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Four promiscuous young women are lured into a game of sex and blackmail in this French exploitation classic.

They certainly made some strange films in the 1960s. It was a time of rebellion and new-found sexuality across the world and the cinema was one of the first places to reflect this. Films became more raw and even brutal at times. Sex was no longer a complete taboo, but rather something to be viewed on a giant screen. Hundreds of films emerged to take advantage of this new world, for better or for worse.

Shot in 1966 in France, Little Girls is only one such example of this new philosophy in filmmaking. Done with a style reminiscent of the 1930s “exploitation-caution” films, it is a moralistic fable, but one with plenty of breasts to make sure the theater patrons stayed in their seats.

The plot is fairly thin, but at least it’s there. Dani, a former hooker turned nightclub owner, is finding herself treading water as her business starts to go under. Desperate to save it, she comes up with a grand scheme. She invites four girls who are regulars at her club to her getaway, where they partake in their wildest sexual fantasies with Dani’s customers. Now, while they are technically prostitutes during this, the film makes clear that the money is of no concern to the girls; it’s the kicks they do this for. Dani’s scheme, unbeknown to the girls, is to have her assistant Mike photograph the girls, all from rich families, doing torrid acts in order to blackmail them and their families. Problems arise when Mike falls for one of the girls.

There’s a good bit of “eww” factor in the film. Despite it being well-shot with some great lighting, the themes are certainly not what would play well in today’s market. The youngest of the girls is supposedly only fourteen (though the actress is definitely of age), and there are numerous references to incest. Bondage and torture figure into a few scenes, as well.

It’s a simple film, really, and in the T&A market, that’s all one can ask for. The girls are pretty. The dubbed narration is somewhat annoying, but the film print is really nice, though there are occasional scratches.

This widescreen edition is released by Cinema Epoch. The only special feature available is a detailed text essay on Bob Cresse, the American film producer who, while not directly responsible for the film, bought the rights to it and released it in the States. Director Benjamin Andrews gets nary a mention.

Little Girls is one of those weird little sex films from the 1960s, willing to push the envelope as far as it could go at the time under the pretext of art-house film. It certainly has enough T&A to keep viewers interested, but some of the themes may be a turn off.

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