I was extremely intrigued by the prospective screening of the Shaw Bros film Intimate Confessions of a Chinese Courtesan at the this years Philly Fest. Here was a film that was billed as soft-core exploitation, the type of film that I didn't even know the Shaw Bros had even made. Not knowing what to expect, I went into this one completely blind. It was exploitation for sure, even though the exploitation elements in the film would certainly be considered tame by today's standards, it was still interesting to see how much the film held in common with its European counterparts.

The story is still your basic tale of deceit and revenge, with the usual male leads replaced with some gorgeous Asian beauties. Lady Chun operates a successful slave operated prostitution ring disguised as a local brothel. One of the kidnapped young girls named Ainu likes to talk back and disobey, these are actions that are frowned upon by Lady Chun. Ainu is offered a decent spot at the brothel with servants and a posh place to live, but of course the defiant Ainu refuses, only to be auctioned off to the highest bidder. Four men eventually rape Ainu, but not before she is chained up in a dungeon and beaten. With the help of a local mute boy, Ainu escapes, but is soon recaptured once again by the determined Lady Chun. The mute boy is slain, and it's evident that this is nothing but the final straw for the distraught Ainu.

Ainu has no choice but to follow on with Lady Chun, essentially giving in to the brothel and becoming Lady Chun's lover. Clever and determined as she is, Ainu systematically sets out and murderers the men who fouled here one by one, only to narrowly escape the clutches of the local authorities by making clever use of pronouns. Lady Chun devotes herself to Ainu, foolishly believing that she can do no wrong. Unfortunately, Lady Chun is blinded by lust as Ainu's intentions are anything but solid and Ainu's revenge is to extend far beyond the 4 men who had previously raped her.

As with many of the other Shaw Bros films we've viewed thus far in the festival (as well as in general) Intimate Confessions features lush beautiful photography making excellent use of the gorgeous landscapes and interior sets. At times the film almost takes on a lyrical tone with flowing gowns and chiffon lace bed covers waving gracefully in the breeze. It's a fascinating contrast to the extreme debauchery that we all know is taking place deep within the bowels of the brothel.

There are definitely some of those good old fashioned exploitation elements around, but as I mentioned earlier, would easily seem tame when compared to the R-Rated antics of today. However, it is easy to see how a film like Intimate Confessions could have been an influence on the Asian Category III films (equivalent to our NC-17) that were to follow. In addition, the comparisons to the exploitation films of Franco, Rollin or many other European directors of the time are also evident. It could easily have been the likes of Christopher Lee at the other end of that whip rather than the demure Lady Chun.

Intimate Confessions is never really overly graphic, or quite as nasty as I'd want it to be, but it still packs a punch with a few scenes of torture and plenty of implied moments of sickness. Take for example the scene in which young ladies are lined up, spread eagle and inspected for abnormalities as an elder lady holds a lit candle up to their pleasure zone. When one young lady is found to have lost her virginity a few days prior and won't speak, a quick thrust of the candle (you know where) gets her talking right quick. Let's also not forget that Lady Chun is involved in a solid whipping session and afterwards she seductively licks the bloody wounds of her captor. These scenes while not overly graphic definitely show the intent, and if cuts were to be made to Intimate Confessions across the globe, these are probably a few of the scenes that would have suffered the most.

As with our previous Shaw screenings at the festival, we were blessed to view a brand new re mastered print of Intimate Confessions and the result is quite breathtaking. With no evidence of age and colors that just burst from each frame, it's amazing how low budget exploitation can look (for lack of a better term) like a real film. It's just a true testament to the obvious talent that lies behind the frames of each Shaw Bros film that we've seen so far. I have to admit that Intimate Confessions really takes the cake here and turned out to be an exceptionally enjoyable experience.

It's at this point that it's worth noting the spectacular ending. Now, I'm not going to give anything away, because that would just simply be cruel. I only want to note the fact that our two female leads glide gracefully through their fight scenes and the final 15-minutes or so of Intimate Confessions is a non-stop barrage on the senses with plenty of blood and bashing. It's the literal icing on the cake and the final moments only stand to make Intimate Confessions even more delicious of a treat. If you thought The One-Armed Swordsman had it bad, you ain't seen nothing yet!

Intimate Confessions stands as my favorite Shaw Bros flick of the festival so far. It's chock full of all of those great exploitation elements I've grown to know and love over the years including torture, chained women, whippings, lesbianism, the splatter of bright red blood and a healthy dose of brutal revenge antics. I dug just about every moment that Intimate Confessions had to offer. Despite the fact that it started off a little slow, things quickly picked up and in the end, Intimate Confessions turned out as a wholly enjoyable experience. Highly recommended for Shaw fans as well as fans of European exploitation in need of just a bit of a different flavor. Yum!

Thumbs Up. Martial Arts + Exploitation = Good Times!