Director
Just Jaeckin, Shuji Tereyama, and Walerian Borowczyk
Cast
Roland Blanche
Marie-Catherine Conti
Laura Gemser
Juzo Itami
Hiromi Kawai
DVD Release Date: January 30, 2007
Rating: Not Rated
Running Time: 103 Minutes
The Movie
The seventies were a time what would come to be known as late night Cinemax and Showtime porn came into existence. Both Emmanuelle and Young Lady Chatterley were just paving the ways so they could spawn numerous sequels and teach those in America what sex was like around the world. Many filmmakers took their cues from those films and just ran with the ball producing what was essentially non-existent storylines centered around countless sex scenes. That is where Private Collections differs.
The art of pornography is often taken to the extreme in today’s age and focused strictly on nudity and gratuitous sex. Directors Jaeckin, Tereyama, and Borowczyk wanted to have their work known for their intriguing plot while also portraying the beauty that is the human form and the beautiful act of intercourse shared by everyone. Here they take turns each telling a story dealing with sexuality in very different, and quite unique, ways.
The first story is directed by Jaeckin and called “L’Ile Aux Sirenes.” A sailor is knocked off his boat and left behind to fend for himself. Floating along, he finally finds himself stranded on a deserted island and not sure if he will ever see another soul again. Soon though a beautiful island woman appears who takes the sailor in to care for him and watch over him. Happy that she isn’t just a figment of his imagination and that he is no longer alone, he follows her back to her camp where three more naked women await him. The sailor is in Heaven as he is treated like a god being fed, being bathed by the four women, and getting to sleep with them at his choosing. He has found himself a paradise. Things start to turn weird though as the women start becoming very aggressive and talking behind his back in a language he does not understand. The biggest confusion comes as the sailor begins to find articles of clothing buried in the dirt. His findings and confusion start turning his paradise into a nightmare of which he can’t find an out.
Teryama is the director of our second short film called “Kusa Meika”. A poor young boy named Akira finds the love of a local woman who lives in a barn near his home. Drawn by her beauty, they make love and he finds himself enamored of her. Akira’s mother, whom he lives with, continues to warn her son that he should stay away from this woman at all costs. His mother advises him that she is insane and got that way by not being able to find a man. Akira tries to heed her advice, but finds that he just cannot stay away. He finally learns though the reasons behind his mother’s warnings, but not in a good way.
Our final tale is called “L’Armoir” and is brought to us by Borowczyk. A well-dressed man goes out for the night and views a wonderful burlesque show. Becoming particularly fond of one of the women, he pays for her services and time and ends up planning on spending the evening with her. After some time doing what he paid for, they end up lying in bed and just talking about different things until he hears a weird noise come from somewhere. Grabbing a weapon and preparing to fight, the woman advises him that it’s merely the girl next door because everything can be heard through the walls. After some time, the noise is heard again and much louder and closer. Not taking any chances, the man goes in search of the cause and is in for a big surprise.
Seeing the cover of the DVD case, you kind of expect to see more nudity and sex then you actually get in the film. The directors make it a point to focus on the storyline and to only have sexual encounters when it relates to the story. As in Jaeckin’s case, there is nudity for almost his entire segment; but it was important to the story, and after a while you don’t even notice it anymore.
The most interesting story of the three is by far “L’Armoir” because it just brings about a certain aura and feeling that makes you very interested in the characters themselves. The conversations the man and the prostitute have make you forget what she does for a living and look at them as two people who just met merely talking about things. And by this point in the movie, you are going to be done looking and hoping for more nudity because you’ll realize it just isn’t going to come.
As you will be able to tell, the directors all have completely different styles and it shows in the fact that all three stories have no similarities whatsoever. They each are good in their own ways, but the first two stories really failed to keep me interested the whole time without wondering when their end would come. “L’Armoir” comes in after all is said and done and quietly makes it’s case for the best of the bunch and proving that the best was saved for last.
The Video
Private Collections is shown in 1.66:1 Widescreen Format and is presented very well for a film created twenty years ago. I am not sure if it has been digitally remastered or anything, but the colors are very bright and sharp while the film itself is very clear. The one problem is that sometimes brighter colors such as white or yellow shine way too bright and create a slight glare.
The Audio
The film is heard in Dolby Digital sound with English subtitles. There is nothing wrong with the way the film comes across sound wise because I don’t understand a word anyone is saying without reading the subtitles. In that respect, not much attention is paid to people actually talking. The seventies porn music is in full effect though as you can’t help but notice it especially with its outer space theme.
Special Features
Island Of Just – Director Just Jaeckin tells all about his work and why he does the things he does. Known not only for his films, he is also an architect, artist, photographer, and so much more. He also discusses how it was working with the other two directors on a film he never thought would work in the first place. It’s quite an interesting watch.
Talent Bios – Biographies on all three directors that you can pan through and read about how they got started in film and the past work they have done.
Theatrical Trailer
The Inside Pulse
If you’re looking for a porno, then you might as well steer clear of this DVD because that is far from what you are going to get. If you’re looking for a collection of rather strange, yet still interesting, stories mixed with some sexual scenes then you may want to take a look at Private Collections. Considering the severe lack of special features and that two of the stories aren’t the best, then I’d go for a rental before spending the cash to purchase it.
