Vice and Virtue

Vice and Virtue (French: Le Vice et la Vertu) is a 1963 French-Italian war drama directed by Roger Vadim. Loosely inspired by the works of the Marquis de Sade, particularly his 1787 novel Justine, the film transposes Sade's two morally opposed sisters into occupied France during the Second World War. Annie Girardot plays Juliette, the embodiment of vice, while Catherine Deneuve, in her first notable screen role, portrays the virtuous Justine. Robert Hossein appears as a sadistic German officer. Upon release, the picture was received very poorly in France, where it was condemned as an affront to the Resistance. It was originally distributed by MGM, with Gaumont handling a 1967 re-release.