Review of Emmanuelle

Introduction

Emmanuelle was one of the truly groundbreaking adult movies of the 1970`s. The film is based on a novel by Emmanuelle Arsan which had achieved notoriety and a certain intellectual chic by presenting a heady mix of sexual action and sexual philosophy. In its turn, the movie was a first, combining exotic locations, nudity and softcore sex. At the time, Emmanuelle (and its two initial sequels) were compared to the Bond franchise - without the spying and the stunts and concentrating on the nookie (an Ian Fleming element conspicuously absent from the exploits of Connery and Moore).

Shot in Man With The Golden Gun territory - Bangkok - the film has a suitably exotic edge that helps (but does not quite manage) to distract the viewer from the horrid, stilted, dubbed dialogue. The subtitles do not improve matters. Sylvia Kristel is the eponymous heroine, married to a minor embassy official, who arrives in Thailand to a bad dose of culture shock but soon finds herself initiated into a world of sexual dalliance.

Like much European erotic fiction, there is a strong misogynistic streak to the story, not least once Emmanuelle hooks up with her roue "mentor" Mario.

Some of the cuts made for the VHS release back in the 1980`s have been restored for this release, although there is little that would scandalise a modern audience other than the aforementioned misogynistic elements.

Video

Presented in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen from the 1.66:1 original (there is a sliver of the image trimmed from the bottom of the frame revealed by one of the titles). This first Emmanuelle film is shot in ultra-soft focus. It is said that Robert Fraisse the camera operator used three thicknesses of black silk stocking over the lens to achieve the effect. The finished product is reminiscent of a Bob Guccione Penthouse photoshoot.

There is a little print damage, but colours are excellent, contrast and sharpness (in spite of the soft focus) are pleasing to the eye. Studiocanal have taken some trouble in producing an excellent digital master for the movie after years of neglect while it was available on VHS.

Audio

Dolby Digital Mono soundtracks in French, German, English, Italian and Spanish.

Features

Subtitles in all the soundtrack flavours plus Turkish. There is also a theatrical trailer.

Conclusion

A softcore classic of its day, but little to write home about in today`s climate. Undoubtedly the best-looking and most complete cut of the movie you`ll probably see, but may be a little too misogynistic for some tastes.