The Oldest Profession (aka Le plus vieux métier du monde)

1967

A collection of sketches on prostitution through the ages. 1) “The Prehistoric Era”: A caveman discovers that a cavewoman is more attractive when cave paint is applied to her face. And she can earn more seashells that way. 2) “Roman Nights”: The Emperor goes out seeking a little nocturnal amusement, only to find that the high-priced, Oriental courtesan he hires is his wife, the Empress. 3) “Mademoiselle Mimi”: In revolutionary France, Mimi finds that her […]

The English Patient

1996

Beginning in the 1930s, “The English Patient” tells the story of Count Almásy who is a Hungarian map maker employed by the Royal Geographical Society to chart the vast expanses of the Sahara Desert along with several other prominent explorers. As World War II unfolds, Almásy enters into a world of love, betrayal, and politics that is later revealed in a series of flashbacks while Almásy is on his death bed after being horribly burned […]

The Ages of Lulu

1990

The Ages of Lulu is a gruelling sensual odyssey from Spanish director Bigas Luna, made immediately prior to his popular trilogy Jamón, jamón (1992), Golden Balls (1993) and The Tit and the Moon (1994). Starting as the somewhat queasy story of the young Lulu’s affair with the manipulative Pablo (Oscar Ladoire), the movie takes a much darker turn once they are wed. It is conventional cinematic wisdom that there’s no such thing as sex after […]