Completely unabridged: erotic cult film finds its way back to the home cinema – it once attracted more than 1 million viewers to German cinemas!

If you look at the German cinema charts from 1977 today, the rankings are quite representative of the cinema trends of the time, all of which are still extremely popular today. The first four places went to Disney (“Bernard and Bianca”), super agent James Bond (“The Spy Who Loved Me”), the legendary Klopper duo Bud Spencer and Terence Hill (“Two out of control”) and masterful World War II cinema (“Steiner – The Iron Cross”). Also not atypical: that among the top lists there is also eroticism – in the form of “Bilitis”, the directorial debut of the renowned photographer David Hamilton.

The erotic drama drew more than 1.375 million people to German cinemas in 1977, leaving countless critically acclaimed films that are now considered universally acclaimed classics – from Woody Allen’s “The Urban Neurotic” (950,000 visitors) to “The Marathon Man” with Dustin Hoffman (1.15 million) to the popular “Jaws” free rider “Orca – The Killer Whale” (900,000).

However, the film received little attention in the home theater. It is all the more astonishing in what form the controversial photographer’s debut work now returns: “Bilitis” Celebrates Its Home Theater Comeback April 21, 2023 – Full Unabridged and as a Limited Collector’s Edition including a 4K premiere, in two variants:

» Limited Collection Edition “Bilitis”: at Amazon* / at Cape Light*

After the film appeared in numerous, mainly abridged VHS versions and finally celebrated its debut on DVD and Blu-ray in 2014 (the latter has been sold out for years), a home cinema release that does justice to such a big cinema hit follows. The edition includes the film on Blu-ray and for the first time on 4K Blu-ray, plus many extras – from the soundtrack on CD to a booklet full of exciting information about the film.

Taboo-breaking erotic cinema: this is “Bilitis”

Director David Hamilton moved to Paris at a young age, where he was finally able to develop as an artist. In the 1950s he worked as a graphic designer before eventually making a name for himself mainly as an art photographer.

Often dismissed as kitschy and pornographic, he established his own heavily focused style that would soon bring him worldwide fame. In the 1970s, it finally happened that photographs were no longer enough for Hamilton to express his art. He devoted himself to the moving image – and from then on also conquered the screens of this world. Not least in Germany.

“Bilitis” was ahead of its time in that it staged lesbianism and bisexuality that were practically non-existent in cinema at the time. At the center of his story is the 17-year-old boarding school student Bilitis (Patti D’Arbanville), who actually falls in love with photographer Lucas (Bernard Giraudeau) shortly before the summer holidays, but is afraid to make the first move. When she also sees how her married friend Melissa (Mona Kristensen) is being forced into sex by her husband, the young women turn to each other for support. Moments later, a romance develops between the two.

The taboo-breaking erotic drama once made a huge stir and left behind famous milestones in film history not only in 1977. “Bilitis” is still one of the most successful erotic films of all time in Germany and attracted even more people to the local movie theaters as star-studded erotic cult classics like “Wild Orchid”, “Eyes Wide Shut” or “Striptease”.