I LUST OCH NOD
One man's search for the most obscure, most ponderous, yet hottest porn flick of all time
EPHEMERA
In my quest to learn more about this movie - or just find a watchable copy - I've found a few traces of it on auction sites around the world. Posters, pressbooks, lobby cards, stills, etc. I've even purchased a few, budget permitting. Here's what I've found.
POSTERS/ONE-SHEETS
This would seem to be the original theatrical poster for the film's Swedish release in 1976.
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The UK release, 1976, with its questionable painted version of a press photo of the lesbian scene (but not a pose actually in the film itself, as far as I can tell).
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The rather gorgeous Japanese poster from 1976, and the back which acts as a press book. I'm working on a translation of this. Stay tuned!
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The Spanish poster from 1977.
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And here's the US poster from 1977, which really pisses me off. Who's that woman? That's not Elona Glenn (or "Elena Glenn" as she's credited on the poster). And not once in the film does somebody refer to her as "Liz." Plus, notice that the European cast are pretty much all rechristened here. I believe that Ulf Brunnberg is now "Richard Roman." Ugh.
Italian poster (1 of 3!) from 1978. That very sexily posed lady up top is, I believe, actually Mary Millington. I have some evidence to that further down in the Magazines section. Oh, and we have further cast name changes as you can see.
Italian poster (2 of 3) from 1978. The photo on the top is definitely of Elona, but this sequence is nowhere to be found in any version of the movie I've seen. For more speculation on this, check out the Missing Sequence? page.
The third Italian poster from 1978, this one probably meant to have theater times or listings in the box at top.
The Finnish poster from 1978. Oof, this one really sells the sizzle and includes the not-in-the-film lesbian hug that was used as the basis for the art on the UK poster. It also includes a still from the orgy scene at the end that I haven't found anywhere else.
The West German poster from 1979. This time the director's name has changed!
New find! This Belgian poster is undated and I have no idea of the movie's release in that country, so your guess is as good as mine. And check the off-topic "horror" vibe of this art! The translated text from French (left side) and Dutch (right side): She offered her body to the devil!
STILLS AND LOBBY CARDS
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This Italian lobby card really befuddles. While the other two depict stills of scenes actually in the movie, this one - doesn't? Who are these two anonymous bodies? While there is a lesbian scene leading into a group sex scene, Elona and Mary Millington are never upright in it and it certainly wasn't filmed in front of a bright blue background. I believe there may have been some promotional stills shot for the movie that don't represent actual scenes from the film. Again, check out the Missing Sequence? section.
PRESSBOOKS & PROMOS
This was quite a find. It's front and back of an early promo fold-out from the distributor. Too long to photograph in one go, I had to take multiple snaps and awkwardly "stitch" them together.
While these scenes all happen in the film, not one of them is shot the same, leading me to believe they're all composed by the film's stills photographer. Several you'll recognize as having been used as the basis for the theatrical one-sheets. It's worth noting that none of the international titles listed on the front (with the exception of Sweden, Japan and the UK) are accurate. Something tells me the ink wasn't quite dry on those deals when this was printed.
A rare, happy, and pricey find - the Japanese press book from 1976!
I'll eventually get around to translating the full text, but if you head over to the CAST page, you'll find the roughly translated bio of star "Elona Glenn."
MAGAZINE ARTICLES
From the August 1976 issue of the UK's Continental Film Review (photo only). Notice how the cloth draped over Elona has been painted onto the photo!
From the October 1976 issue of the UK's Continental Film Review, this time with a small write-up.
From the October 1977 issue of the UK magazine Cinema Blue which features a very negative review of the film but some very intriguing set photos that don't appear anywhere else. A few of these photos are addressed in the Missing Sequence? page.
This came from a 1977 issue of Cinema X magazine (Cinema Blue's sister mag). The gimmick was Mary Millington vs Fiona Richmond - another UK sex star (though strictly softcore). I've left off Richmond's page as it doesn't pertain. Read Mary's summation of what her role in Ceremony was and one ends up with even more questions as to what was actually shot and what we never got to see.
ANNA: Ridiculous. My sister - the virgin bride. What a joke!
