The Libertine

There comes a time in every girl’s life…

The Libertine (1968) follows a young widow who discovers that her late husband kept a secret apartment filled with his erotic fantasies and sexual escapades. As she explores his hidden room and begins to live out his fantasies—experimenting with different lovers and forms of desire—she challenges social norms and her own understanding of intimacy. This erotic comedy blends sexual liberation, psychological curiosity, and bittersweet irony in a provocative tale of self-discovery and feminine empowerment.

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  Many European sex comedies are about as much fun as having a root canal, but here’s a welcome exception. Produced at the height of groovy op art mania, The Libertine (La matriarca) is a bubbly, enchanting meditation on the foibles of the human libido as seen through the eyes of Mimi (Catherine Spaak at her loveliest), an unlikely and wealthy young widow who - thanks to the advice of her lecherous attorney - discovers her husband kept a swanky sex pad on the other side of town where he indulged in all manner of perverse sexplay. … Those expecting an orgy of bare flesh and dirty jokes may be caught off guard by The Libertine, which lures the viewer in with the promise of a walk on the wild side and winds up delivering something far more interesting and profound. … See it with someone you plan to seduce.