The Story of O

Rating:
Summary: the Novel is 5, the video is 4... Not the book, However....
Review: My first slave, elaine, presented me with the paperback with the simple request I read it and share my feelings. Since that day in 1970, my life was changed and so was elaine's. Elaine's gift released the MasterJames in me. If you only have one text for your first step into this secret world of alternative lifestyle, 'o' is it. Now, having said this, the video is an 'interpretation' of the text. the background music is overdone, the scenes are not of the xxxxx variety, the acting/directing has an almost dream-like quality approach. However... 'o' the text is the primer, and 'o' the video is the visual interpretation. Understanding it from this perspective, puts it in it's place on your shelf as the video primer and the first step in 'seeing' what the words say to you. 'o' the novel, is and will always be a '5' because it is a classic keeper. 'o' the video is a sincere effort to let you See the text and is more documentary than Hollywood so it can never be more than a '4' because it does not capture all the text on film. [e-mail]

Rating:
Summary: Fast forward review
Review: For sleaze fans there are a few minutes worth of excellent stuff here if you do the work of editing out the cutaways into cohesive scenes, but that shouldn't be a problem for porn fans, who are always on the cutting edge.

We got four, count 'em, four girl-girl whipping scenes, two very brief and all reaction shots, but still effective. We got a wake her up, chain her up whipping scene, we got a branding (just reaction shots) and some other assorted nudity. Two full and two half stars for the girl-girl scenes and another for the other nastiness, along with a certain amount of credibility for mainstream film reality. I mean, it really looks like they're being whipped. Not like most euro sleaze where it's in slow motion or where the whip is a strip of a soft flannel blanket soaked in a little red food coloring to leave a mark, the ridiculous Jess Franco method.

Rating:
Summary: Don't Waste The Money
Review: This DVD is nothing like the Story of O that I read and it makes no sense anyway. They throw a lot of scenes at you without expalining anything. The only reason I understood parts was because I had read the book. This DVD gives no insight, isn't even erotic, and would be plain confusing to anyone who didn't understand what the plot is suppose to be about. If you haven't read the book, your money is better spent on the book. Don't bother with this poorly filmed DVD, that once your done is really only fit as a coaster. 1 star was the lowest rating I could give, the true rating of this DVD is a -3 Stars.

Rating:
Summary: My Low Expectations Were Fully Met
Review: My rating is primarily based on the quality of the VHS tape. The video is pretty grainy; somewhat like taping off a TV using rabbit ears. I'd seen this movie on tape years ago and the quality was much better then. Perhaps I just happened to get a bad tape, or perhaps the current distributor does a poor job of transfering; either way, I'm disappointed in the video I received.

I also found the movie itself a little dated (that didn't really surprise me). It just doesn't have the ability to either shock or excite (according to your own tastes) that it once did.

Rating:
Summary: Fast forward review
Review: For sex sleaze fans, this is one of the best films available to rip into clips, because getting rid of the camera cutaways produces some really cohesive stuff. Of course, you have to know your computer chops, but porno fans are always the first to exploit technology.

OK, we got a blonde tied nude to posts and whipped by the heroine, and vice versa. We don't get to actually see the backs, but the reactions are great. We got the heroine tied to posts and whipped by her maid, and we got a brief image of a fantasy of another girl in the same circumstances. That's four, count-em, four tied-up nude girl on girl whupping scenes. Boy, you can get girls in prison movies with a lot less than that.

There are a couple other things, the heroine getting chained to the wall above her bed and getting whacked on by a dude, and the heroine getting branded (sorry, just reaction shots). There are lots of other brief nude shots and such, but that pretty much covers what you'll want to have.

Three stars for the four post scenes, because two are short, one star for the rest, and a bonus star for not pulling too many punches, as often happens in these sorts of things. Best of the genre by far, but understand any eastern European MPG on usenet will have far more actual s&m shots, and real welts too. It used to be for s&m you were stuck with fakey HOM and NuWest brown envelope stuff through mail order. Things have changed in terms of availability, and the impact of this is probably considerably faded, but it still works for me.

Rating:
Summary: wish the camera angles were better
Review: I wish that whipping and flogging scenes where more in depth. they were ok because of the sound effects and the whimpering but i actually want to see stripes and lashes on female flesh. and blood wouldn't ruin anything. if anybody has any suggestions on movies that i am missing out on some awesome flogging and whipping scenes of women bring it up. and make sure that the whipping/flogging scenes are lengthy and graphic.

Rating:
Summary: A classic in more ways than one!
Review: The soundtrack to this movie is brilliant! An unusual combination of classical-rock-pop. I think that Pierre Bachelet did an amazing soundtrack! One that suits the film and book! It is somehow eerie,erotic,and moving at the same time. It is a shame he did so few soundtracks. As for the film, if you read the book you can see that the story is not about sex but rather about self discovery.

Rating:
Summary: Softcore Porn Disguised As Art-House Film
Review: Just Jaeckin, "master"-ful director of Emmanuelle, must have salivated at the chance to adapt the novel by Pauline Reage. The story gives ample opportunity for "O" to have casual [love] with many, many partners while still extolling flighty principles of devotion. The fact that anyone would think this movie has principles is laughable. But one has to admire the audacity of Mr. Jaeckin in thinking that people will view this as a masterpiece of modern art. I am almost certain that most people who will purchase this film will do so out of self-gratitude rather than intellectual pursuits. I guess some people will get their jollies any way they can. As a side note, the commentary track by the director is actually pretty entertaining. He has a lot of amusing (possibly unintentionally) insights into the film that makes the commentary track far more interesting than the film itself. If you are a huge fan of commentary tracks, you might want to check this out as a rental. Otherwise, keep your pants on and avoid The Story of O like the plague

Rating:
Summary: all chained up and nowhere to go
Review: the star in this very 70's, soft focus and moody music kind of softcore has a lot to recommend her -- emmanuelle should look this good. and she spends easily half the film naked or nearly so. at first she submits to submission because her boyfriend wants her to, but her boyfriend is only training her for use by his older brother, who eventually takes total control and hands her on to others ... oh well, so much for the wedding, may as well make a career of it. so the star gradually morphs from trembling victim to sensual sorceress, chained, whipped, branded, penetrated and humiliated every step of the way. and why? because she's too proud to admit the men can get the best of her. worth seeing, but not often.

Rating:
Summary: Faded Glory
Review: I can see where this might have hit the spot years ago, but the constant whippings, fuzzy video, and glazed look on everyones face proved to not meet expectations. Every man was either cruel or sadistic and the women all marched around like robots. Maybe some men found that nice but it made for vapid characters and rediculous situations. Some nice scenes, but not a classic.