Kino Classics Releases Roger Vadim’s Vice and Virtue

Kino Classics Releases Roger Vadim's Vice and Virtue 
starring Annie Girardot, Robert Hossein, Catherine Deneuve and O.E. Hasse

NEW YORK, NY - March 2, 2015 - Kino Classics is proud to announce the Blu-ray and DVD release of Roger Vadim's VICE AND VIRTUE (1963), a stylized re-telling of the Marquis de Sade'sJustine set against the backdrop of the Nazi occupation of France starring Annie Girardot, Robert Hossein, Catherine Deneuve and O.E. Hasse.

Previously unavailable on home video, virtually unseen in the United States since its original release, VICE AND VIRTUE is a significant rediscovery for American audiences. The film will become available on Blu-ray and DVD on March 17, 2015, with a SRP of $29.95 for the Blu-ray and $24.94 for the DVD, and includes the original theatrical trailer.

A cinematic enfant terrible, Vadim (Blood and Roses, Barbarella) has never been properly evaluated as a filmmaker, since the content of his playfully erotic films is usually overshadowed by his relationships with the stars:  Deneuve, Brigitte Bardot, and Jane Fonda. But VICE AND VIRTUE reveals a more serious side Vadim's craft, a highly stylized (perhaps over-ambitious) attempt to retell the Marquis De Sade'sJustine in the midst of the Nazi Occupation of Paris.

The film tells the story of two sisters who navigate very different courses as they struggle to survive within the morally corrupt fascist regime. Juliette (Annie Girardot, The Piano Teacher) is surrounded by the spoils of war, being the mistress of an SS colonel (Robert Hossein). Meanwhile, Justine (Catherine Deneuve, The Umbrellas of Cherbourg), whose husband is seized by fascists on their wedding day, is taken to a chateau in the country, where she is groomed to become a concubine for the Nazi elite.

Had he been a member of the French New Wave, which was in its heyday as VICE AND VIRTUE was released, perhaps Vadim's film would be better known today. But a jet-setter like Vadim was out-of-place among the scruffy self-taught filmmakers of the nouvelle vague. And since this was a bombastic costume epic, filled with Sturm und Drang, and not an emotionally frank low-budget drama, Vadim's clever manipulations of cinema — audacious compositions, unconventional editing, striking production design — went largely unnoticed.

Digitally restored in HD by Gaumont, with newly-translated English subtitles, VICE AND VIRTUE promises to be a revelation for those who think of Vadim as a purveyor of softcore fantasy.

About Kino Lorber:

With a library of 1,000 titles, Kino Lorber Inc. has been a leader in independent art house distribution for over 30 years, releasing over 25 films per year theatrically under its Kino Lorber, Kino Classics, and Alive Mind Cinema banners, including five Academy Award® nominated films in the last seven years. In addition, the company brings over 70 titles each year to the home entertainment market with DVD and Blu-ray releases under its five house brands, distributes a growing number of third party labels, and is a direct digital distributor to all major platforms including iTunes, Netflix, HULU, Amazon, Vimeo, Fandor and others.