Movies Copied from Emmanuelle, the 1974 movie

Italian copy of the french character.

This is another 1970's "Emmanuelle"-style knock-off; a German version this time featuring Olivia Pascal as "Emmanu. . ." I mean "Vanessa". It's particularly shameless in ripping off the first French "Emmanuelle", even being set in Asia, except that the character is a virgin fresh out of Catholic boarding school rather than a married swinger. The plot involves "Vanessa" finding out that she inherited a hotel in Hong Kong and becoming involved in sexual intrigue with various horny and grasping relatives and. . . oh, who cares about the plot.

This another 1970's "Emmanuelle" knock-off, but it's a little more "official" than most since it's based on a novel by the original Emmanuelle Arsan. A teenage girl (Anna Zacharias) is caught pilfering erotic books from a bookstore. She convinces the handsome young bookstore owner (Sami Fray) to let her write an erotic book for him which he can publish anonymously. The problem is she's a virgin, so she needs to do the appropriate "research" in order to write the novel. She spies on her mother with her lesbian lover and the bookstore owner with his female co-worker. She convinces the lovestruck servant boy to strip for her. Finally though, she decides too get some actual firsthand experience by going to bed with her new publisher. Afterwards though he betrays her, so she takes revenge. . .

Although it's rarely acknowledged, there are probably few films in history that were as influential as the 1974 softcore French classic "Emmanuelle". Besides the truly countless number of films with the word "Emmanuelle" (or the less legally-actionable variation "Emanuelle") in the title, there were any number of others that borrowed the basic plot of a young woman traveling to the Orient and/or having a sexual awakening. There was, for instance, the German film "Vanessa" with Olivia Pascal, the British film "Emily" with Koo Stark, the French-Italian films "Laure" and "End of Innocence" both with Annie Bell. And there was this Australian film with English actress Glory Annen.

This movie was rushed into production to cash in on the sudden and unexpected success of Just Jaeckin's EMMANUELLE, which explains the directorial presence of a hack like Guy Casaril whose biggest hit had been the slightly naughty farce LES NOVICES, pitting then reigning sex goddess Brigitte Bardot against experienced comedienne Annie Girardot.

This is kind of a British version of "Emmanuelle", which means it is quite a bit tamer, but every bit as stupid, as the Continental films. For no real reason (other than a sorry attempt at classiness), it is set in the 1920's "Flapper" era. It is basically about a young girl who returns home from boarding to school to discover that her widowed mother, her mother's friends, and even her timid maid are all (gasp!) sexually active. She plots to lose her own virginity, first to a brash young pilot, but ultimately to a bisexual female painter and her husband, and. . .well, that's about it.

You certainly can't accuse this film of not covering its "erotic movie" bases. It starts out with an adolescent girl (Annie Belle) being picked up from her finishing school by her "father". There's some definite shades of "Lolita" here. But despite having been with this "father" since she was 13, she's still (technically) a virgin as their relationship is still(sort of) platonic--so throw in a little "Baby Doll" too. They then travel to Orient, which can not help but evoke the then-recent softcore porn hit "Emmanuelle" (Belle herself would later star in the real-life Emmanuelle Arsan's directorial debut "Laure" and would play the "White Emanuelle" to Laura Gemser's "Black Emanuelle" in one of the rip-off Italian films). In Hong Kong, her "father" gets arrested for currency smuggling, and she ends up in the clutches of some jaded libertines, much like in "Eugenie" (the producer of this film, Harry Allan Towers, had produced the Jess Franco's superior version of that erotic tale).

In a way, this is one of the great iceberg crashes of the movie industry, en par with Waterworld in terms of failed hopes. If you're interested not just in movies, but also in the stories behind them, then this is a most worthwhile film. It represents the effort of a Hollywood studio (20.th Century Fox) to cut in on the highly profitable Emmanuelle franchise (which was so profitable that it has been credited with saving the entire French cinema industry). Instead of pulling off another unlicensed "Emanoellle" ripoff, they dug into their pockets and put some serious money on the table and hired "Emmanuelle" herself to do the writing, acting and directing. What this meant in practice was that the actual author of the Emmanuelle books, Louis-Jacques Rollet-Andriane (!), would write the script and direct, while his wife Marayat, under whose pseudonym "Emmanuelle Arsan" the Emmanuelle-books had been published, and who had consequently become an icon of eroticism, would appear extensively in a supporting role. And as a little extra for the American market, none other than porn legend Linda Lovelace would star in the title role.

