As quaint as they're hardcore, the dozen one-reelers selected for this compilation were gleaned from a collection of 300 smutty shorts found in the attic of a respectable French family home.
What's most striking about these relics of a supposedly more innocent age (1905-1930) is the quality of the production - which owes much to the fact that they were shot on idle film sets by cameramen and directors taking a break from the day job.
The fleshiness of the performers (many of whom were prostitutes) and the sauciness of the scenarios (often involving priests, nuns, maids and students) belies the graphic nature of much of the action - indeed, one short includes a dog joining in the oral pleasuring. Yet far from being mere titillation, this revealing peek at bygone morality also exposes the joyless, exploitative body-fascism of much modern porn.