Camille 2000 is the softcore movie Fifty Shades of Grey should have been. It opens in rare fashion: With four of the participants drunk and cavorting on the massive steps of what looks like an ancient Roman temple (well, they are in Rome) before getting into their convertible and heading off to party—but not before quaffing a bit of champagne, which their driver (and the movie's protagonist) Marguerite Gautier (Daniele Gaubert, and the "Camille" of the title) uses to wash down her pills.

By dawn, they're still traveling, and pacing a single-engine plane, which lands to disgorge the film's other central character, Armand (Nino Castelnuovo), who heads off to visit his sister, and then tour the city with old pal Gastion (Roberto Bisacco). They promptly "kidnap" a brunette right out of her sportscar that's stopped in traffic—who invites them to join her backstage after the concert she's giving that night. But Marguerite's and Armand's eyes meet as they watch the performance, so viewers know something's going to happen later.

Cut to the following Sunday, where the pair meet again at the lavish party Marguerite's throwing—and after she faints, Armand goes to make sure she's all right, and they end up in bed... surrounded by mirrors. The pair have a couple of other liaisons, showing even more nudity (no pussy or cock, though) but while he's in love, she's flighty, and he catches her fucking another guy—well, she is a courtesan!—so he send over a woman to show her the insult he's written on the messenger's back. But it only intrigues Marguerite, and she takes Armand as her husband, with even more softcore coupling.

There are plenty more scenes of life in 1970s Rome and its environs, and of Marguerite's and Armand's growing love to each other—much as Marguerite's galpal (Eleanora Rossi Drago) and Armand's father (Massimo Serato) try to break them up. But after Armand's dad tells her he's going to disinherit his son, Marguerite decides to drive Armand away, and to take up her old ways of whoring and drugs.

But Marguerite's new boyfriend (Phillipe Forquet) takes her to a bondage party, leading her into the room on a chain. Of course, there's plenty of nudity and softcore sex—and Armand, whom Forquet forces Marguerite to watch having sex with another woman (Silvana Venturelli).

But Marguerite is sicker than anyone knows, kept going only by her drugs, but even after Armand wins big from Forquet at chemin de fer, she rejects him—and he makes a big scene about it and throws his winnings in her face. We won't reveal the ending, but anyone familiar with the Gustav Flaubert novel on which this film (and several Hollywood versions) was based won't be surprised.

Bottom line: The sex may be non-existent, but this is one of the classiest, best-directed softcore presentations we've seen.