Fanny Hill At first glance, we meet with a classic English novel. Almost like Jane Austen or Thackeray. Almost like Vanity Fair. They're young and their father's taking their money. Husband sent to India. She needs to survive somehow. And... It is not difficult to understand exactly what this girl will do.
Keep in mind that we have a boring 80s. Something unexpected will begin to happen on the screen. The director is betting on nudity and candor. And Lisa Foster accepts those rules of the game. She participates in much more explicit scenes than those in which Sharon Stone became famous in “Basic Instinct”.
Another thing is directing. If we add this tape of psychologism, more accurate camera work in erotic scenes and star status of the lead actor, the tape would be ahead of “Basic Instinct”. To be scandalous and then unprecedentedly popular.
However, even in this proposed version it turned out quite well. Moreover, the film had to attract real Hollywood stars - Oliver Reed (a small role of a notary) and Shelly Winters (elderly "mommy"). They had small roles, but thanks to their talent, the picture got the necessary significance - the theme of the unexpected inheritance was fully revealed. This is both a surprise and a man’s understanding.
So, I can assume that the tape was a few steps away from a great success. The creators, as if within the framework of the famous idea of Kubrick, decided to make a really candid film with famous actors. And the story of Fanny Hill turned out to be just the literary magnitude that added the necessary subtexts. . .
The proposed estimate may seem unnecessarily high, but... If we discuss the genre of erotic cinema, then the tapes can be compared with Caligula and The Story of O, called by some critics the starting point. So: in comparison with these tapes, the low-budget Fanny Hill looks really bold and ambitious project, albeit not devoid of staged clumsiness.
6 out of 10