The Erotic Scent of The Duke

Peter Strickland, the man behind BERBERIAN SOUND STUDIO, a film I liked somewhat, returns to the screen with THE DUKE OF BURGUNDY,  a softcore, semi-sleazy yarn set in a world of women. The masculine title, according to Strickland, is meant to be ironic.

The film's initial spurt of inspiration was Jess Franco's LORNA THE EXORCIST: Strickland contemplated remaking that film for a couple of weeks before losing interest and leaving well enough alone. He did, however, stay on-topic, and delivers here a lesbian love story within a half-assed S/M structure; I say half-assed because one of the pretty asses in this movie doesn't seem quite as keen on the game as her "partner". Still, plenty of carnal fireworks emerge from the pairing, and there's a reasonable amount of nudity, some sex acts including a nice cunnilingus sequence, and bouts of imprisonment and servitude.

BURGANDY's women-only world is an interesting one, and forges a tone not unlike the world of Lucile Hadzihalilovic's INNOCENCE, a film exclusively featuring young girls adrift in a type of purgatory on earth. The women in Strickland's film are middle- to upper-class and enjoy meeting in stately drawing rooms to discuss insects. Although none but the central duo have sex with each other, one assumes there's plenty of lesbian sex going on behind closed doors.

Jess Franco's obsessions do seem to color BURGANDY, even though, technically, the film is more rigid and even-tempered than anything Jess ever made. The featured ladies think about sex a lot, which is good for the audience, and nobody seems to do anything terribly productive to fund the lifestyle they're enjoying (like Jess's ladies). The setting is the European countryside, and the true location (Hungary) is never referenced; probably a wise choice because this uncertainty gives the film a more fantastique vibe.

Actress Chiara D'Anna, who was also in BERBERIAN, is exquisitely carnal and subtly threatening in her role as Evelyn, the deceptively submissive actor in this little game. Her lover, Cynthia, is played with impeccable restraint by Sidse Babett Knudsen, a busy actress who appeared previously in television's BORGEN and the Mads Mikkelsen feature AFTER THE WEDDING. Both women carry the movie on strong shoulders, and make us believe in what is essentially very rich, dark nonsense.

Special mention goes to the film's opening title sequence; it captures quite perfectly title sequences from British thrillers that used freeze frames and often suffered visually (becoming dark and grainy) when dissolves were employed. Here, the technical deficits of these films are used as stylistic devices, and the result is sumptuous and atmospheric. The band, Cat's Eyes, provide a stunning score (available on CD), although nothing is quite as stunning as "The Duke Of Burgundy" title song ("Black Madonna" perhaps?), produced to replicate the sound and sweet fever of an old Carpenters song with Karen's gorgeous voice. It's just magic.

I'm dead against revealing plots and detailing story points, so I simply urge you to seek out and lap up this rare cinematic treat that was produced by Andrew Starke (currently making the superbly titled THE GREASY STRANGLER) and Exec Produced by Ben Wheatley. There is also a connection here to Pete Tombs and the Mondo-Macbro video label (that label did release LORNA THE EXORCIST).

Jess Franco would have been partial to this fine film and its proud obsessions.

Tohjiro's Output

I've been a fan of Tohjiro's work/output for quite some time. He's taken porn in very unusual directions. Recently, "output" describes the content he's focusing on.

Frankly, I don't find excessive vomiting terribly erotic, although it does possess a certain Grand Guignol audacity.

The freak show dominates the director's work and, to some extent, that of other Dogma 'auteurs'. Japan's bizarre censorship laws permit explicit focus on the anus and its expulsions while draping quivering mosaic shapes over the vagina and its surroundings.

 

Ultra-hard S/M remains a constant on Tohjiro's horizon. Although the covers convey a rich aesthetic, the productions themselves often lack such riches -- reduced, unfortunately, to handheld, poorly lit tableaux.

My introduction to Tohjiro was a screening (approximately ten years ago) of the best piece of lesbian erotica I've ever seen. It was a film he produced prior to forming Dogma and involved two beautiful women in a traditional Japanese setting.

Incest Explosion

I like pornography/erotica that flies over the wall.

Incest flies over the walls of most people because of its "forbidden" nature. If it was practiced openly in most Western societies, its pornographic appeal would probably be lost.

Incest is one of the easiest erotic genres to scam. The majority of incest pornography is not authentic. Some is, for sure, but the business seems to get by on large doses of make-believe.

Joe Sarno's Confessions of an American Wife was made at a time when incest-themed erotica was a very hot proposition. The film is not really ABOUT incest, but the sexual tension between mother/daughter, and the luscious Jennifer Welles' blazing presence, sets the celluloid on fire.

Unfortunately, incest went out of vogue in America when pasteurized blandness came into vogue (around the time when 42nd St. was shuttered) and stayed for good.

In European porn, there is a blunt acknowledgment that the older set enjoy sex as much as the younger set. If you just relied on American porn for your enlightenment, you'd be under the impression that sex is the exclusive domain of the young and bitchy.

The covers for hardcore incest-themed efforts such as 'The Incest Family' further suggest that the incest within is real. The presence of the older gentleman, with his average guy looks, feeds the fantasy of the average viewer.

I like the black bands over the eyes. Another attempt at authenticity. And who's to say it isn't?

1998's L'Incesto is a steamy porno pic from director/actor Christoph Clark. It starred real life Hungarian sisters Angelica Bella and Veronica Bella, who were just seven years apart. And, yes, they cross the wall.

There is something so wrong but so right about this cross-generational depiction of incest. The bloke backing his wang into his daughter (or representation of) looks like a gangster who's just been busted mid-coitus by his wife.

Bless the Europeans!
A fairly poor American X-rater featuring Zebbedy Colt doing his on-screen daughter. Although actress Jean Jennings was cute, the film is a plodding, inept mess.

The majority of incest pornography is produced in Germany, France, or Italy. There is a smattering of content from Japan, too.

Design-wise, the Italian covers are probably the best. They don't sell the theme as something smutty and cheap. They give it some respect. As a result, there are at least a dozen super-hot incest flicks from Italy (hardcore and softcore).

Stunning cover art from a defunct Tokyo production company.

Incest anime, and this is one of the best of the bunch.

An attempt to blend porn paperback art with traditional porno treatment of the subject.

No argument here.

This one combines pregnancy and incest.

The old/young mix is a popular European genre that is virtually non-existent in the youth-obsessed US. However, as the population ages and birth rates plummet, it will be interesting to watch the growth of this niche Stateside.

Lesbian incest. Note the "100% Italian" label on the older woman's thigh. Clearly, the proud Italians like their incest porn pure and homegrown.

Another Zebbedy Colt effort. I read about this flick for years. When I finally saw it, I was bored. Definitely not a relic from anybody's "Golden Age".

Something very hot about this girl. Perhaps it's the way she's casually looking back at the camera while having her vagina stuffed.

The Europeans capture the rawness and anarchy of the sex act so beautifully.

There's no artifice.

More Italian incest, this time from producer/director Mario Salieri, who has churned out a load of impressive pornography and an entire catalog of period (as in "historical") pornography; it's likely he's dabbled in menstruation-themed porn, too.

Whether its authentic or faked, the theme is an evergreen.