Art Of Passion deals with the business of erotic books and of an author and publisher thereof, and a photographer whose business it is to capture, in pictures, the essence of the writings. It is a premise which could make for grand erotica. Yet, in spite of a cast and director of outstanding credentials, it doesn't always work.

Just why is difficult to pinpoint. Perhaps it is because a great deal of the erotic activity seems haphazard. Maybe it is because the characters have been overblown by the actors. John Leslie, one of the great actors, goes through agony as the drunkard photographer, but after the first few moments he becomes annoying rather than pathetic. Everybody, including director Henri Pachard as an actor in his own feature, overacts. There is as much grimacing during the acting as there is in the sex scenes. No particular attention is paid to the fact that Leslie stops taking pictures during one scene while he emotes, only to have the two leading ladies raving about the quality of his pictures in the very next scene.

By the time Leslie beds both Alexa Parks and Krista Lane in the finale, interest is waning. Billy Dee and Gayle Sterling deserve praise for hot erotic performance. The cast is great looking, for sure, but Art Of Passion serves as an erotic near-miss.