THE PUNISHMENT (1973)
aka La Punition
Label: Mondo Macabro
Region Code: Region-Free
Rating: Unrated
Duration: 90 Minutes 14 Seconds
Audio: French DTS-HD MA 2.0 Dual-Mono with Optional English Subtitles
Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (1.66:1) )
Director: Pierre-Alain Jolivet
Cast: Karin Schubert, Georges Géret, Amidou, Claudie Lange
Pierre-Alain Jolivet’s 1973 BDSM-psychological thriller The Punishment (La Punition), a real French rarity adapted from a novel of the same name, follows Britt (Karin Schubert, Christina, Panther Squad, Black Emmanuelle), a young girl looking for more from life than her small rural village can offer, travelling to Paris where she meets sophisticated older socialite Françoise (Claudie Lange, Death Walks On High Heels), who takes her under her wing, promising her glamor and wealth, introducing her to her high-rent social circles, unaware at first that she is being groomed onto a sexual escort, which becomes clearer once she is introduced to Manuel (Georges Géret, Trap for the Assassin) who wants to pimp her out to his rich and powerful clients. After being beaten by one of Manuel's clients she cries and is punished for doing so by being subjected to "The Punishment", a program of sexual degradation and humiliation, her only possible salvation is Manuel's henchman Raymond (Amidou, Sorcerer), who seems sympathetic to her plight, but also might have his own motivations for helping her.
The Punishment offers BDSM softcore-sleaze that is still pretty arty, thanks to the lush and colorful cinematography of Bernard Daillencourt (Immoral Tales), which I appreciated, this style of erotic thriller is not exactly my cup o' tea, but that candy-coated veneer certainly helps. Karin Schubert gives an effecting and sympathetic turn as Britt, her character is really being put through it here, whipped until bloody, it's visceral, but also gorgeously shot, and Schubert is a stunning woman, easy to look at, but the depths of the depravity she's bang put through can be grueling to endure, made all the more affecting by her fantastic performance.
Audio/Video: The Punishment (1973) arrives on region-free Blu-ray from Mondo Macabro, presented in 1080p HD framed in 1.66:1 widescreen, sourced from a 'Brand new 4k restoration from original negative', The image looks fantastic, healthy grain is evident throughout, contrast and clarity are pleasing, the colors are well saturated with healthy looking skin tones. Audio comes by way of English DTS-HD MA French 2.0 dual-mono with optional English subtitles. French dialogue is always crisp and intelligible, atmospherics sounds great, and the score, which does excellent work underpinning the psychological elements and tension sounds terrific.
The disc extras include a new Audio commentary by Samm Deighan, who always does terrific work with these obscure, transgressive slice of cinema, getting into the source novel, the cast and crew and the themes of the film. There's also a 36-min Exclusive interview with composer and actor Bookie Binkley that gets into his career, getting the gig, and his thoughts on what he was trying to bring tot he film through his score. Next is a 23-min Interview with camera operator Noel Very who talks about his career, getting the gig on The Punishment, and how his role evolved throughout the production, and his thoughts on the finished film. We also get a 9-min Interview with writer Jean-Luc Marret, author of the Karin Schubert biography 'Pornification: Vie de Karin Schubert', talks about her life and career and offers an appreciation of this film. The last of the extras is a 3-min Publicity Parade with a gallery of promotional materials for the film. The single-disc release arrives in a standard keepcase with a single-sided sleeve of artwork.
Special Features:
- Brand new 4k restoration from original negative.
- Exclusive interview with composer and actor Bookie Binkley (35:50)
- Interview with camera operator Noel Very (22:56)
- Interview with writer Jean-Luc Marret (8:43)
- Audio commentary by Samm Deighan.
- Publicity Parade (2:59)
Buy it!
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