This anthology of eroticism from the 1920's features a collection of vignettes that were shown in the projection rooms of famous Parisian bordellos such as the Chabanais, the Panier Fleuri, the Sphinx and the Temple of Venus.
If you're familiar with Cult Epics' Vintage Erotica series, you get an idea of what it's all about. However, contrary to what we could see in the middle of the century—see anno 1950—where the films were making a slight effort at developing exposition, here the settings are as basic as possible, usually limited to a bed where one to three protagonists are experimenting with various positions and toys. This is as pornographic as smut can be and the faded black and white look gives it a creepier look, at the exception of one segment where the contrast is so high it becomes almost—unintentionally—artistic.
There are also a few moments where you can see that the actors don't take themselves seriously in front of the camera, which is kind of amusing. However, as a whole, the repetitiveness of the whole ends up getting pretty boring, making Forbidden Movies from the Brothels of Paris mostly a treat for avid connoisseurs and fans of this genre.
The DVD also includes a map of Parisian brothels as well as a movie scene about life in bordellos and a short interview of Marthe Richard, the Frenchwoman who put an end to that business, back in the 40's.
