Jean-François Davy, master of erotic cinema, leaves us at 80 years old. From *exhibition *to *mechanical bananas *, his background fascinates. What was his secret?
Imagine a man who sailed between the obscure rooms of the 1970s, sulphurous filming platforms and the dreams of an author cinema at La Truffaut. Jean-François Davy, who died on May 2, 2025 of a heart attack on the eve of his 80th birthday, was this man. His life, an abundant novel, mixes audacity, contradictions and an unwavering passion for cinema. From his comedies to his daring documentaries, he marked an era when France oscillated between sexual freedom and conservatism.
A pioneer of erotic cinema
In the 1970s, post-68 France opened up to a new freedom. The customs relax, and the cinema follows the movement. Jean-François Davy, then a young filmmaker, seized this wave. His films, at the crossroads, capture the spirit of an era. But who was this man really behind the camera?
The beginnings: a daring trilogy
The name of Jean-François Davy wins with a trilogy that makes you smile as much as it shocks: Mechanical bananas (1972), Take your tail like everyone else (1973) et Q (1974). Ces Paillards comediesas he called them, are not X films, but light works, Rabelaisiennes, which play with eroticism without crossing the line of Hardcore. They attract a curious audience, eager for this new freedom.
“It was a time when cinema could be naughty without being vulgar. Davy knew how to dose humor and eroticism. »»
An anonymous critic of the 1970s
These films, shot with modest budgets, are an unexpected success. They embody a pompidolian France, between Gauloiserie and Sexual Revolution. However, Davy is not satisfied with this easy success. He wants to go further, explore the limits of cinema.
Exhibition: a visionary turning point
In 1975, Davy hit a big blow with Exhibitiona documentary following Claudine Beccarie, one of the first French X actresses. This film, selected at the Cannes Film Festival, is not a simple erotic film. It mixes intimate confessions, reflection on enjoyment and a final scene of non -simulated masturbation which marks the spirits.
At a time when author cinema flirts with porn – think of The Empire of Senses De Nagisa Oshima – Exhibition stands out. Broadcast in classic rooms like the UGC Odéon, it attracts three million spectators. Davy, a visionary, gives the floor to a woman, showing her humanity beyond her body.
Standing fact: Exhibition becomes the first X film broadcast on Saturday evening on Canal +, a sign of its cultural impact.
A committed cinema: give the floor to women
Davy does not stop at Exhibition. He explores the reality of sex in documentaries like Prostitution or Pornecout. In these works, he gives voice to prostitutes and actresses X, often marginalized. Their testimony, raw and without filter, reveals the sex commodification And the ambiguities of their profession.
Unlike the image of a frivolous porn cinema, Davy shows a social facet. His films question consent, freedom and power relations. For his son Mathieu, a lawyer, his father was a “visionary” who was able to capture the developments of society.
The contradictions of a filmmaker
But Davy’s career is not without shadows. To “boil the pot”, he makes more conventional X films, where the consent of actresses, seen with the prism of today, may seem vague. These productions, typical of craft From the 1970s, contrast with his author’s ambitions.
Because Davy dreamed of another cinema. Close to Cinema notebooks In his youth, he admired François Truffaut and produced The best way to walk by Claude Miller, with Patrick Dewaere. However, his attempts to return to classical cinema, as Surprise sock (1978) were commercial failures, plunging him into financial difficulties.
“He was a frustrated filmmaker, a UFO who dreamed of a career in the mocky. »»
Sylvie Davy, her third wife
A life beyond cinema
Jean-François Davy was not only a filmmaker. A wise businessman, he understood before much the boom in video and DVD. He launched the collection The movies of my lifeediting world cinema classics. Real estate, hotel industry in Senegal: he touched everything with a remarkable flair.
His son Mathieu describes him as a man in thehuman instinct Outstanding, capable of bouncing in front of chess. Until his death, Davy worked on two scenarios and dreamed of producing a film by Jean Becker. His life, full of misunderstandings, was a whirlwind of ambitions and unforeseen events.
| Period | Work or activity | Impact |
|---|---|---|
| 1972-1974 | Trilogy Mechanical bananas, Make the tail, Q | Public success, embodiment of sexual freedom |
| 1975 | Exhibition | 3 million spectators, selection in Cannes |
| 1980s | Artisanal x movies | Project financing, but controversial reputation |
| Years 1990-2000 | DVD edition, real estate | Diversification, entrepreneurial success |
A contrasting heritage
The heritage of Jean-François Davy is difficult to identify. Pioneer of erotic cinema, he knew how to capture the spirit of an era. His documentaries, by giving women, have asked essential questions about sexuality and society. However, its incursions in hardcore porn and its failures in classical cinema leave a taste of unfinished.
His son Mathieu insists on his energy: “He was rock’n’roll, refusing the idea of aging in nursing homes. His death, the day before his 80th birthday, is almost a last pirouette. Davy now rests in Quiberville-sur-Mer, with his parents, in a setting far from the neon lights of the X.
Why Davy still tells us
Jean-François Davy embodies a bygone era, that of a daring cinema, sometimes clumsy, but always sincere. His films, whether light or provocative, reflect the tensions of a changing company. They remind us that cinema, even in its most controversial forms, is a mirror of its time.
Today, while erotic cinema has reinvented itself with works like Emmanuelle or BabygirlDavy’s inheritance remains relevant. He invites us to question the boundaries between art, eroticism and exploitation, and to celebrate those who, like him, dared to take risks.
A filmmaker who was able to capture the soul of an era, with his excesses and his dreams.
