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Based on the best-selling novel by Dominique Aury (who wrote it under the pen name "Pauline Reage"), this erotic tale of sexual dominance and submission was directed by Just Jaeckin, who was following his success as the creator of another softcore erotic film, Emmanuelle (1974). French fashion photographer O (Corinne Clery) is spirited away by her boyfriend Rene (Udo Kier) to a retreat where she is imprisoned by a jailer, Pierre (Jean Gaven), whose job is to beat her when she is disobedient. O is outfitted in garb that makes her sexually available to a variety of anonymous partners, the entire episode designed to prove Rene's love for and possession of O. Pierre's task is to break her spirit and make her submissive, but he does not entirely succeed. Returned to Paris, O resumes her life with Rene, their relationship strengthened by the experience. Rene jeopardizes their future, however, by attempting to "give" O to his stepbrother, Sir Stephen (Anthony Steel), who begins to fall in love with his new prize. After the early 1980s explosion in the video rental market, the film was followed by a sequel, Histoire d'O: Chapitre 2 (1984).