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Erotic Blackmail (1974)

Studio: One 7 Movies

Theatrical Release: August 21, 1974 (France)

DVD Release: January 7, 2014

Director: Eddy Naka

Not Rated

Review by James Klein





Maybe I am just not cut out for European erotic cinema. I guess I prefer good old fashioned American smut. It doesn't try to be arty and goes right for the gonads (or at least the point). Erotic Blackmail is a film that claims to have been lost for years and the fact that this is the only known surviving form available should entice some people. Some people.

This confusing tale of erotic betrayal is about two women in their late 30's / early 40's who still have their sexual urges unfulfilled. Both are married but can't help but have a wondering eye. Valarie is the more down to earth wife where Delphine is the one who loves to fro-lock about by being adventurous, such as driving off to the woods with her husband and being given oral sex out in the open. Because of this, a young horny man named Julien sees this and takes it upon himself to try and seduce the woman and even Valerie later on.
Erotic Blackmail

But before the actual plot takes place, the audience is given too many subplot back ground information about these couples and their families. What is the point of the young slutty sister aside from seeing her nude butt later on? What do we care about all these psychedelic flashback sequences that happened to these women in the past, if its never brought up again? Who is the newspaper reporter talking to that's getting all the info down as to what happened? It takes forever to get to the point of the movie.
blackmail

As the two women decide to go on a date with Julien and his just as horny friend to a bowling alley, the date doesn't go as planned and the two women leave. The Men follow the women back to their home, rape them and get them drunk. While intoxicated, these men take pictures of the women for shits and giggles. Not knowing what to tell their husbands, the two women are unsure as to what to say until they are sent the nude pictures back to them with a threat of black mail. When the women are forced to tell their old men, they get a tad angry and search these men out.

While that may sound like an interesting premise, the execution is all off and director Eddy Naka has no idea what he is doing behind the camera. What is up with the constant editing between the rape and a close up of this old woman? Why do we see a car speeding by countless times in various slow motion? Oh one of my favorite WTF moments is the hunting sequence where Valarie forces a hunter to get nude. He does so while a Benny Hill type song is played with the camera speeded up. Makes no sense but it had me laughing. And the down beat ending comes out of left field.

The DVD is on par with other obscure One 7 Movies...it looks like shit. The 1:33 picture is a mess and looks worse than an old VHS tape left in a wet basement. Younger viewers or those used to blu ray quality wouldn't get past the first minute. I also had to crank up the mono soundtrack. I know its a lost film and rare to find so I do forgive the fact that the film looks really bad. But with no special features on the disc, I can't help but wonder if this film is really some lost French erotica masterpiece? What is the point of releasing this lost 'gem"?

Movie & DVD [Rating: 1.5]

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