Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		5.0
Overall		4.0

Marquis de Sade's Justine 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov February 18, 2023

Jess Franco's "Marquis de Sade's Justine" a.k.a. "Deadly Sanctuary" (1969) arrives on 4K Blu-ray courtesy of Blue Underground. The supplemental features on the disc include exclusive new program with Rosalba Neri; exclusive new audio commentary by critics Nathaniel Thompson and Troy Howarth; archival interviews with Jess Franco and producer Harry Alan Towers; vintage promotional materials for the film; and more. In English, with optional English SDH, French, and Spanish subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

Even by Jess Franco’s unusual standards Marquis De Sade’s Justine is a very strange film. It is clearly stuck between two completely different visions of what it should be, but excluding its young star Romina Power -- who later on had a marvelous career as a singer with her partner Al Bano -- no one else was apparently bothered by its strangeness. I can think of two reasons why: The one that makes the most sense to me is that the remaining stars that agreed to do the film were well aware of Franco’s projects during the late 1960s -- Succubus and 99 Women came out before Marquis De Sade’s Justine so he already had quite a reputation outside of Spain-- and knew that with him behind the camera all bets were off. The second reason is less likely but I would not dismiss it, which is that the actors that signed to do the film did it strictly for the money.

The film is based on Marquis de Sade’s novel Justine ou les malheurs de la vertu, but the novel was only a starting point for producer Harry Alan Towers, who wrote the script. This is essentially the reason why the end result is so awkward. Yes, Franco directed the film and there are obvious elements of his style everywhere in it, but it was not his film. It was Towers who had the final say and it is largely his vision that shaped up the film.

The narrative is broken into multiple uneven episodes, each focusing on a crucial event from Justine’s life. Once she parts ways with her sister Juliette (Maria Rohm, House of 1000 Dolls, Venus in Furs), however, the order in which these events occur becomes largely irrelevant. Between them, there are short inserts in which Klaus Kinski, who plays De Sade, appears but never utters a single word; his tormented face does all the talking. How these inserts are arranged is also largely irrelevant.

In each episode, Power looks hopelessly lost. She was never Franco’s first choice to play Justine and it is easy to see why – she does not understand the psychology of her character and the emotions she should convey. As a result, a number of the edgy scenes look notably dull.

Still, there are some unexpected thrills. Oscar-winner Jack Palance is hilarious as Brother Antonin, the leader of a group of wacky monks who are searching for the ultimate pleasure. There is one particular scene in which he attempts to deliver some sort of inspirational speech but looks genuinely inebriated. Oscar-winner Mercedes McCambridge plays a feisty lesbian who seems convinced that she is a female version of Robin Hood. There is a good scene with the beautiful Sylva Koscina, who becomes Marquise de Bressac and tries to poison her evil husband but fails miserably. The elegant Rosalba Neri also appears in the castle where Brother Antonin and the horny monks perform their "experiments".

The film was shot on location in Barcelona and many of the outdoor panoramic vistas look quite spectacular. However, the editing is unconvincing.

The unusually beautiful orchestral soundtrack was created by the prolific Italian composer and conductor Bruno Nicolai (Gianfranco Parolini’s Adios Sabata, Giuliano Carnimeo’s The Case of the Bloody Iris).

Marquis de Sade's Justine 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Blue Underground's release of Marquis de Sade's Justine is a 4K Blu-ray/Blu-ray combo pack. The 4K Blu-ray and Blu-ray are Region-Free. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location.

Please note that some of the screencaptures that appear with this article are taken from the 4K Blu-ray and are downscaled to 1080p. Therefore, they do not accurately reflect the quality of the 4K content on the 4K Blu-ray disc, including its actual color values.

Screencaptures #1-12 are from the Blu-ray.
Screencaptures #15-23 are from the 4K Blu-ray.

The native 4K presentation of the film can be viewed with Dolby Vision and HDR. I viewed the entire film with Dolby Vision, but also tested a few areas with HDR.

In 2015, Blue Underground introduced the 4K restoration of Marquis de Sade's Justine with this Blu-ray release, so I assumed that the 1080p presentation on this release would be identical. Much to my surprise, it is not. While very similar, it has a different color grade. How different? Well, saturation levels have been tweaked, so in some areas just about everything looks lusher. I went back and forth between multiple areas to be absolutely sure that what I was seeing was correct and took several screencaptures to highlight the difference: see screencaptures #8, 10, and 11. In 1080p, the dynamic range of the visuals looks slightly better. My only concern is the elevation of blue and blue nuances because a few times they just about acquire that odd neon-esque quality that pops up on modern grading jobs and tends to replace proper blue(s) with either turquoise or cyan. Here the blues still look very good and proper but are dangerously close to becoming problematic. Trained eyes will notice the shift in sky shots. The rest looks excellent. However, the encode could have been stronger.

