Paprika is a 1991 Italian film directed by Tinto Brass. The film is loosely based on John Cleland's novel Fanny Hill, first published in 1748.
It was remade as an explicit pornographic film by Joe D'Amato in 1995.[1]
In 1958, on the verge of the Merlin Law that makes brothels illegal, Mimma (Debora Caprioglio), a young country girl, comes to town and decides to work as a prostitute in order to help her fiancé get the money to start their own business, and is given the name Paprika at the house of Madame Collette (Martine Brochard). After her fiancé betrays her, Mimma gives up her original ambitions and decides to pursue a career as a prostitute. In the process, she loses any sense of self-confidence and self-respect, but eventually she finds redemption, wealth, and her one true love.
In his autobiography, Tinto Brass revealed he began a sexual affair with actress Debora Caprioglio during filming.[2]