Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)It is amazing that over a quarter of a century since its original release that Emmanuelle remains in the top three best selling French films on video. But is it so remarkable? Here we have a piece of pure eroticism which has scarcely been matched in all those years. Emmanuelle is not about explicit sexual action - those that buy it will be disappointed if that is what they expect, with the exception of the notorious nightclub smoking scene which I feel sure director Just Jaeckin must now regret including. If it is possible to feel outraged by anything when watching a movie about sex, then this scene provokes that reaction. No, this is a mainstream movie which has the power to move both men and women viewers - not least because of a towering central performance by the gloriously sexy Ms Kristel. She is never self-conscious about her body nor at the same time ever flaunts it. Her nudity is completely natural and her joy in her exploration of her sexuality totally convincing.
This is because Kristel - and a high-profile supporting cast - are all extremely capable actors, and are very well directed by Jaeckin. I guess one should not take the overall premise of totally liberated sexual experimentation too seriously, but you completely believe in the characters and want them to come out of the other side unscathed. I first saw this movie as an 18-year-old on its original release, saw it again with its original French dialogue in Paris several years later and have watched it countless times on video and TV since. Yet it still retains the same erotic charge as it did all those years ago. How Kristel managed to completely fail to live up to it in her subsequent films is completely beyond me. The rest of her Emmanuelle series are unsexy and even seedy by comparison and her ventures into American films offered her nothing of any substance. I believe Hollywood missed a glorious opportunity to create an top international star.
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