This movie is supposedly based on an erotic autobiography by one "Joy Laury". Obviously, it is another knock-off (a French-Canadian one this time) of the 1974 European film "Emmanuelle". Although they were never exactly good, I kind of like the 1970's "Emmanuelle"-type films, but this, uh, genre, had grown really tired by 1983, and this film really adds nothing new. It's not as well-made as the early Sylvia Kristel "Emmanuelle" films. It's not as erotic as some of the earlier "Emmanuelle" knock-offs like the German film "Vanessa". And it's not nearly as demented and weird as some of the "Emmanuelle", um, re-imaginings like the notorious Joe D'Amato-Laura Gemser "Black Emanuelle" series (which featured cannibals, snuff films, etc.). Canuck actress Claudia Udy plays a model who's dating a rock musician, but then falls madly in love with an older man. She finds some success after a modeling shoot and goes to America to appear in a movie (which looks like it's even worse than this one). Despite a lot of temptation, she stays more or less faithful to her new love, but then she discovers he WANTS her to have sex with five guys at a time while he watches.

This Dutch sex comedy is rather unusual as sex comedies go. The plot of a naïve but sexually curious young woman leaving school to have lots of sexual adventures is, of course, pretty old hat in European "Emmanuelle" knock-offs like "Blue Belle", "Vanessa", and "Felicity". But this movie takes itself less seriously and is content to be a goofy 80's sex comedy rather 70's-style European softcore fare. In this sense it has more in common with the American sex comedies of the era, but those were generally filtered through the lens of "Last American Virgin" and "Porky's" and were usually about ridiculously horny males (or sometimes their female equivalents) trying to "lose it". This sheltered character may or may be destined to "lose it" by the end of the movie, but most of the comedy is not about her efforts, but about how everyone else reacts to this incredibly voluptuous, impossibly naïve, and always very under-dressed teenager. It might actually be CLOSEST to a 50's/early 60's Marilyn Monroe or Jane Mansfield movie in this respect.

Significant as one of the latest decent examples of erotic cinema before the genre faded away to cable TV accessories, Joy en Afrique, as it is the case with all films of the series, basically plays to the Emmanuelle caricature: a sentimental but sexually adventurous beautiful young woman in exotic lands. However, some elements never really fit in because the Senegalese riviera stands too different from the dark 1970s backwaters Emmanuelle and her clones used to frequent, danger and eeriness all ridiculed by a gigantic touristic signboard that reads "Bienvenue au Sénégal". On the other hand, it marks a delightful display of Zara Whites and her efforts to make a name in softcore erotica that only "earned" her Roberto Malone in the end.

Like many prolific Euro and Italian directors of Joe D'Amato's era, he would rightly be accused of self plagiarism today. This movie so echoes his Emmanuelle films, themselves a knock off, that it even features Laura Gemser in a supporting role. But all that aside, it's not a horrible film. It starts off slow, and one almost wishes for more explicit sex to keep things going, --- but after around the 45 minute mark... half way in... a love plot starts unfolding involving a gay or bi male, that really actually seems somewhat heartfelt... and moves the movie into more watchable territory. It's usual D'amato, revisiting themes, but if you like to see a new one from him you haven't seen - then check it out. But don't expect Emmanuelle and the Last Cannibals.

