Justine marks the first of many collaborations between producer Harry Alan Towers and director Jess Franco. Towers contacted Franco after seeing his film Succubus to discuss the prospect of turning a selected writing by the Marquis De Sade into a feature film. The result is the lavish Franco spectacle (and largest budgeted Franco film) Justine. Until now, Justine has been available in multiple editions with the US edit being shorn of nearly 30 minutes to make it more "double bill friendly" (among other reasons I'm sure). Blue Underground has fully restored the longest edition of Justine known to man and it clocks in at just over 2-full hours. Let's take a look at this latest Franco offering on DVD from BU and see how it stacks up.

Our story takes place in the late 1700's as sisters Justine and Juliette are thrust from an orphanage onto the streets of Paris due to "lack of funds". The two end up wandering into a brothel and under these bizarre circumstances Juliette decides to stay and "work it off" while Justine opts for the moral route and once again hits the street looking for a bit more out of life. What follows are a series of set ups as Justine encounters some of the most morally objectionable characters to hit the silver screen. Ultimately Justine is molested, harassed, accused of stealing and thrown into some sort of prison. She befriends a band of thieves after her escape (from said prison), spends some time posing nude for an eccentric painter and winds up in the clutches of a fiendish monk (played fiendishly by Jack Palance).

If you think it sounds like it's missing just a little something then you're probably right because it kinda is. This isn't to say that Justine isn't a great Franco film as it still remains highly entertaining. Not to mention the fact that your sleaze quota will be filled quite a few times over (and that's a good thing). There is plenty of onscreen depravity including Lesbianism, near rape, sexual assault, whippings, beatings, torture and the occasional spanking (bad girl!). Justine won't rank so high on the "franco-fun-meter" as some of his other films, but the heavy doses of positives help to keep Justine afloat and ultimately near the head of the pack.

Justine has an incredible look and is virtually an aesthetic feast to the senses. Much like Blue Underground's Eugenie, Justine really looks like no other Franco film (at least none of his films that are readily available on DVD). This fact can probably be most attributed to the involvement of producer Towers. Justine (shot the year before Eugenie) retains a real heir of class, despite all of the depravity taking place behind every corner (for some reason it rarely seems excessive or exploitative). Justine is full of great costumes, incredible sets and lighting schemes that almost take on a Bava-esque tone. Ultimately though, the strengths of Justine unfortunately only stand to reinforce the films many flaws. The pacing of the film itself is quite awkward (even for a Franco film) and we're left with many loose ends and at just over 2 hours, the film does run a tad long. The film has some shortcomings, yes, but the film itself is a Francophile's wet dream come true and ultimately is NOT to be missed on DVD. Those not too familiar with Franco and his body of work but looking to familiarize himself or herself with the Franco we've all grown to know and love would probably find a good start would be with both Justine and Eugenie from Blue Underground. Both of which are groundbreaking films and way ahead of their time in just about every sense.

One of the strongest points of the film (next to Franco's assured direction and the films high production values) are the fantastic performances from the incredible ensemble cast. The cast which includes a virtual who's who of European cinema includes Romina Power (Tyronne Power's daughter), Maria Rohm (also of Eugenie), Klaus Kinski (as the Marquis De Sade), Jack Palance, and bit parts by Rosalba Neri (Lady Frankenstein) and Franco favorite Howard Vernon. None of these performances come off as hack jobs and it's truly astounding to see so many familiar faces in such a polished production. Despite its obvious flaws, Justine still remains a stunning Franco film. It looks great and would most certainly be an invaluable addition to anyone's Franco collection.

Blue Underground presents Justine in a near flawless DVD transfer that is sure to please. The DVD packaging states a 1.66:1 transfer, but it looks to be more on the lines of 1.77:1 to 1.85:1. Nonetheless, framing looks quite comfortable and this DVD is a real sight to behold. Colors are extremely sharp and vibrant and exhibit excellent definition. Black levels are nice and solid, you'd be hard pressed to find a mastering flaw on this disc. There are minimal amounts of print damage, a few specs here and there and one light scratch I noticed on the first reel. Much like their DVD of Eugenie, Blue Underground is to be applauded for supplying the fans with such and incredible transfer of a film we never could have imagined would've surfaced on DVD.

Audio is presented in a serviceable mono mix. Not much you can do with mono as long as it's clear and free of distortion. I'm happy to report that Justine is just that. The great Bruno Nicolai score sounds incredible as well.

Extras include a 20 minute feature entitled The Perils and Pleasures that includes interviews with both Towers and Franco. The interviews are incredibly fascinating as Franco discusses everything from the last minute casting of Romina Power, Jack Palance's drunken set visits and other random weirdness you never thought you'd hear Franco discuss in public. He's a fascinating man, and seems to remember everything about the production as if it were filmed yesterday. Other extras include a French trailer (with optional English subs, nice touch) a brief still gallery and Franco Bio.

What we have here is another top-notch presentation from Blue Underground and a Jess Franco fans wet dream come true. Both Eugenie (my preferred film of the two) and Justine are essential purchases for fans of Franco and his work. The films are give the red carpet treatment on DVD, and are quite marvelous views. I cannot recommend these DVD's enough, Blue Underground has really done the fans right with these releases.