Tight Skirts, Loose Pleasures

Catherine Guérande, a 19-year-old Parisian girl, decides to become a prostitute after a messy love affair. She did not count on Pornotropos, a brutal racketeer who runs the profitable business of model agencies, cabarets, and camping sites, backed by Thanatos, his brother, who runs the mugging and murder side of their business. Pornotropos is not taking it well that a freelancer is around reducing his profits, and he sets his girls to harass and beat her up. Catherine does not take his mistreatment and moves to another brothel. But luck has it that an old man dies in her room, and that he was the owner of a marketing agency. Paul, a young and handsome executive in his company, decides to investigate the shady causes of death of his late boss, and when Paul meets Catherine it's love at first sight.

Directed by Claude de Givray, Tight Skirts, Loose Pleasures leans on a strong ensemble — Valeria Ciangottini, Jean Yanne, Jacques Destoop — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.

The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about drama titles of 1965.