EMMANUELLE IN SOHO sounds like one of the sleaziest films ever; just the combination of that character and the setting says it all. But this extremely low budget movie has nothing to do with the official Emmanuelle series or indeed the Black Emmanuelle series either. Instead it's a laughably inept slice of British softcore nonsense, in which Emmanuelle is a supporting character in a hugely uninteresting storyline. The tale sees erotic photographer Paul Benson (Kevin Fraser, with the worst haircut in the world) being ripped off by his sleazy boss (writer John M. East, a truly repugnant character) while his wife tries to make ends meet on the stage in a dodgy striptease production.

But speaking of sleaze, the international producer of this, Dick Randall, would go on to give the word such grimy classics as "Pieces", "Don't Open Til Christmas", and "Slaughter High", and the two female leads would both appear in various tasteless Nazi sexploitation flicks. (Crespi, however, did also appear as a prostitute/murder victim in the superior giallo "Plot of Fear"). Aside from the English title, this has nothing to do with either the French "Emmanuelle" series of Just Jaeckin and Sylvia Kristel or the famous Italian rip-off "Emanuelle" series of Joe D'Amato and Laura Gemser.

A young engineer (Enzo Bottesini) arrives on a beautiful tropical island. Soon he is seduced by the gracious Laura Gemser (24 years old at the time). Actually there is not much more in this movie. We see the usual bunch of touristic pictures of the bounty island and well photographed pictures of Gemser. This by the way is her debut movie. And the weird thing is, this movie is almost identical to all movies she made later being "Black Emmanuelle". This is even extremely close to "La Spiaggia del desiderio" , the third Emmanuella negra film. The English titles confirm this: " Taboo Island" and "A Beach Called Desire". The only differences are the higher pace of this movie, the fact it looks like the budget was lower for this one and Emmanuelle is called Janine here. The title may suggest there is a lot of sex in this movie, but there is surprisingly little of it and the scenes are much shorter than to be expected. This movie is quite dull by today's standards. The only reason you would have for wanting to see it, is Gemser in her first movie (if you are a fan of hers). Not too bad a movie, but quite boring. I rate it 4 out of 10.

Perhaps it's time to reconsider my policy of watching every crappy 70's Euroflick with the name "Emanuelle" in the title. Like many of these films, this has nothing to do with either the arty French "Emmanuelle" films or the more exploitative "Black Emanuelle" series associated with director Joe D'Amato and actress Laura Gemser. With its Egyptian setting and occasional forays into Middle East mysticism, this does somewhat resemble the Laura Gemser film "Velluto Nero" (aka "Emanuelle in Egypt"), but while that was a serious film (laughable at times, but serious), this is a very goofy sex comedy that more than anything resembles the director's previous film "My Mother's Friend" and it features two of the same actors, Roberto Cenci and Carmen Villani.

If Zalman King, or Gregory Hippolyte filmed in Hong Kong, it would look like this. For those of you who are softcore veterans, you've seen this story play out before...

A couple undergoing turbulent times, to the point where the woman can't stand having sex with the man. For some reason they head out to an orgy club held at a fancy mansion filled with beautiful naked bodies. Lots of orgies ensue. The guy in this film gets to watch a lot of sex from behind a one-way mirror and indulges in some 3-ways himself while watching others. The girl disappears for a while before reappearing as a plaything for some guy.

Lots and lots of sex in this one. It's rather strange that some scenes were rather explicit whereas others had the actresses trying to cover up during their sex scenes.

Unfortunately, Grace Lam's screen time is limited to her role as a nun. But there are other beautiful bodies to ogle here.

Jess Franco takes a stab at the Emmanuelle series, although this ends up having more in common with his de Sade/Eugenie films. There's not much plot but in the film Emmanuelle has just been married and prepares to settle down her sexual ways and stay with one man. However, she gets drunk and gets involved in a lesbian sex show, which freaks her husband out and soon she's back to her old ways. You could argue that outside the WIP genre, Franco has never really created anything of his own and he usually just takes something popular and puts his own spin on it. This originally wasn't suppose to be an Emmanuelle film and that name was just added in the post-dubbing but either way this film is a lot more successful than the recent, real Emmanuelle films I watched from Joe D'Amato. The big difference between Franco's film and those of D'Amato is the fact that Franco really knows how to photograph beautiful women and make them very erotic. There's a fifteen-minute lesbian show here, which certainly works overtime on the erotic nature and star Vicky Adams is a really beautiful woman and Franco captures this perfectly. There's also a very funny sequence at the start of the film when Emmanuelle and her husband walk through a wax museum and get sexually turned on by Humphrey Bogart!! However, the film runs out a steam fairly quickly as there's never any sort of plot going on but just various sex scenes throughout the 85+ minute running time. AKA Emmanuelle Exposed.

