Lady Libertine (1984)

Tale of erotic romance in turn of the century England.

Director:

Gérard Kikoïne

Writers:

Harry Alan Towers (scenario), Gérard Kikoïne (scenario)

Stars:

Christopher Pearson, Jennifer Inch, Sophie Favier

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Christopher Pearson	...	Charles de Beaumont
Jennifer Inch	...	Frank / Frances Holmes
Sophie Favier	...	Maud Collins
Alain Dumaurier	...	Comte Ricky von Harmstorf
Emmanuel Karsen	...	Jeffrey Brook
April Hyde	...	Leslie
Eloïse Beaune	...	Miss Dundas
Jane Val	...	Mrs. Evans (as Jeanne Val)
Jacques Ferry	...	Watson

Storyline

Charlie, a young aristocrat in turn of the century England, meets a boy named Frank on the road to Portsmouth. What Charlie doesn't realize is that Frank is actually Frances, who's donned a disguise to escape working at a brothel. Charlie takes Frank/Frances into his home, and when he discovers her true identity, the two become lovers. He sends her to London to be trained by his mistress in the art of sex, but she learns much more about her identity as a woman. Before the opening credits, explicitly on-screen it reads: "Based on the famous Victorian erotic novel by an anonymous writer".

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Plot Keywords:

sex | erotica | gender disguise | girl dressed as boy | victorian era | 

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Taglines:

The infamous erotic saga an ashamed star tried to stop!

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

France USA Canada

Language:

English

Release Date:

27 June 1984 (France)

Also Known As:

Frank and I

Company Credits

Production Co:

Cannon Films, Cinépix, Gold Production

Technical Specs

Runtime:

83 min 83 min (dvd release)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

User Reviews

coy adaptation of Victorian erotica

One of the many anonymous 'erotic' novels of the Victorian age, 'Frank and I' comes to the screen courtesy of Gérard Kikoïne, with Christopher Pearson and Jennifer Inch essaying the main roles of master and servant. It doesn't quite come off, mainly because of the appalling acting of the androgynous Inch as Frank (or is it Frances?), with her baby girl voice and plain-Jane face. It doesn't help either that the main focus of the book (the submission-domination angle) is squished into one scene which fails to be really convincing.

The trailer for the film manages to be better than the main feature itself, and that's no mean feat. The Victorians knew how to write this sort of thing, but it doesn't necessarily mean that 20th century film-makers know how to portray it on the screen. 'Frank and I' manages to be quite limp, miserably shot and woefully scripted. Not one I'd particularly recommend.