'Tis Pity She's A Whore' is a lavishly produced and strongly acted movie which raises a lot of fascinating questions about where to draw the line between art and exploitation, and indeed, if there is any need to. Based on the play by Shakespeare's contemporary John Ford, it manages to work as an engrossing historical drama, and captivate as a passionate, albeit unconventional, romance, while still being sensationalistic enough to entertain any fan of AIP-style Seventies sleaze. The central relationship between Charlotte Rampling ('The Damned', 'Zardoz', 'Angel Heart') and long forgotten 70s sex symbol Oliver Tobias (who I grew up watching on several UK TV shows popular at the time, but now too obscure to bother listing) is incestuous, and the movie ends up with a surprisingly bloody climax that will please splatter buffs. Like the recent controversial adaption of 'Titus' it reminds the modern viewer that sex, violence and extreme imagery are are nothing new and have long been the subject of great literature. (Or if you prefer so-called "great literature") 'Tis Pity She's A Whore' is one of the great lost European movies of the early Seventies, and deserves a much larger audience. Knowing nothing about it before viewing, and not being familiar with the original text, I expected it to be a lighweight erotic romp worth a giggle or two, but was very impressed at just how powerful a movie experience it was. After watching it I immediately watched it again. Highly recommended.
Review of 'Tis Pity She's a Whore
