One of the fun aspects of exploring the seedier side of cinema is that you just don’t know what you’ll find yourself watching next. Case in point is this “historical” archive of erotic cinema from 1950’s France. Yeah I know, it’s a tough job, but somebody has to do it.

While you may think that 50’s erotica would be rather tame, that’s certainly not the case. Almost every classification, fetish, and theme is well represented here, in both soft and hardcore formats. There’s fun with toys, group get-togethers, sadistic beatings, girls that dig girls, drug assisted date rape, solo love, voyeurism, shaving hygiene, and plenty of ropes and leather straps. Perhaps the true value of this collection is to debunk anyone that believes we’re living in a new-fangled age of modern sexual open-mindedness. Let’s face it, no matter your age or perceived ingenuity, you’re not doing anything your grandparents didn’t think of.

The large majority of these films are silent, with the option of enabling simulated projector noise for that slimy grindhouse aura. Some of the burlesque acts have original music intact, but these clips are typically quite short. The longer clips usually attempt to convey a story, but the narrative quickly takes a backseat to the deed at hand.

Image quality ranges from acceptable to horrendous, which probably isn’t surprising since it’s doubtful these reels were stored in a pristine film archive for the past 50 years. In reality, it’s amazing they still exist in any form. Some of the clips are so badly damaged that it’s sometimes tough to figure out exactly what you’re looking at. However, on the whole it’s entirely watchable, and the defects just add another layer of dirt to the dirty proceedings at hand.

There’s not much else that needs to be said about this one. Extras are scarce, although there is a photo collection featuring some painfully small images. Other than that, this DVD delivers on all of its claims. If you’re interested, by all means give it a shot. If you’re really gung-ho, look into Cult Epic’s Vintage Erotica Collection box set which also archives adult films of the 30’s and 40’s.

Oh yeah, here’s a super sexy screenshot that I’m sure all of you sex-crazed readers have been waiting for. You can thank me later.

Check out Cult Epics online, here!