Stay Updated

We're excited to keep you in the loop on all things Frameline (with no spam - ever!)

Don’t Change Hands

Directed by Paul Vecchiali1975France91 mins

When a wealthy politician receives a mysterious pornographic film reel starring her estranged son, she hires lesbian private detective Mélinda (Myriam Mézières) to investigate the source of the film and uncover who is trying to blackmail her with it. The case soon leads Mélinda directly to the Shanghai Lily, a den of iniquity populated by lusty and duplicitous femmes fatales, quick to open their raincoats but even quicker to draw their pistol.

Don't Change Hands was maverick auteur Paul Vecchiali's finest foray into adult film territory, fusing bisexual orgies and pornographic intrigue with a wildly entertaining film noir. Imagine an X-rated version of The Big Sleep, if Humphrey Bogart played a lesbian private eye. Recently restored in 4k, Don't Change Hands is the perfect introduction to Vecchiali's queer oeuvre — which is still widely unseen outside of his native France and one he continued to build up until his passing in 2023 at age 91.

Courtesy of Severin Films

Preceded by:

Sweet Dreams

14 mins

Often called “the pioneer of lesbian gaze,” iconic San Francisco photographer Honey Lee Cottrell was a student at San Francisco State University when she made this lustful, elliptical exploration of female fantasy and self-love.

This program contains sexually explicit material. No one under 18 admitted.

Quick links
Original Language Title
Change pas de main
Director
Paul Vecchiali
Year
1975
Country
France
Running Time
91 mins
Language
French & English
Section
Narrative Features, Erotic Evenings, Retrospective
Program Note Writer
Joe Bowman
Community Partners
Copyright 2022 Frameline. All rights reservedSite by ED.

Stay Updated

We're excited to keep you in the loop on all things Frameline (with no spam - ever!)