Review: Bilitis

The title teenager (played by Patti D’Arbanville) is on holiday from her French boarding school, and staying with a married couple. The bulk of the film has her frolicking with a handsome photographer, but she is also drawn to the older Melissa (Mona Kristensen, then-wife of the director), whose husband treats his wife rough, to say the least.

When you read the synopsis, it sounds dubious, especially from a 2019 perspective. Having seen this 1977 softcore effort from British director and former photographer David Hamilton (who made the similar “Laura”, I can indeed confirm that it is rather a dubious effort, especially from a 2019 perspective. I can also confirm that if you can get past that (and that’s likely a big ‘if’ for most), it’s not that bad, if not up to the heights of “Emmanuelle II”. It helps that despite the teenage characters, the actresses are all clearly above age. Well, it helped me at least. Your mileage may differ. It’s certainly not nearly as artistic as its arty-farty, gauzy aesthetic might lead one to believe. In fact, if taken too seriously it’s barely able to be considered a ‘legit’ movie at all. However, taken for what it is, a softcore romp? It’s far from the worst of its kind.

Holding it back, are cold characters, with the title character played by Patti D’Arbanville being as aloof as the title character in the “Emmanuelle” series. I can’t say she was all that much fun to have around, naked or not. We also get a bit of unnecessary and decidedly unsexy, not especially consensual sex between husband and wife. That brought the fun factor down considerably for me, though the rest of the film is quite sensual in that soft-focus 70s Eurotrash kind of way. Even the bit where Bilitis pretty much fucks a tree. WTF was that? I don’t know, but it was weirdly kinda sorta hot.

Obviously not what I’d call any kind of legitimate film, and uneven on even a softcore sex level. However, this gauzy, Eurotrash number has its moments here and there for those who can keep their PC, 2019 perspectives in another room for 90 minutes or so. The film was obviously made in a different time, and although artistic-looking, is clearly not trying to be “Citizen Kane”. The simplistic screenplay is by Robert Boussinot (his only credit to date), Catherine Breillat (writer-director of the controversial “Romance” and “Anatomy of Hell”), and Jacques Nahum (also a director and producer) from a novel by Pierre Louys.

Rating: C+