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 | masturbation | female masturbation | bare breasts | voyeur | 

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Taglines:

Four Erotic Tales That Take Us Back Through The Centuries

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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

The original version screened in 1974 was made up of five, not four episodes. Borowczyk removed one episode, 'The True Story of the Beast of Gevaudan', and expanded it to feature length as The Beast (1975). In 2010, a print of the original short film of 'The True Story of the Beast of Gevaudan' was discovered in a French archive. The uncut version was shown at New Horizons Film Festival in Poland on 24th of July 2013, and subsequeny included on the 2014 Arrow Blu-ray release.

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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

Referenced in Gloria mundi (1976)

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Soundtracks

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

User Reviews

This HAS to be some kind of record!

Okay, okay... 1974. The Europeans have figured out that a world-wide audience exists for films that portray full-frontal nudity, regardless of storyline or context. Borowczyk has chosen four stories from four eras to flaunt some skin... the 1970s right back to the 1400s. He takes the cake, however, with the third segment, featuring Pablo's daughter Paloma Picasso: she plays a countess in the 1700s bent on preserving her youth and vitality by bathing in the blood of virgins. To get this far, we are treated to the most incredible series of visuals ever filmed! At least thirty young, beautiful, and (gasp!) very naked women are brought forward to shower, cavort, pray, play with each other, and perform some sort of ritual that leads to their demise. You will watch the whole film, but you will come away remembering only this third segment. All the nudity aside, credit Borowczyk and crew for doing a fine job technically and photographically on this film. Definitely worth seeing.