France, West Germany

• L'histoire d'O
• Die Geschichte der O

"STORY OF O" is simultaneously an enlightened dream, a paradoxical expression of purity and a tale of conquest." An enlightened dream, because it revels with unique precision the fantasies of a woman in love, in which reality and likelihood have no share. "A paradoxical expression of purity, simply because purity is paradoxical: it can only exist in paradise or in hell. All along, O's attitude is exempt of compromise or complacency. She searches for the absolute, however brutal or unusual it may be. The purity of a black diamond is not due to its colour, but to its own structure. "Finally, a tale of conquest. O's actions and the evolution of her character, lead her to give herself so completely to her lover that, through total selflessness (self-denial), she manages to finally possess him. "O" is tender, "O" is docile, "O" is a consenting slave. "O" is both pleasure and suffering. "O" is a lover who offers herself entirely. "O" is mystery, "O" is voluptuousness. "O" is the mistress of all mistresses.