Immoral Tales (1973)

An erotic collection of short stories, an anthology comprised of tantalizing tales about sexual desire and its diverse manifestations.

Director:

Walerian Borowczyk

Writers:

Walerian Borowczyk, André Pieyre de Mandiargues (story)

Stars:

Lise Danvers, Fabrice Luchini, Charlotte Alexandra

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Lise Danvers	...	Julie / André's cousin - Story 1
Fabrice Luchini	...	André / Julie's cousin - Story 1
Charlotte Alexandra	...	Thérèse - Story 2
Lisbeth Hummel	...	Lucy Broadhurst - Story 3
Paloma Picasso	...	Elisabeth Bathory / Countess - Story 4
Pascale Christophe	...	Istvan - Story 4
Florence Bellamy	...	Lucrezia Borgia / Pope's daughter - Story 5
Lorenzo Berinizi	...	Caesar Borgia / Pope's son - Story 5
Jacopo Berinizi	...	Pope Alexander VI - Story 5
Philippe Desboeuf	...	Hyeronimus Savonarola / Friar
Tomas Hnevsa	...	(as Thomas Hnevsa)
Mathieu Rivolier
Robert Capia
Gerard Tcherka
Kjell Gustavsson

Storyline

Four erotic tales from in various historical eras. The first, 'The Tide', is set in the present day, and concerns a student and his young female cousin stranded on the beach by the tide, secluded from prying eyes. 'Therese Philosophe' is set in the nineteenth century, and concerns a girl being locked in her bedroom, where she contemplates the erotic potential of the objects contained within it. 'Erzsebet Bathory' is a portrait of the sixteenth-century countess who allegedly bathed in the blood of virgins, while 'Lucrezia Borgia' concerns an incestuous fifteenth-century orgy involving Lucrezia, her brother, and her father the Pope.

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Plot Keywords:

fellatio | female masturbation | bare breasts | voyeur | voyeurism | 

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Taglines:

You Don't Have To Go To A Museum To See An X-Rated Picasso.

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

France

Language:

French Italian Hungarian

Release Date:

28 August 1974 (France)

Also Known As:

Immoral Tales

Company Credits

Production Co:

Argos Films, Syn-Frank Enterprises

Technical Specs

Runtime:

103 min 115 min (uncut) 125 min (original)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Originally, the role of cousin Julie in "The Tide" (first part of the movie) was offered to Isabelle Adjani but she has found the role too difficult for her to play. Finally, she declined and the role went to Lise Danvers.

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Quotes

Julie: Since last summer, I have met five boys.
André: What do you mean you "met" them?
Julie: We'd meet.
André: Where?
Julie: At parties. We kissed.
André: And that's all?
Julie: Yes.
André: On the lips?
Julie: No, Mum was always nearby.
André: Untouched. Thanks to my aunt. But today, she is far away...

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Connections

Featured in Love Express. The Disappearance of Walerian Borowczyk (2018)

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Soundtracks

La Messe de Notre-Dame
Guillaume de Machaut
disque ARCHIV PRODUKTION

User Reviews

Cult Classic

Contes Immoraux/Immoral Tales(1974) is an erotic series of short films that opens with "The Tide". This first tale is about a young girl who is taught by her cousin about the connection between sex and the highest peak of a water wave. The story is average and is the least interesting. This tale is about how sex and intellectual thinking can go hand to hand. About how sex and the idea of sexual contact is thought up by the middle class.

The second tale in the film is one of the two best tales in this sensual anthology. Its about a sexually repressed young woman that discovers her urges through her religion beliefs. Charlotte Alexandra who plays the sex hungry woman is excellent in the role as well as absolutely breathtaking and arousing. She finds her sexual pleasure through fantasies of sex and self sex using vegetables. The story is about a woman's yearning to be independant and feminine.

The tale telling of the Countess Elisabeth Bathory is the best story. It takes place during the final hours of the countess before her arrest at the orders of the king. The story takes a shot at the government structure by showing its self indulgence and absolute corruption. Elisabeth Bathory was not a vampire in the traditional sense. First, she was still alive and did not suck blood. Paloma Picasso, daughter of the fame artist is wonderful in the role of the infamous countess(interestingly, when she is arrested the kings men put a suit on her that reminds me of the prisoner's arrest suit in Brazil).

The next and final tale is about one of the most scandalous moments in the 20th Century. It features a shocking menage a trois that is very bold to view. The story is about the love affair between Lucrezia Borgia and her father, the pope plus another man. The sex sequences are disturbing and shocking. This story is very powerful in its depiction of religious corruption.