Art house meets grind house in a kinky delirium!

I had read about Robbe-Grillet's films in Pete Tombs and Cathal Tohill's book IMMORAL TALES, where they are discussed along with the films of Jean Rollin and Jesus Franco. Rollin and Franco were making wildly experimental and creative films packed with sensational exploitation elements for the grindhouse cinemas. The films of Robbe-Grillet, a respected avant-garde author who scripted the classic LAST YEAR AT MARIENBAD, were always destined for the art house, but LA BELLE CAPTIVE makes similar play with elements of the thriller, horror and erotica genres. You can see MARIENBAD in the repetition, dreamlike plotting, and hypnotic voice over, but Robbe-Grillet unleashes his wilder fantasies here and the result is a much more intense and colorful beast.

At the time IMMORAL TALES was published Robbe-Grillet's films were very hard to see, and it's great that they are finally becoming available on DVD. Needless to say, this isn't a film for everyone, particularly not anyone over-fond of the word pretentious. (It has garnered some of the most hilariously dismissive reviews I've seen here, and that's saying something.) But, if you enjoy both the more deranged end of the exploitation market and the most challenging fare offered in the smaller screens at your local art house cinema, this is for you.