Love and Pain

In recent years an overwhelming amount of propaganda has been disseminated concerning the supposed self-realization of becoming a female slave - the Submission craze that reached a peak with the publication of the "50 Shades" novels. The great Italian porn director Luca Damiano took a far more intelligent approach 20 years ago in "Love and Pain", lost in the In-Ex-Cess video catalog.

Nikki Anderson represents physical profession in the lead role of Martine, a heroine clearly in the mold of "Story of O". At a nightclub she is instantly mesmerized by Max, well-played by Philippe Dean, who likewise is taken with the blonde beauty.

A mutual friend Monique (played by talented Sylvia) introduces the two, and the rest is history.

Essentially, Martine must go through the requisite training under the stern tutelage of dominatrix Madame X (exceptionally well played by an actress billed simply as "Robby") to earn a chance to be with big-shot Max. Unlike hordes of untalented directors slaving away in the bondage/fetish genre, Luca keeps the pace up, never drawing his film to a halt so the fetishsists can stare at some BDSM tableau. Instead he wisely uses dissolve montages to suggest dom/sub scenes, and is rewarded with a consistently interesting show.

A most satisfying ending has Nikki, after putting up with the genre's humiliation and mistreatment for over an hour, turning the tables on smug Max, and forcefully declaring at curtain time "I've learned how ephemeral love is" and can now be her own independent self. It's presented via Italian dialog with English subtitles and manages to correct in one fell swoop the misguided b.s. of thousands of "great to be a sub" porn shows.