Other reviewers will have to decide if this is a faithful adaptation of de Sade's work but for me this film does illustrate his reputation for religious cynicism and human nature. Alice Arno plays Justine, the poor orphan girl who suffers from the perversions and debauchery of all the people she meets. Only the female characters show any sort of humanity while the male characters subject Justine to every form of degradation imaginable.
The structure of the film is episodic as Justine moves from one household to another, encountering violent highwaymen, perverted aristocrats who like to whip and brand their maidservants, a monastic brotherhood who imprison young women for their orgiastic events - one monk chillingly assures Justine that their secrets will never leave the monastery - and another aristocrat who likes to bleed his women. There is more and it could be argued that there is too much but maybe that is the way of de Sade.
The structure of the film is episodic as Justine moves from one household to another, encountering violent highwaymen, perverted aristocrats who like to whip and brand their maidservants, a monastic brotherhood who imprison young women for their orgiastic events - one monk chillingly assures Justine that their secrets will never leave the monastery - and another aristocrat who likes to bleed his women. There is more and it could be argued that there is too much but maybe that is the way of de Sade.