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(More customer reviews)This boxed set presents the three original Emmanuelle movies, the ones starring Sylvia Kristel. There were lots of imitators, most ranging from bad to worse and beyond. At the time of the first Emmanuelle, though none of that had yet happened - please hold that happy thought. Perhaps these three aren't high art, but they're generally good entertainment for adults. They are also so different from each other that they deserve to be reviewed individually, not as a lump.
* Emmanuelle: Back in the 70s, this was a groundbreaking movie. It was openly erotic, and openly meant for the general public. I'll leave the social commentary to others. For me, it's just a beautiful movie. It's set in beautiful tropical locations. It stars beautiful actresses, back before implants were part of the uniform. Most of all, it shows beautiful (if artificial) exchanges of physical affection between Emmanuelle and just about everyone, man and woman.
Still, there were a few things about this movie that I didn't care for. It usually depicts Emmanuelle as a passive figure, to be led and acted upon. I prefer the stronger character in the sequel. Later parts of the movie depict coercion, something I really don't care for. The haughty poseur at the end was annoying, but distantly true to the book. Still, book fans shouldn't get their hopes up. This movie is its own creature, and pleasant enough if taken on its own terms.
* Emmanuelle 2: The best of the bunch, I think. This is a warmly sensuous film. This might even be the one to use for introducing a shy viewer to movies about physical happiness. Emmanuelle is fully her own woman - every scene lies well within her consent and enjoyment. A new character, Anna Maria, is a sweet, innocent young thing. Emmanuelle, of course, broaches that innocence in an elegantly filmed sequence of encounters. A few scenes, like the infamous "Jade Club", come across as crude, but only when meant to. Still, they don't seem threatening. That's another aspect of this film that I like better than the first.
It's too much to say that this movie has a plot, but it does have a story line of sorts. The movie is really just about happy eroticism, though, the kind that relies more on your imagination than on actual imagery. It's sort of like a musical where I come out humming the tunes even if I can't remember the words. Couples might like this movie, even bashful couples, and might like playing along with the actors on screen.
* Goodbye Emmanuelle: This is the third and last of Kristel's Emmanuelle movies, but don't hold her responsible. The backer had run into censorship problems with the second movie, and wanted to make sure that didn't happen again. The result is a disappointing attempt at being serious. It completely lacks the warm mood and physicality of the two earlier efforts. Even the background music has a very different style, one that I found far less successful in framing the visuals and dialog.
It tries to show Emmanuelle and husband Jean growing into a more stable, monogamous relationship. Instead, it just descends into petty jealousies and possessiveness. Jean, especially, pulls tricks that would have seemed silly even in high school. Perhaps the movie meant to show swelling affection and bruised feelings. Instead, it just showed swollen egos and bruised pride.
//wiredweird
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The Emmanuelle Collection (Emmanuelle / Emmanuelle 2 / Good-bye Emmanuelle) (1974)Her name evokes visions of lush sensual discovery and the extremes of forbidden ecstasy. She is Emmanuelle, and these are the films that changed the look and feel of erotic cinema forever. The incomparably beautiful Sylvia Kristel stars in this landmark adult trilogy that begins with the sumptuous "Emmanuelle," continues with the explosive "Emmanuelle 2," and climaxes in the daring final chapter "Good-Bye Emmanuelle," which is only available in this collection.
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