The Image
L'image
United States
1975
89 Min
Color
1.85:1
French, English
Synopsis
Director Radley Metzger was taken quite seriously by critics in the late 1960s and early ’70s, despite quite explicit sexuality in his films. Eventually turning to hardcore film under the pseudonym Henry Paris (including such still well-regarded films as The Opening of Misty Beethoven), Metzger delves here into fetishism in a violent and intriguing triangle.
Writer Jean (Carl Parker) runs into an old friend, Claire (Marilyn Roberts) at a party. He soon learns that Claire now has a young woman, Anne, whom she purports to own. Anne is subjected to cruelties and humiliations galore by the icy Claire, and Jean gradually finds himself drawn into the sadomasochistic relationship, rejoicing in Anne’s objectification and punishment.
Short on plot, the film’s focus is really on Claire and Jean, even though Anne dominates the screen time. We learn virtually nothing about Anne beyond her sexuality, which is a tapestry upon which Jean and Claire work out their desires. However, one sequence, where Jean runs into Anne without Claire at a bookstall, is particularly telling. Even here, she is buying pornography, and she reacts to Jean’s interest and concern with outright hostility. Although he is part of her humiliation, at least at first her emotional attachment is solely with the vicious Claire. However, there is a brilliant moment late in the film where her acceptance is dramatically pictured by Anne embracing Jean with her manacled hands.
The picture is heavily erotic, with one of the most memorable sequences coming when Anne fondles a rose bloom in a garden. Though there are hardcore moments, the film doesn’t go to gynecological lengths. The S&M sequences are mostly brought forth by implication, created by sound and shots of reactions, though there are exceptions that are painful to watch.
It’s been a long time since sexuality and sadomasochism were allowed to appear on the screen together. It’s been nearly as long since such an intensely sexual film could be taken seriously. But for the sexually adventurous, The Image is worth a look.
Director
Radley Metzger
Radley Metzger was born in New York and received his Bachelor of Arts degree from the College of the City of New York where he attended their film Institute. His Master of Arts studies at Columbia University were interrupted by induction into the United States Air Force where he served as a senior film editor working on training and propaganda films.
Upon release, he entered the motion picture industry as a film editor, joining the nascent foreign film community in New York.
Among his assignments were working with Jean Renoir, adapting his French Can-Can for American release.
While employed by Janus Films (now The Criterion Collection) he created the trailers and English versions of the films of Francois Truffaut, Michelangelo Antonioni and Ingmar Bergman.
His entry into feature film directing was “Dark Odyssey”, a study of a young Greek boy bent on avenging his sister’s honor, whose classic Greek culture impacts tragically with the Greek-American society… read more
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Chuck Vollers
8Oct11
Great, great film. Highly recommended. Assuming of course you don't mind some hardcore footage and some pretty extreme BDSM footage. It really does work as a film though.
Alan barros Nogueira
12Aug11
The best BDSM movie ever made. One masterpiece of a man who always made masterpieces.
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Is It Punishment If She Likes It?
By lolo341 on November 26, 2011
For a brief time in the mid-1970s, the lines between erotic, soft porn and frank, graphic sexual depiction blurred in the art houses. Let’s just call it smut. Context-oriented films like Last Tango… read review
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