Furies Sexuelles Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.0

Furies Sexuelles Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf April 28, 2021

1976’s “Furies Sexuelles” is not a movie for a casual evening of adult entertainment. Director Alain Payet attempts to bring darkness to the picture, which concerns the psychological and physical destruction of a woman turning to prostitution to solve her financial problems, getting in too deep with distorted male sexuality and all the violence it contains. Payet endeavors to make a film that follows certain adult cinema demands, but he’s also interested in creating a rough ride of kink play and disturbing behavior, offering more of a dramatic feature than one focused solely on titillation.

It’s hard to imagine a more challenging way to begin an adult movie, but Payet elects to open “Furies Sexuelles” in a hospital room, where Marie- Madeleine has just attempted suicide, soon explaining to a doctor her reasons for doing so. “Furies Sexuelles” tracks the corruption of this character, who evolves from a sexually harassed lingerie store employee to a reluctant prostitute, experiencing the horrors of clients who demand something more than simple copulation. She’s making the change to support her daughter, but quickly realizes the psychological complexities of the job, along with safety concerns. Payet doesn’t take it easy on Marie-Madeleine, exposing her to predatory people, and he occasionally wanders off to experience the secret lives of others, adding some S&M to the feature, along with other surprises.

Furies Sexuelles Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (1.67:1 aspect ratio) presentation is sourced from a new 2K scan of the 35mm negative, delivering a full refreshing for "Furies Sexuelles," giving the endeavor a second life in HD. Detail is excellent with the often grungy visuals, picking up on body particulars and period costuming. Room decoration is open for inspection, and street tours are dimensional. Color emerges with authority, embracing the hot reds of the disco scene, and clothing also carries potent hues. Delineation is satisfactory. Grain is fine and film-like. Some speckling and scratches are detected, along with a few damaged frames.

Furies Sexuelles Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 2.0 DTS-HD sound mix delivers a basic listening experience for "Furies Sexuelles," which is primarily focused on dubbed dialogue exchanges. Performances are appreciable and comfortable, with some shrill highs found during moments of screamed distress. Music is simple, supporting with a mild disco beat.

Furies Sexuelles Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Interview (27:16, HD) sits down with actor Richard Allan, who offers his experiences in the French adult film industry. For "Furies Sexuelles," the interviewee details his casting experience, which was basically an assessment of good looks and the ability to achieve an instant erection. He examines his relationship with director Alain Payet, warmly reflecting on the man and his movies, but also challenging the difficult content in "Furies Sexuelles." Allan spends time remembering co-stars (including actors from "Prostitution Clandestine") and friends, many of whom have passed away, and he shares memories of industry evolution, encountering a loosening of censorship in the 1970s and the birth of gonzo filmmaking in the 1980s. An anecdote concerning some hotel hellraising with Payet is shared, and Allan closes with thoughts on his brief move into production before stepping away from adult movies.

• Bonus Belgium Scene (5:29, HD) is an unidentified deleted sequence from "Furies Sexuelles," involving a strange man in David Bowie-esque makeup commanding a prostitute to dress in a cartoonish Native American costume, tie him up, and sodomize him with a vegetable.

• Archival Article Gallery (1:40) collects magazine pages and pictorials celebrating the release of "Furies Sexuelles" and "Prostitution Clandestine."

• A Theatrical Trailer has not been included on this release.

Furies Sexuelles Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"Furies Sexuelles" is interesting in its extremity, created during a period of time when adult directors were hunting to make films with gritty characters and challenging content, and Payet ends up with more of a drama than a series of cheap thrills. The helmer isn't great about pace, often photographing actors sitting and staring, and the aggression of the material is disturbing, making the feature strictly for connoisseurs of adult cinema, especially French endeavors and their roller coaster rides of content and tone.