A Summer in Saint Tropez (1981)

David Hamilton creates a new standard in erotic film photography with a lyrical tribute to the grace and beauty of very young women. Hamilton conceives a quiet world in the South of France, where a group of beauties abide together in a remote country hou

poorly-photographed pederasty

This is absolutely the most boring and inaccurately portrayed movies of all time. Imagine a Monet painting being shown on film, with no dialogue, for several hours. Boring, right? Even after you checked out the ballerina's breasts? That's this film.

My first problem with this film is the premise: that girls at a girls' school would choose to caress and share tender moments with one another. Everyone knows that women of this age are just beginning to use their claws, and--like puppies--their claws are now the sharpest they will ever be. Every one of these girls should be in a mad, jealous, catfight to appeal to the few men in the film--but instead, they seem to want solely to touch one another or play mild, hilarious pranks.

Secondly, the "artistic" mood detracts from the pornography (if you're into that), and the "pornographic" scenes detract from the artistry. This film is an overall loser, neither here nor there, that deserves nothing more than your contempt. June 23, 2008

Erotic dreams of David Hamilton

This film definitely has unique beauty. What it is interesting about this film, is that it is neither pornographic, neither can be today viewed as purely erotic experience. Although I think that today David Hamilton might even be prosecuted for his images, it can not be denied that this film (as it is the case with many other Hamilton's work) is in a way truly aesthetic. But today it lacks what we are so much used in contemporary production: the "true" story. So this film is much more similar to certain avant-garde films (form dominates over the content) as its base is purely visual. It is of that type that it should take purist to turn his or hers head away from astonishing images Hamilton took more than twenty years ago. A true experience, but consider it rather as a "screen saver" than a movie. December 12, 2007

A glimpse of paradise

Closer in spirit to a naturist video than an "erotic film," this one-hour movie by photographer David Hamilton is a collection of vignettes depicting everyday life in the idyllic French Riviera. The cast of beauties--mostly girls and young women--sleep, play, ride their bicycles and generally just enjoy the rural paradise around them. Sometimes they are naked, or wearing very little. After all, why put something on to go swimming? Why wear something to bed if it's not cold? Hamilton's girls are presented with uncommon innocence. They are this way simply because they are. While it is certainly possible to find eroticism in the bodies on display, or in the mild gestures of affection they occasionally share, that is for the viewer to decide. An erotic film, perhaps, for those who wish to bring that mindset; harmless, beautiful scenery (human and otherwise) for everyone else.

For those familiar with Hamilton's printed work, watching is rather like seeing those images come to life. The format, however, brings with it a certain amount of frustration; pause button aside, one can't linger on that "perfect moment." For this reason, I find it's preferable to relax with one of his monographs and page through it at my own pace.

The DVD quality isn't particularly great. The image often looks fuzzy, though as Hamilton tends to shoot in soft-focus I'm not sure this isn't intentional. Still, there seems to be quite a bit of dust and dirt in the picture (especially noticeable in the beginning) that it would have been nice to have cleaned up. I don't know that a remastered disc is ever likely, but I'd love to see one. September 10, 2007

This is really more a Photo Essay than a Story

Some might consider this movie pornographic because of the frequent nudity of the girls. However, it reminded me more of a soft-focus photo essay on the natural beauty of young women than anything erotic, depicted in much the same manner as the nudes painted by countless master artists. There is no dialogue, but it does tell a story of one girl falling in love and getting married. This is a very unusual movie, but tastefully done - as are most of David Hamilton's photos of adolescent girls. I suspect that it is diminished due to its age, however, and needs to be restored to its original glory.



Just as an aside, Saint Tropez is where topless bathing first started in modern Europe. I've heard that it was there that totally nude sunbathing, such as depicted in this movie, first began in Europe. However, when I was there in the early 1990s, we could hardly find a topless beach, much less a nude beach. Also, if you visit the town, be sure to take a map because it has the most mixed up street plan I've ever seen in any town. Without a map, it might take you half an hour to stumble your way out of the village! June 13, 2007

Beautiful photography but bad DVD quality

A masterpiece of visual art. No question about it. Unfortunately, the DVD quality is disappointing, partly because David likes to use diffusion filter in photography, partly may because the movie is old. Same problem with the DVD for Laura. I do wish we have new movies like these with top visual quality, that is a must for David's works!!! September 3, 2005

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