Jean-Michel BOURREAU
The first Time i saw "Bilitis" in a Cinema, fascination took over the wonderful Images of David Hamilton. I think i went 6 or 7 times to watch "Bilitis" in the Cinema when it came out. I always wanted to buy the Film but couldn't get it and after many years of waiting i finally found a VHS-Cassette on a Fleamarket. My Luck: Great condition.Unfortunately this Movie is often listed as a "Adult"-Movie, but it's not and to my opinion the most misunderstood Movie in it's Genre. This Film shows very deeply the Emotions from a Female point of view, with all up's and down's."Bilitis" is one of these rare Movies that must be watched more than once to really get all the fine Details in the Images and Story. Sure, it contains a lot Erotic Moments but in a very beautiful and tasteful manner, unseen before.For me a "must have" in a Movie Collection and this is why i rate this Movie as "Excelent".Michel Bourreau, France
lazarillo
Sometimes my quest to see every notorious European sex film from the 70's leads me very far afield--and sometimes it just leads to a lot of boredom. I saw this film back-to-back with Catherine Breillat's directorial debut "Un Vrai Jeune Fille" (Breillat was co-writer of this film as well). Both are very pretentious, but while "Jeune Fille" is genuinely disturbing yet also realistic in a strange way, this film is simply dull and rarely rises above the most generic level of male fantasy. The director David Hamilton, depending on who you ask, is either a brilliant photographer or an incorrigible pervert. His main subject of interest was capturing adolescent and post-adolescent females at their most nubile. He's definitely in hog heaven at the beginning of this film which is set at a French girls' school the protagonist is attending. This apparently is a VERY liberal school where the students freely skinny-dip, openly engage in lesbian frolics, and even put on Greek plays for their families wearing nearly diaphanous togas that barely cover their lissome bodies. Naturally, ALL these girls are model beautiful. It's probably best not to wonder how old some of them were at the time, but the lead, American actress Patty D'Arbanville, was actually in her mid-20's, although she looks younger.As questionable as the first half hour may be though, it certainly achieves it effect (it's surpassed only by the "Barthory" section of Walerian Borowzyx's "Immoral Tales" in its sheer gratuitous display of nubile skin). It's really the second hour that's the problem. D'Arbanville's character "Bilitis" goes to stay with her ridiculously young female "guardian" (Mona Christensen) and the latter's unfaithful, brutish husband. "Bilitis" falls in love with the (slightly)older woman and they have a long lesbian sex scene. The guardian spurns her afterwards, but "Bilitis", taking it like a trooper, decides to try to personally "find a man" for her after her husband walks out. "Bilitis" also has a would-be beau herself, a young photographer (just like the director, hmmm). Respected actor Mathieu Carriere also shows up as one would-be suitor for the "older" woman, but I THINK he's supposed to be gay. The film ends with EVERYONE left pretty unhappy, which is really the only place the downbeat influence of Breillat shows through the soft-focus schmaltz of Hamilton.Although he is the polar opposites in his taste in women (Hamilton's actresses rarely have enough fat on their young bodies to make for more than a B-cup), David Hamilton is a lot like "bosomaniac" American director Russ Meyer in a way. No heterosexual male can honestly say he is turned off by bountiful breasts OR nubile 18-year-old bodies, but if you don't happen to share either of these director's obsessive personal fetishes, their work gets kind of tedious after awhile. This movie would have been vastly improved , for instance, if the guardian had been played by a voluptuous older woman instead of another young nymph like Christensen. (It's not that I really advocate inter-generational lesbian sex, but if you're gonna do it, do it right). I'd definitely recommend this for David Hamilton fans, but otherwise, ehhhhh.
P.S. Paaskynen
One must understand this film in the light of its background. In the 1970s the success of the sexual revolution in Europe had made things possible in mainstream film that perhaps would be frowned at today. David Hamilton was a photographer that made a name for himself with hyper-romantic images of mostly young teens. He developed a technique that involved copious amounts of vaseline on the lens to create a unique blurred effect. Out of this success the desire was born to translate his trademark style to film.As basis for the film an older story about an innocent young girl discovering and exploring her sexuality was used, but the storyline is largely inconsequential since it merely serves as a framework for Hamilton's soft focus tableaux. The result is that the film feels a bit like pink cotton candy: overly sweet and insubstantial. That it still remains palatable is due to just the pretty images and the excellent musical score by Francis Lai.
himhim_bt
I remember I watched this movie when it 1st came out - 1977I was only a kid then!!! The story and how it was filmed was like a 'mystery' to me until a few years following that, I was sent to a boarding school in England.But that wasn't the end - I was fasinated that I was going to experience the life of Bilitis - but it happened it was nothing like it - and the memory of watching Bilitis remains as mystery to me until today!The music of the original soundtrack - till today - fresh and inviting to all ages.
