THE IMAGE
DVD Region 0. Synapse Films

Best known for his glossy Euro-softcore films like Camille 2000 and The Lickerish Quartet, Radley Metzger would move into hardcore during the mid-Seventies. As Henry Paris, he would shoot some of the most acclaimed Porno Chic movies - The Opening of Misty Beethoven, Barbara Broadcast, The Private Afternoons of Pamela Mann and others. But straddling his softcore and hardcore career are a couple of oddities - the bi-sexual comedy Score, and this intense SM tale, shot in 1975.

Adapted with remarkable faithfulness from the novel by Jean de Berg (right down to including chapter headings!), The Image (better known as The Punishment of Anne but here presented under the original title) - much like Gerard Damiano's The Story of Joanna, shot around the same time - rushed in where The Story of O had failed to tread, combining lush production values, elegant style, hardcore sex and some of the most extreme SM ever seen.

Set in Paris, The Image tells the story of Jean (Carl Parker), a writer who meets an old friend Claire (Marilyn Roberts) at a party. Claire is accompanied by her new protÈgÈ Anne (Mary Mendum, better known as porn star Rebecca Brooke) and before long, all three are involved in a kinky power relationship with Anne at the centre. Throughout the film, Parker is blissfully clueless as to what the relationship between the two women really is, and eventually, his blundering undoes everything.

Metzger follows the novel almost word-for-word, and directs with a potent sense of style. Every shot seems to be artfully arranged, and - understanding the power dynamic of SM - Metzger adopts a leisurely, sedate pace, never rushing into scenes. For once in an adult movie, the anticipation is as important as the pay-off.

The three main characters are all excellent in their roles. Praise is especially due to Mendum, who is not only quite breathtakingly gorgeous, but also manages to convey more emotion in her eyes than many actors managed with their whole bodies. Whether showing genuine terror as a particularly fiendish punishment is prepared, nervous tension as she is publicly humiliated or moments of contempt and real power, she is perfect in her role.

The Image sits perfectly between Metzger's softcore and hardcore work. Although there is no restraint shown during the SM scenes, his sex scenes are a weird hybrid: there are numerous explicit blow job shots, but no penetration is shown. There are also two pissing scenes, both of which are excellently done and - amazingly enough - integral to the story!

One of the best erotic films ever made, The Image deserves to be part of any collection.

Synapse's DVD provides the best version of the film to date - not that difficult given the number of censored, poor quality prints that emerged on VHS. It's transferred from a newly struck master print, it looks and sounds great. The disc also has the haunting musical score available as an isolated track, and includes trailers for Metzger's softcore films.

DAVID FLINT

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