Emmanuelle (1974)

Director:

Just Jaeckin

Writers:

Emmanuelle Arsan (novel)
Jean-Louis Richard

Release Date:

3 December 1974 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

X was never like this.

Plot:

Emmanuelle is a beautiful young model and lives in Bangkok together with her husband Jean, who's several years older...

Plot Keywords:

Extramarital Affair | Trip | Opium | House | Panties Pulled Down

Cast

Alain Cuny	...	Mario
Sylvia Kristel	...	Emmanuelle
Marika Green	...	Bee
Daniel Sarky	...	Jean
Jeanne Colletin	...	Ariane
Christine Boisson	...	Marie-Ange
Samantha
Gabriel Briand		(as Gaby Brian)
Gregory

Directed by
Just Jaeckin

Writing credits
Emmanuelle Arsan		(novel "Emmanuelle: The Joys of a Woman")
Jean-Louis Richard

Produced by
Yves Rousset-Rouard	....	producer

Original Music by
Pierre Bachelet

Cinematography by
Richard Suzuki

Film Editing by
Claudine Bouché

Costume Design by
Georges Bril		(costumes: men)

Makeup Department
Christine Fornelli	....	key makeup artist (as Christiane Fornelli)
Andrea Pfister	....	hair stylist

Production Management
Michel Choquet	....	production manager
Lionel de Sousa	....	unit manager
Jean Pieuchot	....	unit manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Philippe Leriche	....	assistant director

Art Department
Léo Kouper	....	poster artist (uncredited)

Sound Department
Paul Bertault	....	sound mixer
Jean-Claude Duval	....	sound re-recording mixer
André Hervée	....	sound engineer

Camera and Electrical Department
Louis Balthazard	....	key grip
Robert Fraisse	....	camera operator
Jean-Paul Lemaître	....	assistant camera
Jean-Claude Naour	....	chief electrician
Marie Savnier	....	still photographer

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Sylvia Panigel	....	costumer (as Sylvia Panijel)
Helene Tourin	....	swimming costumes

Editorial Department
Olivier Froux	....	apprentice editor
Jérôme Richard	....	apprentice editor
Dany Zuchowicki	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Hervé Roy	....	musical director

Other crew
Jean-Charles Brosseau	....	hat designer
Nitya Phenkun	....	interpreter
Alice Ziller	....	script supervisor

Production Companies

• Trinacra Films
• Orphée Productions

Distributors

• Columbia Pictures (1974) (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• Gloria Filmverleih (1974) (Austria) (theatrical)
• Parafrance Films (1974) (France) (theatrical) (as Para France Films)
• Tuschinski Film Distribution (1975) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Columbia Pictures Home Video (1980) (USA) (VHS)
• Fox Lorber (1998) (USA) (DVD)
• Fox Lorber (1998) (USA) (VHS)
• RCV Home Entertainment (2003) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Universal Home Video (2006) (Brazil) (DVD)
• Panorama Distributions (2008) (Hong Kong) (DVD)
• Paramount Home Entertainment (2008) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Panorama Distributions (2010) (Hong Kong) (DVD) (Blu-Ray)
• LK-TEL Vídeo (????) (Brazil) (VHS)
• RCA Home Video (19??) (USA) (VHS)
• RCA/Columbia Pictures Home Video (19??) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)

Other Companies

• De Wolfe Music  title and incidental music

Also Known As:

Runtime:

105 min | Argentina:98 min | USA:89 min (R-rated version) | USA:95 min | South Korea:85 min | West Germany:93 min (cut version)

Country:

France

Language:

French

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Canada:R (Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Ontario) | Canada:16+ (Quebec) (re-rating) (2003) | Canada:18+ (Quebec) (original rating) | Iceland:16 | West Germany:18 (cinema release) (re-rating) (cut) | West Germany:(Banned) (original rating) (cinema release) | West Germany:Not Rated (video rating) | UK:18 (video re-rating) (2007) (uncut) | Portugal:M/18 | Brazil:18 | New Zealand:R18 | Argentina:18 | Australia:R | Chile:18 | Denmark:15 | Finland:K-18 | France:-16 | Germany:16 (re-rating) | Hong Kong:III | Ireland:(Banned) (original rating) | Ireland:18 (re-rating) | Italy:VM18 | Japan:R-18 | Netherlands:16 (re-rating) | Netherlands:18 (original rating) | Norway:18 | South Korea:18 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:R (cut) | USA:X (rating surrendered) | USA:Unrated

Filming Locations:

Bangkok, Thailand

Company:

Trinacra Films

Trivia:

Ended its run at the Paris Triomphe cinema, on the Champs-Elysées, on February 6th 1985, which had been shown here since its June 1974 release.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: (At 26:00) When Emmanuelle is on the plane, she closes the blind fully and curls up. A fellow passenger sits down and embraces her. In addition to the high spotlight on her cleavage, there's a bright light coming from the direction of said covered window.

Quotes:

Mario:Love between couples should be outlawed. Every act of love must include a third person.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Z Channel: A Magnificent Obsession (2004) (TV)

A milestone in erotic cinema

Whether you like it or not this is a milestone in the history of cinema. Like the James Bond movie Thunderball set new standards for violence in mainstream cinema, Emmanuel set new standards for sexual content.

Certainly the film was an amazing hit and box office records quickly tumbled. It is the most seen French film of all time and holds the record for the longest run at a single non-multiplex cinema (18 months in Paris, France). After this film sex on film was a completely different beast and many directors (new and old) used part of the template.

Anyone one wanting a dirty movie will be sadly disappointed. Here sex is treated as natural, rarely earth shattering and almost matter-of-fact. The bedroom is only one of the locations where the act takes place - in fact I am surprised the participants weren't arrested!

Sylvia Kristel plays a newly married wife of 22 (19 in reality) with no previous film experience (this is no accident). Previously she had only appeared in commercials. She is the innocent who becomes corrupted, but it is a journey of corruption she is happy to take. Her nice-but-cold older husband is also all for it. The circumstances behind their marriage are not even touched upon - but maybe it was a marriage of convenience as he is a world travelling diplomat?

For a film aimed at men, men are rarely shown in a great light. Emmanuel finds she is bisexual and looks happier with women than with men - who commonly treat her as a sex object. If she appeared brighter she could even be viewed as a feminist icon, but even the high queen of feminism Germaine Greer says she is a "bimbo."

Lot of things are dated in this movie. The view of casual unprotected sex certainly. There is even a casual rape. But its use of third-world locations is a treat on the eye (on the big screen especially) and there is nothing substandard about the production. Even the music is first class and still does the rounds on its own.

The photography is as good as you would see in a big budget epic. The film moves along at a slow but steady pace and you do look forward to finding out what happens next or how a situation is resolved.

The film is nothing but a study of an open marriage from the female perspective. The fact that she yields to the experiences and becomes more sexual bold is clearly pleasing to the male viewer. No doubt this was a date movie for males those that wanted their partners to follow her lead.

This is a clever erotic movie. It stays in the mind long after seeing it and Kristel looks comfortable with or without her clothes. She is far from a great actress, but she does have poise and dignity. The sequels that followed are nothing more than attempts to extract more money from a franchise and are merely routine entertainment.