Of all the independent DVD production companies, Severin Films ranks near the top when it comes to producing first class editions of second-rate films. That isn't meant as a knock. The company, which specializes in making Italian "B" movies accessible to American audiences, has unearthed a number of interesting titles ranging from guilty pleasures to films that have far more entertainment value than one might be lead to expect. Such a case is Severin's recent release of a second series of Black Emanuelle films in a boxed set. Virtually everyone has heard of the original Emmanuelle, the artsy 1974 soft-core French movie that broke box-office records around the globe and extended erotic entertainment from the realm of guys with trench coats on their laps to everyday couples. In the wake of the film's success, virtually every independent European movie producer began to grind out sex films using the title Emanuelle, though most had nothing whatsoever to do with the original film. (For legal reasons, this character is minus an "m" from her name.) However, they do have one theme in common with the "real" Emanuelle: all of the movies center on the adventures of a promiscuous, beautiful young woman who is determined to try virtually every sexual thrill imagineable. (Don't you get bored with meeting women like this?) The set contains three films:
Black Emanuelle 2 (1976), a bizarre romp set in a New York psychiatric hospital in which comely Sharon Lesley plays the titular character - a journalist who suffered a head injury in war-torn Beirut and who now has extended bouts of memory loss and psychotic behavior. Confined to a boring mental health facility, Emanuelle is fortunate to have the services a dedicated married doctor who nonetheless puts his profession first by catering to Emanuelle's problems morning, noon and night. The treatment includes having her disrobe and relive her previous erotic encounters in the hope it might stimulate her memory. (This is one physician who doesn't mind making a house call.) The treatment fails, but it does manage to stimulate everyone else in sight including the doctor's nymphomaniac niece (Dagmar Lassander), a fellow patient who passes the time with Emanuelle by introducing her to the joys of lesbianism. (Hey, it beats playing Parcheesi!) The film is basically a claustrophobic affair, though there are some great sequences filmed in Times Square at the height of its gloriously seedy era. (There are some shots of movie theaters, including one boasting "James Caan in Rollerball") There is a subplot in which Emanuelle mistakes her father for her former husband, with predictably cringe-inducing results but the main pleasure of the film is watching the incredibly sexy Lesley find every feasible excuse in the book to get naked. The opening sequence affords some kinkiness via a scene in which the chained and naked Emanuelle gets whipped in a dungeon, but the scene is fortunately (or unfortunately, depending upon your point-of-view) short-lived and explained as a fantasy. The DVD contains a recent interview with actress Dagmar Lassander as well as the original trailer.
BLACK EMANUELLE/WHITE EMANUELLE (1976) casts exotic Laura Gemser as Emanuelle, though this time the character isthe world's top fashion model. The movie is a misfire dramatically, as it puts Emanuelle in the company of a pretentious group of free-loving pseudo-intellectuals who romp around a mansion in Egypt while spouting inane comments about religion and the meaning of life. It's like being trapped in a room with beautiful naked people, but having the experienced compromised by having tapes of L. Ron Hubbard's nutty lectures played over a loudspeaker. Still, the film does benefit from a trademark of the series, which is the eye-popping location footage. In this case, the movie provides some impressive scenery of Egypt's natural wonders, but the story itself is populated by characters who are self-centered egomaniacs. In fact, Gemser's Emanuelle is very much a supporting character. The main plot deals with Annie Belle as a nubile nymphet who is in competition with her mother to seduce a self-proclaimed religious prophet played by Al Cliver. What they find so appealing about him is mystifying, as Cliver's character has the wit and warmth of Ted Cassidy's Lurch. Nevertheless, there are the obligatory lesbian scenes between Genser and Belli, but the eroticism of the film itself is compromised by some scenes that provoke a "yuck" factor. (Belli's character likes to sleep naked with her mother, Emanuelle's boorish photographer boyfriend makes her pose naked amongst the bodies of families that have been murdered in the desert). Of the three films, this is the weakest, though it, too, is not without merit. Extras include interviews with Annie Belle, Al Cliver and an audio interview with Laura Gemser. There is also a theatrical trailer.
BLACK EMANUELLE AND THE WHITE SLAVE TRADE (1977) - is obviously the rarest of the three feature films in this set, according to Severin and has rarely been seen in recent years. Thus, the inclusion of the movie in this collection is most welcome -especially since its the most enjoyable of the lot. Like the other two titles, it isn't hardcore-but it's as close as you can get, with full female nudity on display throughout. Laura Gemser plays Emanuelle again, though this time she is no longer a model, but has reverted back to being an investigative journalist. The film opens with some breathtaking locations in Kenya, where Emanuelle and a fellow free-spirited girlfriend and wined and dined by a millionaire businessman they are seeking to interview. This first section of the movie follows Emanuelle and her friend through various sexual escapades including orgies and lesbian flings before Emanuelle returns to her home base of New York City where she picks up the trail of a white slave ring she is determined to investigate. Using herself as bait, she spies on a slave auction in which naked women are paraded on leashes in front of prospective buyers. However, the slave angle runs out of steam when Emanuelle ends up in a rather mundane situation in San Diego where her fellow prostitutes all seem to be cheerily engaging in sex of their own free will. Nevertheless, our intrepid female Jimmy Olson is determined to blow the lid off the ring -but not before being found out and marked for death. This leads to one of the most bizarre action sequences imaginable as the scene inexplicably switches to a bowling alley (!) where she is gang-raped after battling her attackers with the assistance of a drag queen who is an expert in kung fu. This sequence alone is worth the price of the entire set. Like Black Emanuelle 2, this movie benefits from some interesting vintage location scenery that shows New York in the 1970s, as well as an infectuous musical score by Nico Fedenco. Extras include a unique interview with director Joe D'Amato that was shot on-the-cuff by a group of fans who persuaded him to go drinking with them. This weird premise seems to have agreed with D'Amato who seems pleased to speak candidly about working on the Emanuelle films as well as in hardcore sex movies as well. There is also an original trailer.
As a terrific added bonus, Severin has included a soundtrack CD titled Getting Down with Emanuelle 2 that features original music from various movies in the series. In summary, the films retain an erotic appeal even today and serve as a reminder that there once was a time when sex movies actually involved people with at least a modicum of talent. (One bit of advice: if you want to watch the films in a serious mindset, use the original Italian language/English sub-title feature. If you want plenty of unintended laughter, watch the badly dubbed English language versions.) -Lee Pfeiffer
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