a
Paris, well-dressed writer Jean (Carl Parker, a.k.a. Mike the coffee-scalded 
handyman in Score) crosses paths with two women at a party: young and beautiful submissive Anne (Mary Mendum, aka Rebecca Brooke from a slew of Joe Sarno films like Abigail Leslie Is Back in Town) and her austere, sadistic mistress, Claire (Marilyn Roberts), an old acquaintance of his. An afternoon trip to the rose-filled Bagatelle Gardens results in some petty enforced larceny, perverse water sports, and punishment by thorns, as all of which sparks Jean's curiosity. After more flirtation, they finally become a threesome engaging in debauched sexual behavior around the city: in restaurants, in retail dressing rooms, in bathtubs, and so on. Claire's sadistic treatment continues to escalate, hiding a far more complex reservoir of emotions than Jean realized, and the level of Anne's willingness to go along with the brutal treatment becomes too blurry for comfort.
This was also the last film to bear Metzger's real name before he embarked on his five Henry Paris hardcore classics, 
and The Image is as visually luscious as its predecessors. Apart from the peculiar dubbing for the American actors (especially Parker), the aesthetic value of the film is impeccable and gives it a polish that makes the subject matter even more jarring. A far cry from the rough and gritty nature of the Olga films, for example, this is a class act even when it treads into explicit imagery for a small portion of the running time. The last act of the film may be too much for many as it brutally bangs the viewer's head against preconceived notions of pleasure and pain on film, and even the most jaded exploitation vets should prepare to be shaken up even though the darkest, most gothic imagery is still rendered with an artistic flair. The actors are amazingly brave and convincing under the circumstances; all of them had done some commercial work beforehand and put themselves on the line with this unusual gambit,
and the end result is definitely nothing that should cause shame. In the '70s this was extremely strong stuff, but now The Image is perhaps even more shocking as its sensibilities are so far removed from anything seen on movie screens in the U.S. On the other hand, its unique combination of full-strength kink and gorgeous aesthetics have made it a surprising perennial video favorite in the DVD era and beyond, taking it from one of Metzger's least-seen titles to one of his most popular in just a couple of decades. Even now, The Image is simply unlike any other film ever made.
and an isolated mono music track highlighting the catchy, funky score, a savvy compilation of library tracks like Brian Bennet's "Image" (hmm, wonder how they chose that one) and David Gold's "Forbidden Fruit" (heard during the final scene). Artist and 
writer Stephen R. Bissette, a familiar name to many a horror fan, contributed some nicely appreciative liner notes, while the disc (featuring some wonderfully atmospheric menus) also houses a Metzger filmography complete with trailers for many of his earlier soft titles. Synapse's 2011 HD upgrade went back to the original negative which was once again sourced for a Blu-ray as well as a DVD reissue (with much more striking cover art). The image quality boasts even more detail, though the color timing has some issues we'll get to shortly. The filmography is carried over here along with the same audio options, except this time the stereo track is replaced with a new, more spacious 5.1 mix (uncompressed on the Blu-ray) which sounds a bit more natural and powerful than the 2.0 version. Optional English subtitles are also included this time around.MELUSINE (UHD)
SYNAPSE (BLU-RAY)
