British Film Institute Honors NYC Director Joseph Sarno
September / October 2009 Screenings
Come Ride the Wild Pink Horse, The Bed and How to Make It,
Scarf of Mist Thigh of Satin and Swedish Wildcats

“…in the films of Joe Sarno, sex is never simply sex”.
BFI.com

The British Film Institute will screen four films directed by New York Sexploitation pioneer Joseph Sarno this fall in London: Come Ride the Wild Pink Horse, and The Bed and How to Make It will screen at their London theater in September, followed by October screenings of Scarf of Mist Thigh of Satin and Swedish Wildcats.

The director and wife Peggy Sarno will be on hand to introduce the October screenings. The presentation of Swedish Wildcats as well as the Sarno’s trip to the UK is sponsored by American Sexploitation film company Retro Seduction Cinema.

Come Ride the Wild Pink Horse (1967)
Bored and sexually frustrated, two housewives become pawns of the mercenary leader of a bohemian commune.
Sat 5 Sep 18:40 NFT2
Wed 16 Sep 18:30 NFT2

The Bed and How To Make It (1966)
Sexual curiosity leads to cynicism and corruption as a young woman seduces first her uncle, then others at the local motel and bar.
Thu 17 Sep 20:30 NFT3
Sun 27 Sep 18:20 NFT2

Scarf of Mist Thigh of Satin (1966)
New York’s bustling garment center is the setting for this tale of ruthless ambition, deceit and scandalous orgies.
Thu 1 Oct 21:00 NFT1
Wed 7 Oct 18:00 NFT2

Swedish Wildcats (1972)
Diana Dors stars as the madame of an unusually inventive and upscale brothel in this rather romantic tale, shot in Sweden and Demark.
Thu 1 October 18.15, NFT1
Thu 8 Oct 20:50 NFT1

About Joseph Sarno – A pioneer of Sexploitation Cinema, American film director and screenwriter Joseph Sarno’s prolific career spans the evolution of the genre, beginning with Nude in Charcoal in 1961 and culminating in his 2004 feature Suburban Secrets. His early black and white films are praised for their chiaroscuro lighting and their complex psycho-sexual plots; but it was his daring art-house film, Inga, shot in Sweden in 1968, that brought him international attention and catapulted its young star, Marie Liljedahl, to fame.

Never a fan of explicit XXX filmmaking, Joe nonetheless continued to write and direct adult films through the 1970s and 80s, often working under a pseudonym or offering his director’s credit to the film’s female lead. Among his most noted films are Sin in the Suburbs, Inga, Abigail Leslie is Back in Town, Confessions of a Young American Housewife and Butterflies.

About the BFI (British Film Institute) - Founded in 1933, the BFI promotes understanding and appreciation of Britain's rich film and television heritage and culture via its publishing company, film festivals, theaters and home entertainment label. The BFI owns the largest archive of moving image material in the world.

About RSC (Retro Seduction Cinema) – Founded by Michael Raso in 1995, RSC is a home entertainment company devoted to the preservation of classic Sexploitation Cinema, with an emphasis on the films of Joseph Sarno. To facilitate the awareness and viewing of these preserved films, RSC works regularly with film festivals and associations; recent partners include the Lake Placid Film Festival, The Vienna Filmmuseum, The Cinemateque Francais, The Turin Film Festival, and The Alamo Draft House. Upcoming events include fall 2009 screenings at the British Film Institute and the Warhol Museum.

For additional information on the British Film Institute, visit http://www.bfi.org.uk/