking of which, the actress for the main character, being 25 at the time, seemed to be a virgin playing in a movie with more sex scenes than cable TV after dark. Needless to say she looked to be a little out of her element. But considering, it was almost her first role on the big screen, we'll give her a pass. Specially keeping in mind, that it most certainly wasn't the easiest role to play (since she had to act while being naked and tied up in front of people with strange mustaches holding microphones and cameras who are trying to make sure nobody realizes their "excitement"). That being said, according to this picture female orgasm means shaking your head and occasionally making strange noises.Ooh! Spoiler alert... THE MOVIE BLOWS!!!3 rubber gags out of 10

In Leigh Hunt's classic poem, "The Glove and the Lions", a noblewoman casts her glove into a lion's den and expects her brave knight to fetch it as a sign of love for her. He does but, when he returns, he flings it in her face. The King remarks that he has done the right thing: "No love, quoth he, but vanity, sets love a task like that." "Story of O", a classic in its own genre, explores the nature of love in a very different milieu but can be said to arrive at much the same conclusion. The men -- and, to be fair, the women -- in this film seem to define love as the willingness to be and do whatever the (male) lover wants, even if this involves suffering physical pain and sexual degradation. This definition of love curiously goes even further to include having sex with men the woman does not love, to please the man she does.The tables are eventually turned as the story evolves, since O conquers the affections of Sir Stephen, who initially views women (including O) as no more important or valuable than a pebble found on the beach.In the final scene, O asks Sir Stefan whether he would be willing to endure even a little of what she has suffered for his sake. It is safe to bet that the answer would be no."Story of O" embodies the worst possible stereotypes, not of only the inequality between women and men, but even of BDSM (bondage, discipline, dominance, submission, sadomasochism).The women are always young and nubile, with firm, supple breasts and derrières, kept exposed and available for the pleasure of any man who wants them. This implies that "love" cannot accept anything less than perfection.O is told several times that she can refuse to submit to the desires of her Master and others, and leave any time she wants. But, in reality, she has only one choice, the initial choice to become a slave. Once she has made that choice, she loses any claim to freedom and a will of her own. This may have been acceptable in an earlier era, but it is certainly contrary to the more modern philosophy of BDSM practitioners that such relationships must be "safe, sane, and consensual", and must be an exchange of power, not an imbalance."Story of O" is beautiful to look at, of course. Quite aside from the obvious charms of its female protagonist and her cohorts, there is the quaint rustic elegance of the manor of Roissy where O is kept, and the softly lit, almost air-brushed quality of the photography.But, like the forbidden fruit of Eden, this lovely outward appearance conceals a pernicious poison: the false doctrine that love cannot be freely given, but only taken.

As a teen I thought "Story of O" was a brilliant and strange masterpiece of erotic cinema. Today I can see it as a very pretty, although flawed work. Corinne Clery is good in the role of 'O', the delicately pretty young fashion photographer who initially wants nothing more than to be a slave to her lover, Rene. The film's opening scenes are impressive, to say the least. O's abduction in the Rolls Royce and her trip to Roissy, is a soft-focus wet dream, accompanied by lush, romantic music and beautiful surroundings. Roissy is a mens club, filled with beautiful, submissive women who only exist to please the members of this exclusive, other-worldly place. Roissy is a bit like a convent, very Gothic, where the women whisper and are dressed in garments that keep their sex on constant display. The sets are glorious; O's bed is covered with animal furs, and everywhere crystal chandeliers glitter in soft focus enchantment. While at Roissy O learns how to be an obedient slave, but she possesses a proud quality, bordering on arrogance, that she cannot always disguise. This quality is detected by some of the men, who develop strong feelings for her. The way Clery plays the part, as a submissive who is also aware of her power is very well done. O becomes steadily stronger as the film progresses, and after a time, her 'masters' begin to doubt their own power, as they realize that their desire for 'O' gives her the upper hand. It is at times fascinating to watch the tables turn, and to see the subtle changes in the story's heroine, as she begins to recognize her own power, and becomes more self-confidant because of it. Those who don't pay attention, and only look at the images of women in chains, being whipped, might mistake 'Story of O' for being sexist, when in fact, this is more of a feminist film in many ways. It has to be remembered that although the book was written by a woman, the film was directed by a man. Just Jaeckin was first and foremost a fashion photographer, who had quite an obsession for the beautiful female form. He is responsible for some of the most well-known erotic films to emerge from the 70's to early 80's, bringing famous erotic novels to the screen. Jaeckin has an eye for aesthetic beauty, and it is evident in "Story of O'. But at times it seems that he is more interested in soft focus female nudity than in the deeper meaning behind these classics. "Story of O' is certainly a cult classic, despite it being a flawed picture. For the most part it has dated better than "Emmanuelle", although a couple scenes are now unintentionally funny, such as a photo shoot featuring a model dressed in a Mickey Mouse top and swinging a light bulb to tacky 70's music. But that is just a 1 minute scene in a film that for the most part looks wonderful. Pierre Bachelet's lush score is gorgeous, romantic and haunting. There is now a wonderful DVD from France, which features two different versions of the film. The first is the English dubbed version, which i basically grew up watching. The dubbing is acceptable, and this version is around 10 minutes shorter. The longer, French language version with English subtitles is also contained here. Initially I was looking forward to seeing this more 'complete' version, but in the end was disappointed, as the new scenes were mostly of 'O' pouting and being coy with Rene, and even being whiny and immature. I understand why these scenes were cut, as they take away greatly from 'O's mystique. Showing less of her human side made her seem stronger, kind of 'otherworldy', not so much like a real woman, but rather like an unattainable heroine. Therefore I prefer the slightly cut version, even though it features the inferior English track. But the DVD is terrific, and offers the opportunity to see both versions and decide for yourself. As a side note, I must mention the character 'Nora', Sir Stephans maid; Wonderful casting; she is the most frightening character of all, somehow, and watching her relationship with 'O' develop from hatred and distrust, to this strange bond that the two women begin to share, which is expressed solely through eye contact, with few words spoken. These little details are so important. Fans of the book might miss the character Natalie, the young girl that is introduced late in the story. Perhaps including such a young girl in a film of this kind was a bit too much for censors in those days. Although not as strong as Radley Metzger's "The Image", I do recommend "Story of O". In all it's strangeness and otherworldly quality, it can be seen as a fairytale for adults. Like Alice In Wonderland, only the white rabbit is carrying a whip instead of a gold watch. It might be flawed somewhat, but it certainly is considered a cult classic, as well as a milestone of erotic cinema!

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.