Sir Stephen places O in a Chinese brothel for "training" and O is then subjected to a variety of humiliating experiences to prove her unconditional obedience.

[2][3][4] In a 2017 interview with VSD (French magazine), Arielle Dombasle looked back on the film with regret: "It's something that hurt me terribly, I was too young to do that, and then Kinski ... he was crazy."

[6] The film was released in France on 3 June 1981 as Les fruits de la passion and as Shanghai Ijin Shōkan - China Doll in Japan with censoring of the pubic areas in November 1981.

A version in Japanese with English subtitles on VHS tape and DVD was published as Fruits of Passion - The Story of "O" Continued on 20 June 2000.

[8] Reaction to the film has been mixed, Roberta Novielli described it as "shallow and decadent" and Jasper Sharp calls it "minor Terayama" whose "charms are mainly cosmetic", the costuming, sets and cinematography.