Loosely based on John Cleland's 1748 classic novel Fanny Hill this Italian adaptation celebrates lead actress Debora Caprioglio at her peak. Set in the 50s, Debora.plays Mimma a lovestruck girl who takes up escorting to support her backstabbing fiance. Over time she learns the truth and begins her journey as a courtesan and companion.

Highly atypical of Brass' movies, this one is a potpourri of whorehouse scenes, loosely connected.(His best movies are, on the contrary, quite unified pictures in the shape of a bourgeois or rural drama/sex satire, and rather _intimist also, exploiting the sense of intimacy, secret, privacy unveiled ,etc..)This one is more like a whorehouse almanac, with some camp Fellinian dizziness and cold vertigo. On the other hand, it represents well Brass' gynecological approach, and Mme. Caprioglio's exposed genitalia are intensely fondled a couple of times during some medical exams. PAPRIKA might also be conspicuous for a note of meanness that supplements the shameless cynicism characteristic of Brass' products. Here there is a certain meanness and aggressiveness in the satire. The paradox is the obvious injustice done to Mme. Caprioglio's breasts—while everybody in the film—her chiefs in the brothel, her uncle, etc.—keep praising, touching, fondling her considerable ass, as the most exciting part of her body, it is nonetheless very evident that this place belongs to her tits. Her most extraordinary endowment, and especially at such young an age, are her tits. No one mentions them in the movie, and barely touches them ….

Mme. Caprioglio illustrates Brass' view of the colossally exciting woman—like Grandi,like Vassilissa, like Koll ….Brass exalts women whose sexuality and appeal are over-explicit and very tangible.

Since I was 15, Deborah is on my list of favorite soft—core actresses (with Grandi, Miti, Sandrelli, Tweed, and,more newly, Sinclair—the Hungarian one).Can you believe that no one in PAPRIKA praises her tits or at least notices their size, appeal, etc.? PAPRIKA is an brothel album comprising several shameless, sulfurous ,even angry, nihilist aqua-fortes. Brass pretends it wanted it a joyful celebration, a cheerful feast.But the movie looks sometimes angry and mean,as I said.It has not the enormous beauty to be found in LA CHIAVE or MIRANDA.

Brass was usually keen in filming the masculine answer, the erection, the natural masculine reaction to physical feminine beauty.