6. Cruel Passion (1977)
Cruel Passion, directed by Chris Boger, is based upon the novel Justine or the Misfortunes of Virtue by the Marquis de Sade. It stars Koo Stark as Justine, a young girl who has been living in a convent only to be forced out into the harsh world of prostitution. She tries to preserve her modesty but this only leads to a life of misfortune. Meanwhile her slapper sister Juliette throws herself into a life of debauchery and finds nothing but happiness and contentment in the world. Very tame Marquis de Sade adaptation, but nevertheless sufficiently interesting enough to give it a whirl on the DVD player. Satisfyingly different to other British smut fests of this period (such as Come Play With Me), at least the film tries to be erotic. The acting is sub par and the dialogue is contrived however the film does manage to reach Sade-ian heights in the closing scenes where Koo Stark finally has her precious virginity stolen by her sister's lover - Lord Carlisle - who rapes her. A band of cutthroats come across the scene. They gang rape Koo and set the dogs on Lord Carlisle who gets ripped to shreds. Finally they throw the defiled beauty's body into the lake where she floats like a downmarket Ophelia. Cue the credits. A minor Sadean entry, but I cherish it as it was my first Sadean film that I ever watched.