The Devil In Miss Jones

(1973)

Written and Directed by Gerard Damiano

Starring Georgina Spelvin and Harry Reems

Synopsis:

Justine Jones (Spelvin) implores a man (Damiano) to touch her, so that she can get off. She masturbates but is unable to reach a climax. In an extended flashback, we learn that Justine is a lonely and depressed spinster, whose life is dull and routine, decides to commit suicide. After graphically cutting her wrists in the bathtub (in a scene rivalling the special effects of contemporary mainstream features), Justine finds herself in limbo, unable to enter heaven due to her suicide. In death's way-station, she meets Mr. Abaca, an angel in charge of admissions, who gives her the choice between remaining in limbo or going to hell, no matter how undeserved. Angry at being denied heaven, and not wanting to remain in limbo, she begs Mr. Abaca to let her earn her way into hell by embodying one of the seven deadly sins. Her sin of choice is lust, and she is given a short time to damn herself.

Justine is placed in the hands of "The Teacher" (Reems) to learn the pleasures and pains of the flesh. After an enthusiastic blow-job, and vaginal sex, she and the Teacher perform anal sex. The scene then fades to a lesbian scene where a woman annoints her with oil, and the two engage in both mutual masturbation and oral sex. These scenes are followed by several more scenes of increasingly devient sex: masturbation with a water hose in a bathtub and, following a brief scene with the Teacher, with fruit, and with a snake. This is followed by a pair of threesomes.

Her time finally up, she fears the eternal pain of hell, but Mr. Abaca assures her that she'll be quite comfortable. She winds up in the same room that she was in at the beginning of the film, unable to get off, while the man ignores her, trapped in his own private hell. She continues to masturbate unfufilled, cursing until the credits roll.

My thoughts:

Released in 1973, and shot on film, The Devil in Miss Jones, is considered a classic of the "porn chic" era, and a must-have for any collector of classic porn, or someone who is into hot, raw sex. Ms. Spelvin, who has a dancer's athletic body, was 37 when the film came out and actually carries the film as an actress. Shot on film, the movie features no young, fake blondes with fake boobs, so if that's what you're into, you'll be disappointed. The story is deep and serious in tone, bordering on the surreal metaphysical, reminiscent of the existential work of John Paul Sartre, and the acting by Ms. Spelvin and Mr. Reems is top notch. If you're a fan of high production values, good acting and great sex, you can't go wrong with The Devil in Miss Jones. It also serves as an example of an era when porn was accepted in mainstream theaters and was discussed around the water cooler alongside Hollywood movies. If you've seen it, then you know what I'm talking about, if you haven't then what are you waiting for. Go get it.