Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.5
Overall		4.0

Marquis de Sade's Justine Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov January 4, 2016

Jess Franco's "Marquis de Sade's Justine" a.k.a. "Deadly Sanctuary" (1969) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of independent distributors Blue Underground. The supplemental features on the disc include an original French trailer for the film; new video interview with author and film historian Stephen Thrower; archival interviews with Jess Franco and producer Harry Alan Towers; and poster and still gallery. Also included with this release is a CD with Bruno Nicolai's soundtrack for the film, as well as 18-page illustrated booklet with writings on the film and technical credits. In English, with optional English SDH, French, and Spanish subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

Young and innoncent

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 Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.67:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Jess Franco's Marquis de Sade's Justine arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Blue Underground.

The film has been fully restored in 4K and looks simply stunning in high-definition. Clarity and especially image depth are quite incredible, while fluidity is the best that I have seen on a home video release of a Franco film. (I have quite a few of Ascot Elite's German releases from the Golden Goya Collection and not a single one of them comes even close to matching the quality of this release). Grain is very evenly distributed and beautifully resolved and there isn't even a whiff of edge-enhancement. Colors are very lush, stable, and natural. Also, image stability is excellent. There are no large debris, cuts, damage marks, stains, or torn frames to report in our review. Indeed, a truly fantastic presentation which will remain the definitive presentation of Marquis de Sade's Justine. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location).

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

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional yellow English SDH, French, and Spanish subtitles are provided for the main feature.

Excluding some light unevenness, which is quite common in Jess Franco's films, the audio is as good as it can possibly be. Clarity and separation are excellent and there is absolutely no background hiss and distortions. The dialog is very easy to follow.

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

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

• 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.

• Soundtrack - Bruno Nicolai's soundtrack for Marquis de Sade's Justine presented on a separate CD. Licensed by Beat Records. (27 tracks. Running time: 57.02).

• Booklet - 18-page illustrated booklet featuring "Bambi Meets The Monsters: Jess Franco's Justine". (By Stephen Thrower, adapted from his book Murderous Passions: The Delirious Cinema of Jesus Franco. Strange Attractor Press. Available from www.strangeattractor.co.uk).

• Cover - reversible cover.

Marquis de Sade's Justine 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". Blue Underground's Blu-ray release is a real stunner. I've seen all but two of the various Jess Franco films that have been released on Blu-ray in Europe and North America and I can categorically state that not a single one looks as good as Marquis de Sade's Justine. Hopefully Blue Underground will produce similar 4K restorations of Succubus, The Girl From Rio, Venus in Furs, and Two Undercover Angels / Kiss Me Monster. Fantastic release. RECOMMENDED.