In native 4K, the film looks gorgeous. On my system, the Dolby Vision grade balances a wide range of nuances very well, so the areas that tend to look a tad too vibrant in 1080p are more convincing. The improvement has a noticeable impact on the dynamic range of the visuals too, with depth and clarity benefiting the most. In other words, if you are wondering whether there is a decent upgrade in quality while moving from the excellent 1080p presentation to the native 4K presentation, the answer is yes. Fluidity is spectacular even in areas where native fluctuations are retained. All in all, excluding a few minor color adjustments, I think that Marquis de Sade's Justine looks absolutely incredible in native 4K. My score is 4.75/5.00.

Marquis de Sade's Justine 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0. Optional white English SDH, French, and Spanish subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The lossless track is excellent. Bruno Nicolai's sounds wonderful and dynamic contrasts are some of the best that you can hear on a Jess Franco film. The dialog is very clear, sharp, stable, and always easy to follow. I did not encounter any anomalies to report in our review.

Marquis de Sade's Justine 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

4K BLU-RAY DISC

• Commentary - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by critics Nathaniel Thompson and Troy Howarth. The commentary covers various topics, from the work and controversial legacy of Marquis de Sade to Jess Franco's fascination with it to the conception, strengths, and weaknesses of Marquis de Sade's Justine. Also, there are some interesting comments about the film's publicity and reputation.

• French Trailer - original French trailer for Marquis de Sade's Justine. In French, with white English subtitles. (4 min).

BLU-RAY DISC

• On Set with Jess - in this exclusive new program, star Rosalba Neri recalls what it was like to work with Jess Franco on 99 Women and Marquis de Sade's Justine. At the end of the program, Mrs. Neri has a wonderful, quite moving message for her fans as well. In Italian, with optional English subtitles. (9 min).

• Commentary - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by critics Nathaniel Thompson and Troy Howarth. The commentary covers various topics, from the work and controversial legacy of Marquis de Sade to Jess Franco's fascination with it to the conception, strengths, and weaknesses of Marquis de Sade's Justine. Also, there are some interesting comments about the film's publicity and reputation.

• Stephen Thrower on Justine - in this exclusive new video interview, Stephen Thrower, author of Murderous Passions: The Delirious Cinema of Jesus Franco, discusses the unusual production history of Marquis de Sade's Justine, the socio-political environment in Spain and Europe at the time when the film was completed, Jess Franco's working relationship with producer Harry Alan Towers, the evolution of his style, some of the similarities and differences between Marquis de Sade's novel and the film it inspired, etc. In English, not subtitled. (18 min).

• The Perils and Pleasures of Justine - in this archival interview, director Jess Franco and producer Harry Alan Towers discuss their professional relationship, the production history of Marquis de Sade's Justine, the film's massive budget (which was more than $1 million and remained Jess Franco's most expensive project), the dangerous environment in Spain, the locations in Barcelona where the film was shot, the casting process (with some very interesting comments about Romina Power), etc. In English and French, with imposed yellow English subtitles where necessary. (20 min).

• Poster & Still Gallery - a wonderful collection of original posters from around the world, advertising materials, lobby cards, blank-and-white stills, covers/jackets of home video and soundtrack releases. The gallery was compiled by Gregory Chick.

• French Trailer - original French trailer for Marquis de Sade's Justine. In French, with white English subtitles. (4 min).

• Deadly Sanctuary - presented here is the shorter U.S. version of Marquis de Sade's Justine. Fully restored. In English, not subtitled. DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0. 1080p. (96 min).

Marquis de Sade's Justine 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Jess Franco's films are truly in a category of their own. Marquis de Sade's Justine was his most expensive project but it is quite the surreal head-scratcher. Still, I definitely think that it is worth experiencing, especially if you are an admirer of some of the big stars that appear in it. I guarantee that at the very least you will be amused by the "acting". This 4K Blu-ray/Blu-ray combo pack offers a spectacular technical presentation of the 4K restoration of Marquis de Sade's Justine, the shorter U.S. version of the film, and a couple of exclusive new bonus features, one of which is a lovely recent program with Rosalba Neri. I think that it is a rather special gift for Franco fans that only Blue Underground could have produced. RECOMMENDED.