Deadly Sanctuary/Justine (1969)
- written May 1999
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This film is based on the writings of the Marquis de Sade in the 18th century, specifically the work "Justine." The story begins with himself in jail where he develops the idea for the story. He is incarcerated there with many naked and sexual abused women around him as he writes this story down. The story is about Justine and Juliet, who are sisters and one day released from the convent they had been in. Their father was forced out of the country and all they have now are a few crowns of spending money. Juliet immediately goes to a whorehouse as a place to settle down and learn the art of being a bad girl. She's always been naughty and wants to continue doing so. Justine is abhorred by this, being the pretty pure virgin she is and so leaves the house of ill repute and seeks shelter in the city. There, she is immediately swindled out of her cash by a priest. After finding shelter, she is arrested for theft of a gold broach and sentenced to death. Once in jail, a woman planning a jail break, Madame De Buisson, uses Justine to escape. Once outside, she offers Justine to her friends. Justine runs off and finds an artist to stay with. All seems well and he is about the only one who takes god care of her but the police arrive to get her and she runs again. She ends up on the land of the Marquise De Bressac and used as an assistant to the Marquis' wife. But she wants Justine in more ways than one and the Marquis needs his wife dead so he can inherit her wealth. Justine rats out the Marquis to his wife (being the pure innocent girl she is) and the Marquis promptly kills his wife anyway. Then to make matters worse, he brands her in the chest with the letter "M," for murderess so townspeople would see her as a criminal. She escapes and meets up with these priests. The main one, Antonin (played by "City Slickers" Jack Palance), lets Justine know this house of the lord is more of a house of flesh. For days and nights Justine is tortured, sexually abused, and starved. Will she ever get out alive?
Overall: Pardon my language but this film was weird. I had heard of the Marquis de Sade before but this story was beyond anything I could have figured. I always thought "Muriel's Wedding" was the saddest film on record but this could beat it. The prim devout woman, Justine, encounters nothing but evil and stays as wholesome as one can be, while Juliet who wants to be a bad girl doesn't even come close to Justine's experiences. The film has scenes with Juliet so we see what she's up to, including lots of lesbian action. The film in general had lots of loud music which made it seem as cheezy as it looked. Because of the author, I tried to pay attention and not treat it as if it was "Carnosaur 3." There is an enormous amount of nudity in the film, making it equal to "Showgirls" in the vast number topless shots. Surprisingly though it tends to treat the rest of the nude bodies in a "Home Improvement fashion" ala the neighbor, Wilson (discreetly blocking the views). The film is simply weird and at times is difficult to sit through, more so than even "8MM." And what the hell was Jack Palance doing in this film? The other actors in the film are all either Spanish or French and checking their histories, for most this is the only English film done in their careers, so tell me why Palance would stoop this low? Even "Caligula," directed by Penthouse's Bob Guccione, was serious and artistic even with the amount of pure porn in the film, and that starred Sir John Guilgud, Peter O'Toole, Helen Mirren and Malcolm McDowell. If you want a weird film try this but beware the whole film tends to make one nauseous. Comparison: I Spit on Your Grave meets Dangerous Liaisons |
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