The Film (3/5)

Helena tirelessly drives through the night to be in the arms of her romantically estranged lover whose waiting for her at a villa on the French coastline.  Exhausted, she strolls through the gate, downward toward past the pool area, before she’s greeted by a robe-cladded Frank who introduces himself as a guest of her inconspicuous lover and to Helena’s dismay, Frank casually, almost like he’s trying to purposefully derail her composure, states that that the man she drove all night for is upstairs, in the arms of another woman.   Now tired and upset, Helena attempts to the leave the villa, only to find herself swimming naked in the pool, and in the sexual embrace of an eager Frank.  She can’t get enough of Frank’s charm and lust for dominance, giving into his seductive power, and willing to do just about whatever he asks, but the deeper she indulges him, the more about Frank’s intentions are revealed when a lineup of louts storm the villa to course their way through the sentiments and physical aspects of Frank’s love stricken  and naïve beautiful guest.

“Helena” is the 1975 erotically charged French film from Paris born director, Alain Nauroy (assistant director of “Super Witch of Love Island”) and penned by Michel Vocoret, as Franck Barte, who has an eclectic body of work that, interestingly enough, includes voice acting in a few children’s television series such as the world famous “Babar” the Elephant and even “The Adventures of Teddy Ruxpin.”  Also known by the French title, “La Villa,” Nauroy’s film is a romantically complex love story with a sadistic twist of submission, dominance, and all the debauchery in between.  Set alongside a scenic French coastline, with numerous overlooking verandas and exotic nautical ships in the water, the setting is ideal for luxurious passion and fantasy fruitions, but buried deeper into script, beyond the glamour and idyllic façade, entails a darker tone that parallels the old proverb that things are sometimes only beautiful on the outside.  “Helena” starkly pivots from a kitschy adult comedy of a heartbroken woman falling for an indifferent playboy to “Helena,” and a horny house maiden living with Frank, being subjected to humiliating, but submissively pleasurable, measures by her host and his hired intruders.

Valerie Boisgel stars in one of her last eroticism roles that went into a particular popular practice of the time known as caviardage, where softcore films were hard cut with hardcore scenes.  Much to disgust of the leading lady, "The Blood Rose" actress's stunning amazonian beauty under a cloak of shame didn't significantly compromise her performance with Yan Brian whose masterful in sprucing up Helena as his acquiescent plaything.  Brian and Boisgel have immense chemistry that certainly pre-dates the Fifty Shades of Grey objectification.  Now French vintage porn starlets, Monique Vita and Martine Grimaud, spice up "Helena's" already lewd eroticism and compact fetishism.  The pair's liberal base open them up to a free range of dirty deeds, including a fantastic girl-on-girl and pleasing the intruders which include Francois Gharsi, Gilbert Labat, Charlie Schreiner, and, director Alain Nauroy regular, Richard Darbois.

Audio/Video (1/5)

The region free, Impulse Pictures labeled DVD release is presented in anamorphic widescreen, 1.66:1, aspect ratio, with a runtime of 73 minutes.  Condition wise, the print is in a barely viable-viewable state through the years of degradation and damage, including vertical scratches, slight burns, and other various unsightly blemishes that dot, flare, and split on the image quality.  There's virtually no color in any scenes, baring just a fleshless two-tone look from a desaturated stock. 

The English dubbed Dolby Digital dual channel is the only audio option.  No subtitles available.  Lossy quality doesn't necessary impact a film with really no action sequences; some car and motorcycle segments provide much of the girth, but overlaid by typical stock tracks.  The track is particularly good for the reel quality and, practically, mirrors the imperfections with pops and hisses through a fairly clear dialogue track. 

Extras (0.5/5)

There are no extras other than the gorgeous black and white Impulse Pictures DVD cover of an illustrated Monique Vita riding a motorcycle.  Yet, Vita never really rides it, but does straddle a Kawasaki nearly buck naked.

Overall

'Helena" is vigorous sexploitation with a soft touch.  Beginning with passion, centered with lust, and ending in love, director Alain Nauroy hammers in the unorthodox becomings of falling indiscriminately in love.  Lace it with degenerate screwing and that's just the inexplicable cherry on top toward a well-rounded sexploitation misadventure of one woman's wrong-villa-destiny mishap.  Just by chance does she happen to fall in the lap of a total sociopathic stranger that inevitably becomes, through a finale of stripping her dignity, her ultimate soulmate; a far-fetched concept, but Nauroy's able to pull it off without much of a complication.  Recommended.