“What is better… sex that grows out of love? Or love that grows out of pure sex?” Following the unprecedented success of Deep Throat and the critical acclaim of The Devil in Miss Jones and Memories within Miss Aggie, auteur director Gerard Damiano was searching for a project to further challenge himself and his crew, and push the limits of what an adult film could be in the age of Porno Chic. Fascinated by The Story of O by Pauline Réage (pen name of author Anne Desclos), Damiano had hoped to bring the French novel to the screen. After failing to obtain the rights he instead chose to write his own exploration of a dominant/submissive relationship. Terri Hall, a former ballet dancer, would make her adult film debut as the ingenue who tests the boundaries of her own sexuality, while veteran actor Jamie Gillis plays her brooding master. This tale of sadism and masochism is set to a rich soundtrack of classical music. Graphic depictions of bondage and discipline are exquisitely photographed against the lavish backdrop of the Woolworth Mansion on Long Island, New York by Damiano’s long-time collaborator Harry Flecks (João Fernandes). Theatergoers were shocked by a sex scene involving two men, a rare occurrence in a straight film. Distributors, and sometimes even projectionists, cut the scene for fear of offending a mostly male audience. The Story of Joanna would set a high-water mark for the genre. But not long after its release, the advent of home video would help to bring the Golden Age of Porn to an end. The film has not been seen in its original form since the 1970s. Viewers since have come to the film through poor quality VHS and DVDs versions, which had the reels transferred out of sequence. Scanned in 4K from 35mm elements held by the Library of Congress, this version restores the director’s vision with all of its scenes intact. Produced by Damiano’s sons in honor of the film’s 50th anniversary, the definitive version of The Story of Joanna will make its world premiere at Il Cinema Ritrovato.

Gerard Damiano Jr.