TheLittleSongbird Marquis De Sade: Justine is a long way from being unwatchable as there are a number of things that are good. It is however a very strange film and not a very easy one to rate.Starting with what is good about Marquis De Sade: Justine, coming off best is the music score which is outstanding, if on occasions overpowering, very stirring and rich in sound and it fits the film very well. The film also looks good, the sets are simply gorgeous, the plentiful costumes are certainly attractive and a lot of care was clearly put into the cinematography which is beautiful. The crowd scenes are tense and rousing and while he sometimes overdoes with the fading in and out Jesse Franco does give some of his most competent directing ever, though it does feel very different for him. While I was not very impressed with the acting generally, the charming Maria Rohm makes the most out of her brief role and Mercedes Mccambridge is an absolute hoot.Romina Power is very wooden in the lead role on the other hand, while Klaus Kinski is criminally underused and pretty much wasted, spending his entire screen looking remote, and Jack Palance is embarrassingly over-the-top and out of place. I like Palance but not here, he's not as bad as he was in Che! and Outlaw of Gor but this is one of his worst performances. While the film is undeniably fun there are too many times where the story is episodically disjointed and lethargically paced, sometimes not as cohesive as it could be. It also feels very tame and toned down by today's standards and not sleazy or sensual enough, the story is one where those qualities are necessary and it just felt bland and agreed too correct. The ending is very heavy-handed when you can actually hear the dialogue when it's not being drowned out the stilted way it's written and uninvolved line delivery from most makes it not really worth listening to.In conclusion, not unwatchable but very strange and not easy to make of. 5/10 Bethany Cox

Falconeer I am a fan of director Jess Franco..but I am not a fan of this really awful film adaptation of the Marquis De Sade. The large budget was wasted, and because of it, otherwise creative director Jess Franco's hands were obviously tied, making a film by other people's rules. first off, the "actress" Rowina Powers delivered the most appalling, rot-gut performance I have EVER seen in ANY film, ever. Franco said in an interview that Powers was like a piece of furniture, and was forced upon him by the film's bank-roller; the father of this bimbo. When the director hates his own main actress, you can't really expect a great product. A product that looks like a Benny Hill episode with all it's silly comedy. It does have it's moments, and some nice sets. But the ending is wretched, featuring not only a hammy, embarrassing performance by Jack Palance, who appeared drunk in every scene. but the final insult comes at the absolute castration of Sade's work. Removing the grim ending, and replacing it with a happy ending where all the "sinners" congratulate Justine for being pure and virtuous, and inform her that she is a "better person" for not giving into temptation?!? This is the exact polar opposite of Sade's philosophy. If he could see this rubbish he would surely despise it. I think the problem was that the budget was too big, and therefore the story had to be sterilized and commercialized for mainstream consumption. Again something that it's author was anything but. Even though the story takes place during Victorian times, the women all sport 60's hair and makeup, and everything is played for laughs. And Klaus Kinski would have been excellent as the Marquis, but every time he was on screen he was overpowered by the loudest, most invasive musical score you could imagine. you will want to turn down the volume on your TV when he is on screen; it is that irritating. For those interested in seeing a decent film version of "Justine," check out the 1977 adaptation. t preserves the mood and philosophy of Sade, and features appropriate sets, costumes and music. And it succeeds at being Gothic in tone, instead of candy colored fluff; it's no masterpiece, but it is compared to this mess.

campblood13 I went into this film expecting lots of nudity and bad acting, as it turned out I got the opposite of both. The star of the film Romina Power is wonderful as well as beautiful. Some other reviewers have said she appeared dull and uninterested, but I don't think that is the case. I think her spaced out look was a cunning ploy to take advantage of situations when needed. Of course she was a virgin and untrusting of men which also lead to her innocence.The beautiful setting and costumes should have won the Academy Award. :) Look for Jack Palance over-acting as a sexual deviant monk, who attempts to free young Justine. Jack and his fellow monks are studying the power of PLEASURE!!! They should have shown this at the Academy Awards the year after Palance won for City Slickers, and the whole place would have fell down laughing. I liked this movie, the uncut version runs 2 hours on DVD and is well worth it. I never got bored with the film. 5/10 Average, but better than I thought it would be.

Claudio Carvalho I have never heard about this movie, but the Brazilian cover of the VHS announced that the exhibition of this flick was forbidden in many countries due to the violent scenes and that it was a horror movie. I became curious and decided to watch it and what I found? A trash of the worst quality! I could never imagine such a terrible plot, with a (may I call him of this name?) horrible director and with the worst cast that you can imagine. There is no horror in the story, but only some free violence especially against Justine (Romina Power). The best quality of this actress is her partially naked beautiful body, exhibited along most part of this flick. How could Jack Palance win a Best Supporting Actor Oscar having such a movie in his filmography? Do not waste your time with such a horrible movie! My vote is three.Title (Brazil): "Marquis de Sade: Justine"