Celebrated photographer David Hamilton made his directorial debut with the story of an innocent and beautiful young girl called Bilitis (former model Patti D’Arbanville who inspired the Cat Stevens song Lady D’Arbanville) and her first sensual summer of love and sexual awakening.
Her widowed father has arranged for her to spend the summer with Melissa Demarne (Mona Kristensen) and her husband Pierre (Gilles Kohler). It isn’t long before Bilitis discovers a strong attraction to Melissa, as well as to a young photographer named Lucas (Bernard Giraudeau).
World-famous for his sensual photography, Hamilton set the film in Provence (France) where he lived at the time, taking the story from Les Chansons De Bilitis – a collection of erotic (essentially lesbian) poems published by French writer Pierre Louÿs in 1894.
The film’s superb visuals (photographed by Bernard Daillencourt) are complemented by an outstanding musical score written by Francis Lai.
The imagery of the film is typical Hamilton imagery, built upon his usual theme of the fragile but fascinating beauty of young girls.
Bilitis
Patti D’Arbanville MelissaDemarne
Mona Kristensen PierreDemarne
Gilles Kohler Lucas
Bernard Giraudeau Nikias
Mathieu Carrière Prudence
Irka Bochenko Head Mistress
Jacqueline Fontaine Sub-Principal
Marie-Thérèse Caumont Principal
Germaine Delbat Nanny
Madeleine Damien Susy
Camille Larivière Helene
Catherine Leprince
Director
David Hamilton
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World-famous for his sensual photography, Hamilton set the film in Provence (France) where he lived at the time, taking the story from Les Chansons De Bilitis – a collection of erotic (essentially lesbian) poems published by French writer Pierre Louÿs in 1894.
