Opisy(1)
French adult films of the mid-70’s were indeed works of art, considered the new avant-garde and created by film professionals and young cinephiles from the generation which took to the streets in 1968. And Claude Mulot, also known by his nom de porn Frederic Lansac, was the foremost auteur of the times. His pornographic satire never settles for a mere copy of Stanley Kubrick’s Dr. Strangelove. Instead it holds is own while poking fun of high society and uncovering the yearnings of the flesh covered up by the bourgeoisie’s false morals. A classy dinner of a wealthy banker’s family and guests turns into a raunchy orgy, while the world is spiralling towards destruction as the Soviet and American leaders argue over the hot line where the best porn films are made. (The Shockproof Film Festival)
(więcej)Recenzje (1)
In 1976, the French legislation governing pornography was tightened, which brought about a restriction of the space for showing films in cinemas and, mainly, imposed high taxes on producers. This resulted in diminished budgets and thus the end of the spectacular boom in French porn. Shocking! is the last of Claude Mulot’s generously financed productions and thus also one of his most ambitious and entertaining projects. It can be described as a porn variation on Dr. Strangelove. As civil unrest escalates on the streets of Paris and the world descends into World War III (illustrated by documentary footage from the Second World War and Vietnam), which was started by faulty contacts in ballistic missiles, a lavish dinner party of the hypocritical French upper crust turns into a night when, as in The Decameron, all social masks fall away in the last tremor of existence and unbridled pleasure becomes a euphoric affirmation of existence. And on top of that, the American and Soviet presidents are provoking each other over the hotline, arguing over where the best porn flicks are made, and then in their euphoria they accidentally trigger a nuclear holocaust. In addition to placing a number of absurd desires and bizarre practices in the context of the last orgy in the face of the end of the world, Mulot focuses on exposing the ridiculous hypocrisy of conservative society. The hedonistic strain of the apocalypse brings about the end of dictated restraints, the unleashing of denied or secretly fulfilled desires, and thus the absolute freedom of the body. But Mulot’s peak work of satirical pornography also points out the rottenness of society and the elite (from statesmen to media moralists to unscrupulous mammonists) as they obstinately cling to their vanity and social roles. As in Dr. Strangelove, the satire in Shocking! straddles the line between depressing bitterness and boisterous humour, though the abundance of absolutely absurd details, wicked jokes (the two presidents look identical, distinguished only by the kind of alcohol on their respective desks) and, above all, twisted sexual appetites indicate that entertainment had the same level of priority for Mulot as criticising society and political power did. Shocking! offers some of the most articulate proof that pornography can be an entirely equally credible means of creative expression as other film genres. ____ As is usually the case with the distributor Alpha France, the French DVD release of Shocking! is in remastered quality, but unfortunately 13 minutes of footage have been cut out of it so that it could fit on one disc with two other films. The film thus lacks a few passages that additionally develop the characters (e.g. the sequence in which the secretary Armelle takes offence at her sister’s sexual exuberance and the scenes in which the teacher recalls her moments with her lover). The complete version is available on a German VHS release.
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Galeria (5)
Photo © Alpha France
