When Love Is Lust

When Love Is Lust is a 1973 erotic drama film co-written and directed by Vittorio De Sisti and starring Agostina Belli.

Cast

Agostina Belli as Erminia
as Antonio
Ewa Aulin as Angela
Françoise Prévost as Giulia Sanfelice
Femi Benussi as Angela
Umberto Raho as Don Claudio
Giovanni Rosselli as Paolo
Monica Monet as junkie girl
Rina Franchetti as Marta

Production

The film had the working titles Una ragazza di paese and Come è stata la cerimonia... Commuovente?. Agostina Belli described the filming as psychologically challenging for her, as the script dealt with strong themes such as violence and rape.

Release

The film was released in Italian cinemas by Capitol Film on 16 June 1973.

Reception

In Italy, the film was a hit, grossing 997 million lire. At the time of its release, Il Giorno film critic criticized its "clumsy, unrefined psychological setup", but eventually described the film as interesting for its "abandonment in the vein of the grotesque".