[REL] Laura, les ombres de l'été (1979)

[deadman]

How old are actresses in this shot?

Anja Schüte is 14.

As for the others ... David Hamilton's background girls are almost always 13-17. Just like his photo models. In fact this is where he gets them. A few of the girls who posed for photoshoots were invited to do bit roles in his films. Un été à Saint-Tropez (1983) is the one excption where they aren't just extras, but the whole focus.

It's hard to find personal information on these girls. If anyone knows who some of the other models in that shower room scene are, please let us know. Hamilton's photo books often list no name at all and a first name at best. You can't do much with that unless the girl in question went on to do other things they've been credited for.

[nomie]

How old are actresses in this shot?

Anja Schüte is 14.

As for the others ... David Hamilton's background girls are almost always 13-17. Just like his photo models. In fact this is where he gets them. A few of the girls who posed for photoshoots were invited to do bit roles in his films. Un été à Saint-Tropez (1983) is the one excption where they aren't just extras, but the whole focus.

It's hard to find personal information on these girls. If anyone knows who some of the other models in that shower room scene are, please let us know. Hamilton's photo books often list no name at all and a first name at best. You can't do much with that unless the girl in question went on to do other things they've been credited for.

Could you post Blu-Ray Remux, pretty please?

[deadman]

Could you post Blu-Ray Remux, pretty please?

Alright, since you asked so nicely:
[Code]

[ThurstonHowell]

Wonder what contemporary critics thought of DHs movies

[citronleaf]

Wonder what contemporary critics thought of DHs movies

See poster for quote from Louis Chauvet (died 1981) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Chauvet
[Image]

[ThurstonHowell]

High praise indeed.. good catch

[citronleaf]

In a much newer review of "Bilitis" it says

David Hamilton would make only four more films, all of which present an innocent maiden’s earliest lustful urges as soft-focus, soft-core 'art’. His follow-up film, Laura (1979), was a global hit; Tendres cousines (Cousins in Love, 1980), Un été Á Saint-Tropez (A Summer in St Tropez, 1983) and Premiers désirs (First Desires, 1984, the debut film of French actress Emmanuelle Beart) solidified his standing amongst European audiences, though the onset of Reagan-era conservatism meant they were not as warmly received, elsewhere.

https://www.sbs.com.au/whats-on/article ... /pumvxivd6

[deadman]

In a much newer review of "Bilitis" it says

David Hamilton would make only four more films, all of which present an innocent maiden’s earliest lustful urges as soft-focus, soft-core 'art’. His follow-up film, Laura (1979), was a global hit; Tendres cousines (Cousins in Love, 1980), Un été Á Saint-Tropez (A Summer in St Tropez, 1983) and Premiers désirs (First Desires, 1984, the debut film of French actress Emmanuelle Beart) solidified his standing amongst European audiences, though the onset of Reagan-era conservatism meant they were not as warmly received, elsewhere.

https://www.sbs.com.au/whats-on/article ... /pumvxivd6

Bilitis had only a few scenes featuring underage models from his photoshoots. It was probably the least Hamilton-esque (Hamiltonian?) of his handful of films - too bad he wasn't a more prolific movie director! I remember seeing Tendres Cousines and Laura as a teenager, in the 80's or early 90's, I believe it was on Cinemax. Friday and Saturday after midnight they'd show soft core erotic movies all night long - people called it Skinamax. My parents were usually in bed by then so they had no idea what I was watching. The only parental controls that existed at the time were ... don't subscribe to the channel. If any of the other Hamilton movies were ever shown in the US I missed them though.

It doesn't surprise me that Louis Chauvet saw nothing wrong with Dawn Dunlap's age in Laura and just reviewed the movie on its own merits. 16 year olds in sexually explicit scenes isn't controversial in most western countries - provided no coercion or abuse occurred on set. That's the most common age of consent.

Here's a portion of an interview referenced on IMDb.

Since young Dawn Dunlap had never filmed a sex scene before, director David Hamilton shot it on a closed set with just him, Dunlap, and James Mitchell. Dunlap said they spent all day as Hamilton filmed it from a multitude of angles. She was fully nude in front of the two adult men the entire time except for occasional breaks when she'd put on a robe. After the film was completed, she felt it was worth it because she thought the scene was beautiful.

What blows my mind: this means there are hours of raw footage of Dawn and the sculptor guy in bed. We only see an edit containing a few minutes' worth. I'd be willing to bet Hamilton preserved it all. He wouldn't have let it sit in a basement and degrade. Imagine the Extended Cut you could put together from that! You'd still only be able to include a fraction of what was filmed - although I suppose a second BD50 of nothing but deleted scenes could fix that.

[Sully23]

Bilitis had only a few scenes featuring underage models from his photoshoots. It was probably the least Hamilton-esque (Hamiltonian?) of his handful of films - too bad he wasn't a more prolific movie director! I remember seeing Tendres Cousines and Laura as a teenager, in the 80's or early 90's, I believe it was on Cinemax. Friday and Saturday after midnight they'd show soft core erotic movies all night long - people called it Skinamax. My parents were usually in bed by then so they had no idea what I was watching. The only parental controls that existed at the time were ... don't subscribe to the channel. If any of the other Hamilton movies were ever shown in the US I missed them though.

I think Cinemax was better back then than it is now, even in the 2000s. I just remember that channel wasn't exclusive like HBO's subscription package. Even though they removed the midnight movies and moved them to MaxPrime, Cinemax aired European films, which were great, and independent American films. I suppose at some point they aired Hamilton movies. There was no internet and nobody complained. I can't imagine what other controversial movies were shown, like Gummo, which aired in the early morning hours. I set my alarm for it, but I didn't like it. And another one, like 25th Flamingo, that one pushed the boundaries of any censor.