The Prefect’s Lesson

‘The Prefect’s Lesson’ is available for download from Janus Worldwide at http://www.janusworldwide.com/store/index.php?_a=viewProd&productId=869

‘The Prefect’s Lesson’ is a 7:30 video released by Janus in 1981.  This movie was made at a time of upheaval at Janus; the death of editor A.G. Van Okker set off a round of legal battles and a defection of some writers who founded a rival magazine called ‘Phoenix’.  George Harrison Marks, who had been working for Janus as a photographer and movie director, was hired as editor of a successor magazine called ‘Derriere’ which produced 6 issues while the ownership of the Janus name was being resolved.  ‘The Prefect’s Lesson’ was produced during this period it brought two innovations to the Janus movies.  The first was the switch from 8 mm film to VHS videotape which brought Janus into the age of ‘talkies’.  The second was the practice of featuring new movies in a photostory in the magazine and this was something that GHM would continue both as editor of the ‘New Janus’ and after his departure to found his own magazine called ‘Kane’.

All of the sources I can find agree that this movie was directed by George Harrison Marks but the title card is unusually simple.  Normally GHM wasn’t shy about having his name on a movie (and you can look back at the title card for ‘The Gym Lesson’ for an example) but that isn’t the case here.  Of course, this might be a 'CalStar' version of the movie, since they usually cut the original credits, but I can't find any mention of CalStar distributing a copy of 'The Prefect's Lesson'.  As mentioned, the movie has a soundtrack and some dialogue is audible but the story is told in a voice over by one of the characters.

‘The Prefect’s Lesson’ is set in the Arnold House school for girls.  It begins with two girls waiting outside the school for a third who has cost them a victory in a field hockey game and they plan to get even.  The two knock the miscreant down on the ground just as a teacher walks by and all three are marched into the Headmasters office. 

According to the voice over, the two have a checkered disciplinary history and the headmaster decides that firm action is required.  The Narrator will be spanked and her friend will be caned.

The Narrator is order to raise her skirt and lower her panties and the Headmaster takes her over his knee for a spanking that is very restrained compared to what would come in movies that would be made in coming years.  Also, even though the movie has sound, the silent movie over-acting remains.

When the spanking is finished her friend is also ordered to raise her skirt, lower her panties and bend over the desk for her caning.  The caning isn’t severe even though the actor playing the Headmaster overdoes the action of delivering the strokes. All this is accompanied of Wagner’s ‘’Ride of the Valkyries’ and more exaggerated expressions from the recipient of the caning.  The ending is a little abrupt and it is possible that a few seconds may have been lost when this movie was digitized.

Despite the advent of sound, this movie has more in common with the silent 8 mm films that preceded it, like ‘The Gym Lesson’, ‘The Riding Lesson’, ‘The School Lesson’ and ‘The Nurse’s Lesson’, than it does with the other videos that would very soon follow.  This movie could be ‘PG’. The punishments are quite mild and large parts look like they are being simulated, and not very well.  It is worth watching for its historical value but the Janus movies that would follow within little more than a year, like the ‘St. Winnifred’s Trilogy’, ‘The Dressing Lesson’ and ‘The Disciplinarian’, would be very different.