Summary: Justine is thrown out of a French orphanage only to be thrust into a world of prostitution...

Directed by the notorious Jess Franco (VAMPYROS LESBOS), this shocking tale involves a young girl (Romina Power) who is thrown out of an orphanage and falls prey to prostitution, bondage, and a depraved monk played by Jack Palance. This story of innocence corrupted comes straight from the pen of the Marquis de Sade, and no less an actor than Klaus Kinski is chosen by Franco to play De Sade in this feature. Full of nudity and perversion, this sordid tale includes over 30 minutes of restored footage originally cut from the final version.

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Andrew Davies' 1999 adaptation of Mrs Gaskell's Wives and Daughterswas hailed as the rediscovery of a "forgotten" classic novel and found the BBC on the crest of a wave with costume dramas--led by Pride and Prejudice. Handsome and beautifully filmed, if anything, it surpassed the quality of even that highly praised landmark production.

"We should all look pretty strange under a microscope," botanist Robert Hamley tells our heroine Molly Gibson and of course Mrs Gaskell places all her characters under intense scrutiny, with affection but without judgement. Davies' screenplay peals back the layers, giving full vent to the comedy, tragedy and satire that drive this tale of provincial life to its highly satisfactory conclusion. Justine Waddell imbues Molly with an increasingly exasperated but remarkably forbearing intelligence, while Francesca Annis, as the outrageously self-absorbed step-mother Hyacinth, paints a wonderful portrait of affectation without ever totally alienating our sympathy. Michael Gambon's immensely touching Squire Hamley won him a Best Actor BAFTA, but all the performances are uniformly excellent, contributing immeasurably to five hours of television drama of the highest calibre.

On the DVD:Presented in 16:9 format with a Dolby Digital stereo soundtrack, this two-disc presentation retains all the hallmarks of the original BBC viewing experience. The picture quality is lush--the production lighting is excellent--and the sound quality sharp. The only gripe is with the extras: the Omnibusdocumentary "Who the Dickens is Mrs Gaskell?" is brutally truncated, cutting off talking heads like novelists Fay Weldon and Margaret Drabble in their prime and giving limited insight into how the production was made. As an audio bonus, there is also 30 minutes of John Keane's music.--Piers Ford

Main Language:	English
Region:	Region 2
Special Features:	Interviews With Director And Producer, French Trailer, Poster And Stills Gallery, Jess Franco Biographies, Liner Notes
Year:	1969
Release Date:	January 27, 2003
Runtime:	124 minutes
Certification:
Catalogue Number:	A B D 4202
Keywords:	Adult, Audience, General, Marquis, Justine, Sade's
Genre:	Adult Audience