José Bénazéraf, The Forbidden Films

6 MOVIES / 3 BLU-RAY BOXSET – AVAILABLE – IMMEDIATE SHIPPING

A unique figure in the history of French cult film, José Bénazéraf came from the nouvelle vague but focused his interests in eroticism rather than politics, while still creating work which was as socially relevant as it was sexually provocative..
In a constant battle against censorship, he defied the prohibitions of nudity and sexuality in French cinema. He was one of the first in France to film explicit sex scenes, subverting the genre while redefining it.
For the first time, here are six rare and cult films from the director’s most controversial period, when he was in full confrontation with the regulatory authorities, restored from the original negatives.
In Black Love (1973), the first film for which Bénazéraf shot hardcore scenes, a young African-American arrives in Paris and joins a black liberation movement. He soon discovers that the organization harbors a traitor in its midst. In La Veuve (1974), the infidelities of a castle’s residents lead to fatal consequences. In Les Deux gouines (1975), an innocent-looking bride-to-be plots revenge on her abusive fiancé. In La Planque (1975) and La Planque 2 (1976), Bénazéraf blends two criminal and sexual stories, one violent, the other light-hearted. Finally, in his experimental film J.B. 1 (1976), which won awards at several festivals at the time, the filmmaker dispenses with the narrative framework and delivers an essay between fiction and documentary study on the shooting of a pornographic film, in which we witness the work of the production team, while contemplating the orgies staged through the eye of the camera.

With Claudine Beccarie, Alphonse Beni, Béatrice Harnois, Joëlle Coeur
1973-1976 / 465 min (total running time) / 1.66:1 / French with optional English subtitles. X-rated films with hardcore scenes.

• Region Free 3-Disc Blu-ray
• Newly scanned and restored in 2K and 4K from their original 35mm camera negatives
• Sequence Bis for Les Deux Gouines
• Newly translated English subtitles
• In association with Melusine / Vinegar Syndrome.