Servez-vous mesdames (1973)

"Servez-vous mesdames" (1973), directed by Georges Cachoux, is a French erotic comedy that dives headfirst into the sexploitation craze of the early 1970s. Known alternately as "Le Laureande" in Italy, this film is a quintessential artifact of the era’s permissive cinema, blending softcore titillation with a thin veneer of academic satire. It’s not a widely celebrated classic, but it holds a niche appeal for fans of vintage European erotica or those curious about the oddball fringes of 1970s filmmaking.

The story follows Professor Eric Tobler (André Chazel), a self-styled sexology expert from the fictional "International Higher Institute of Sexology." Tobler recounts his latest "experiment" to a group of eager female recruits, detailing a summer jaunt to a Camargue village with five students. Their mission? To study the sexual behaviors of the locals—fishermen, shepherds, and a wealthy baron named Calabru (Victor Béniard)—through seduction and observation. What unfolds is a series of loosely connected vignettes: topless horseback rides, naturist frolics in the dunes, poolside dalliances, and graveyard caresses, all punctuated by the jealous scheming of the baron’s aging mistress, Minouche (Gisèle Grandpré), who doubles as the village mayor.