The Sexual Story of O – Severin Films (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Spain, 1984
Director: Jesús Franco
Writer: Jesús Franco
Cast: Alicia Príncipe, Carmen Carrión, Daniel Katz, Mari Carmen Nieto, Mauro Ribera

Release Date: August 29th, 2023
Approximate Running Time: 92 Minutes 9 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVCC
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD Mono Spanish
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: $29.95

"When a vacationing nymphet (Alicia Príncipe of Night Has a Thousand Desires) is seduced by an amoral couple, she'll be sold into a nightmare of desire, degeneracy and a climax of carnal torment that remains one of the most disturbing sequences in Uncle Jess' entire '80s oeuvre." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.25/5

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, “presented in HD for the first time ever.”

The Sexual Story of O comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 33.6 GB

Feature: 26.1 GB

Though the information about this transfer is vague, the source is actually in great shape. Flesh tones look healthy, colors are nicely saturated, image clarity and black levels are strong, compression is very good, and there are no issues with digital noise reduction.

Audio: 4.25/5

This release comes with one audio option, a DTS-HD mono mix in Spanish with removable English subtitles. There are no issues with distortion or background noise; the dialog comes through clearly; everything sounds balanced; and range-wise, things sound very good.

Extras:

Extras for this release include an archival interview with director Jesús Franco titled Franco's O (14 minutes 45 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), a featurette titled In The Land Of Franco Part 8 with Stephen Thrower, actress Monica Swinn and Alain Petit (19 minutes 6 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English and French with non-removable English subtitles for French), and an interview with Stephen Thrower, author of Flowers of Perversion: The Delirious Cinema of Jesús Franco titled Sexual Story Of Franc-O (19 minutes 26 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles).

Summary:

Jess Franco’s The Sexual Story of O should not be confused with Just Jaeckin’s film The Story of O. Jess Franco was forced to use the title because, at the time, Just Jaeckin’s films were very successful. The Sexual Story of O, like many of Jess Franco’s films, can find its inspiration in the works of the Marquis de Sade. Visually, The Sexual Story of O is a well-made film that is filled with beautiful compositions that perfectly complement its various locations. Also, Jess Franco’s style is evident throughout; it is just not as heavy-handed as he gets in some of his films.

The narrative revolves around a young American tourist who meets a couple who gain her trust before making her a sex slave.

The most surprising aspect of The Sexual Story of O is how the erotic scenes are not as explicit as one would expect while watching a Jess Franco film. Ironically, the erotic scenes in The Sexual Story of O are some of the least effective that I have seen in any Jess Franco film. I found them crudely put together and as un-sexy as these types of scenes can be. During the interview included with this release, Jess Franco does discuss how he wanted to make an erotic film unlike anything he had previously done. So maybe these lackluster erotic scenes are intentional.

When it comes to narrative and characters in these two areas, The Sexual Story of O is anemic. The first half of the film, which focuses on the couple building a relationship with the young American girl, is padded with sex scenes and other moments of erotica. Also, there is minimal dialog in this opening setup. The second half of the film is where things start to get interesting. If you can make it through the first half of the film, you will be rewarded with a much stronger second half, which culminates with an ending that could have only come from the mind of Jess Franco.

Unlike most of Jess Franco’s films, The Sexual Story of O’s cast does not feature any of his regulars. Only a few of the cast members who do appear in The Sexual Story of O worked with Jess Franco on other films. The strongest performer is Alicia Príncipe in the role of Odile, a young American girl who is seduced and tricked into sex slavery. She does a very good job that outshines the rest of the cast, who are best described as serviceable.

For the score, Jess Franco once again employs frequent collaborator Daniel White under the name Pablo Villa. The score does a good job reinforcing the mood, and it features a famous music cue from Jess Franco’s The Female Vampire, a film whose score Daniel White also scored. Ultimately, The Sexual Story of O is a satisfying mix of voyeurism, eroticism, and some S&M thrown in for good measure.

The Sexual Story of O gets a first-rate release from Severin Films that comes with a strong audio/video presentation and a trio of insightful extras, recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer