LOS ANGELES—Severin Films has unearthed two erotic French movies that were both previously unreleased in the U.S.
Adapted for the screen from Joy Laurey’s popular erotic novels, Joy (1983) and Joy and Joan (1985) became international sensations in the early ’80s thanks to their “daring depiction of sexuality, seductive tone and stylish, sensuous settings,” according to Severin publicist Christoph Buerger said.
The Joy films rank as two of the era’s best and mark the end of the golden age of big-budget erotic films like The Story of O and the Emmanuelle series.
Both films are uncut and have been restored from their original negatives and contain previously unreleased footage. Appropriately, Joy was restored from a print that was used in a Parisian brothel and the Joy and Joan restoration came from a print seized in a Marseilles vice raid.
Joy contains an additional 12 minutes of footage, including the complete secret orgy dungeon sequence. Joy and Joan’s previously unreleased footage includes a sequence from a Philippine sex grotto.
Both movies were inspired by erotic texts exploring a woman’s sexual discoveries. Both films are now considered classics. Former adult star turned mainstream actress Brigitte Lahaie plays Joy.
