The greatest softcore porn movie of the 1970s, according to Quentin Tarantino: “That turned me on”
Quentin Tarantino has singled out the 1977 Italian film *Wifemistress* as an erotic film that appealed to him, saying its attention to the characters made the difference. His comments highlight his view that eroticism can work when it is part of a considered story, unlike the pornographic films he watched while working at a Los Angeles cinema.
Directed by Marco Vicario and starring Laura Antonelli, *Wifemistress* follows a woman who explores her romantic and erotic life after her husband disappears, unaware at first that he is hiding nearby after being accused of murder. The film was not considered softcore in Italy, but its nudity and sensuality led to that classification in the United States; Tarantino described it as turning him on.
- Tarantino praised the erotic drama *Wifemistress*.
- He said its character focus made its eroticism work.
- The 1977 Italian film stars Laura Antonelli.
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Wifemistress is a 1977 Italian film directed by Marco Vicario and starring Laura Antonelli. It follows a woman whose husband vanishes after being accused of murder; while he hides nearby, she begins exploring her romantic and sexual life.
The film’s nudity and sensuality led to its being described as softcore in the United States, though it was not given that label in Italy. Quentin Tarantino has praised its attention to character, contrasting it with pornography he watched while working at a Los Angeles cinema.
Both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Tarantino’s praise supports the view that erotic cinema can be artistically engaging when sensuality grows from character and story. By distinguishing Wifemistress from films he found less considered, he highlights how desire and narrative can work together rather than treating erotic content as inherently shallow.
The case against
The film’s erotic appeal may be the very feature that makes its artistry harder to separate from its titillation, and Tarantino’s personal reaction does not establish its broader merits. Its American softcore label also reflects how audiences and cultural contexts can shape the way a film is understood, so viewers may reasonably judge its sexual presentation differently from its storytelling.