Cinema Retro Editor-in-Chief Lee Pfeiffer looks at the new edition of the notorious French sexploitation film
Jerome Wybon, one of Cinema Retro's French correspondents, has recently completed a labor of love: producing and directing the documentary An Erotic Success on the new special DVD edition of Emmanuelle, the 1974 soft core erotic blockbuster that Lionsgate has just released in the USA. Naturally, I'd ordinarily be loathe to review a film with this much sex and nudity, but c'est la vie, in the interest of Monsieur Wybon, I thought I'd suffer through these tribulations to review the release that boasts his documentaries. It's a lousy job, but somebody had to do it.
I'm almost embarrased to admit I am among the few people on the planet who came of age in the 1970s who had not seen Emmanuelle. (I think there are two eunichs in India who share the distinction). Thus, I was able to view the new special edition DVD without any preconceived notions. I was well aware that although many people classify Emmanuelle as porn, these are the same folks who give that status to Playboy magazine. To be clear, Emmanuelle is not porn- never was and certainly is not by today's standards. However, this works in the film's favor. With the porn industry now so widespread even teenagers are dozing off looking at dirty images on their computers, there is something refreshing about the relative innocence of Emmanuelle both from the viewpoint of the film and it's titular (no pun intended) character. Unlike today's straight-to-video porn films, this one succeeds in rising above the norm on numerous levels. For one, it has truly impressive production values. The movie was shot mostly in Thailand and the low budget precluded the construction of sets. Thus, the filmmakers made excellent use of the majestic outdoor settings as well as eye-popping local residences. The cinematography is gorgeous and the film boasts an enchanting musical score.
The plot, such as it is, can be written on the head of a pin. Emmanuelle is a nubile young woman married to an "older" man of thirty-two. Her husband alternates between acting as a lover and a father figure for the impressionable and naive girl. They are sent to Thailand when her husband is assigned to the local French embassy. Like Beaver Cleaver's father, however, you don't see him doing much work at the office. Why should he with a nymphet wife at home who seems to have an insatiable curiosity about any aspect of sex? This type of work ethic may explain the collapse of French colonialism, but it also explains why the French seem to have more fun than anyone else. Because of her innocence and beauty, Emmanuelle is constantly the object of desire for free spirited men and women who move in her social circles. The swinging isn't just limited to the French expatriots living in Bangkok but also extends local girls who are instantly smitten with young Emmanuelle. All of this goes on with the encouragement of her husband who seems to put a few new notches in his own bedpost every evening through sleeping with the wives of fellow diplomats. The dramatic center of the film occurs when Emmanuelle goes on a spontaneous trip with a gorgeous lesbian and falls madly in love. The feeling is not mutual, however, and she returns to her husband emotionally devastated by the life lesson that women can use other women as sexual playthings just as men are prone to do. The final act of the story is as bizarre as it is unsatisfying. Emmanuelle's husband feels she needs the guidance of an older lover and sets her up with Mario, a French aristocrat old enough to be her grandfather. Mario proceeds to subject her to various sexual humiliations including gang rape and anal sex - all carried out by others as he mumbles enough mind-boggling philosophical theories to make you believe Emmanuelle has accidentally stumbled into Col. Kurtz's cave.