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L’erotisme is a collection of short films many which feature erotica while most of them just push the boundaries of conventional filmmaking with their bizarre, grotesque and surreal imagery. While watching these short films you will see needles sowing orifices shut (Ritualis), a man who falls in love with a prostitute (Maldoror), a woman who plays with her ass for nine minutes (Ass), an overexposed blowjob scene (KI), razors, sadism and heightened colors schemes (La Fin de Notre Amour), a tale about rape and revenge (Extase de chair brisée), a toy baby doll is beaten and fondled (Baby Doll), a naked woman poses with a pig head (The Loneliest Little Boy in the World), woman plays with herself with Black Sabbaths “Paranoid” as the shorts soundtrack (Paranoid), erotic drawings and classical music (D’Yeux) and a woman rubs feathers on her half naked body in the woods while the shorts score is Ennio Morricone’s theme from the Stendhal Syndrome.

The following texts about each short are not their complete summaries. Just think of them as hints to the perversions that await you inside. The best shorts of the collection are “Maldoror’ which has a very cool silent film look going for it and its ending is just out of this world. “La Fin de Notre Amour” is another solid entry which mixes horror and erotica better than any short is this collection.

“Extase de chair brisée” is without a doubt the most interesting short included with its unique take on the rape and revenge genre. I was only let down by a few shorts “Ass”, “Baby Doll” and “Paranoid” which all tried to over emphasize the erotic side and in the end they felt like I was watching poorly made porn. Ultimately it you are a fan of bizarre cinema with an erotic twist then you should enjoy the shorts collected in L’erotisme.

The DVD:

All the shorts include in the collection are presented in their original aspect ratios. All the shorts were also shot either on 8mm or 16mm and the overall quality of each short varies with the ones that look rougher are also most likely due to the director making them look that way since all these shorts are from the last few years.

Audio there really is no spoken dialog and the soundtracks are made up of music or ambient sounds. The audio for the most part is clean, clear and evenly balanced.

Extras for this release consist of tow bonus shorts “D’Yeux” & “Imperatrix Cornicula” and a four page booklet. Cinema Abattoir brings together a collection of rarely seen erotica with their solid DVD release for L’erotisme.