Christian Gion’s Le Jardin des supplices, so much more than an erotic film

In 1976, Christian Gion’s Le Jardin des supplices was released, in a very particular context, with very little censorship in place and cinemas showing more and more erotic films. However, to reduce this adaptation of Mirbeau’s novel to nothing more than an outdated product of its time would be to ignore its major interest. By shifting the plot in the context of China in 1926, the director, supported by Pascal Laîné’s screenplay, creates a surprisingly ambitious and committed work.