To some extent, "Io, Emmanuelle" can be considered a film of historical significance, if only because it marks the first screen appearance of the infamous Emmanuelle character later immortalized by the likes of Sylvia Kristel, Krista Allen and also Laura Gemser in the offshoot, single "M" Emanuelle series. Here, the free-spirited beauty is played by Italian Euro-Goddess, Erika Blanc, best known as the succulent succubus in Jean Brismée's "La Plus Longue Nuit du Diable" (aka "The Devil's Nightmare"). However, apart from its title, this film shares little in common with the erotic exploits of the Kristel/Allen series, nor does it much resemble the all out exploitation efforts starring Laura Gemser (and most often directed by Joe D'Amato). Instead, this is basically an artsy, Euro treatment with very little story or character development and seems mainly an excuse to have Blanc cavort about in various states of dress and undress. Surprising since it was directed by Cesare Canevari, who would later helm the Nazi-exploitation classic, "Gestapo's Last Orgy." Interesting as a curiosity, but that's about it. For Emmanuelle collectors and Erica Blanc fetishists only.

This is perhaps why La Marge is so unjustly obscure. The casting of Kristel (not to mention the film's alternate title Emmanuelle '77) suggests the film was tailored to appeal to the softcore market, yet the emphatically gloomy atmosphere and subject matter, which includes death, adultery and suicide, is significantly at odds with this. Compared to the other Borowczyk films of this period, with perhaps the exception of The Story of Sin, La Marge is surprisingly restrained. The film works because of its minimalism and ambiguity – the dialogue is sparse, presumably because of the actors' inability to speak French, and their character motivation is vague to say the least. It is never made clear why Sigimond is driven to cheat on his seemingly perfect wife, though it is perhaps no coincidence that Diana more than slightly resembles her. Borowczyk as usual fills the movie with visual motifs, using reflective surfaces to signify the duality of Sigimond's life, and lingering, unerotic shots of female genitalia to convey what is at the core of his actions and desires, and what is, in essence, being a Borowczyk film, Sigimond's prison.

Unhappily married rich lady Emanuelle (luscious brunette knockout Malu) is fed up with both her brutish, overbearing and disgusting lout husband Michael (slimy Gianni Macchia) and other men insensitively treating her like a piece of meat. So Emanuelle dumps Michael and gets involved in a torrid lesbian affair with enticing novelist Leona (gorgeous stunner Micaela Lyonn). Sound good? Well, it sure ain't so good due to Pasquale Fanetti's hopelessly flat and uninspired direction: Fanetti allows the sluggish pace to crawl along at an excruciatingly slow clip, a dull and drippy quality hangs heavy over the entire movie, and the whole thing crucially lacks any much-needed snazzy style or snappy momentum. While the female leads are certainly attractive (and look quite delicious sans clothes), the soft-core sex scenes fail to generate any true heat because of Fanetti's bland presentation. You know a soft-core film isn't working when such seemingly can't miss ingredients as amply tasty distaff nudity, lesbianism, finger sucking, forced rough sex, erotic chopstick action, and voyeurism come across as boring and uninteresting. The insipidly droning mushy synthesizer score definitely doesn't help matters any. Only the sharp, pretty cinematography and the often nude beautiful bodies of the two female leads make this flick at least remotely watchable. But overall it's a total yawnfest.

Written by Bruno Mattei and directed by Joe D'amato, two of Italian exploitation cinema's most infamous sleaze-merchants, 'Emanuelle e Françoise le sorelline' sounds like solid gold for those who enjoy their Euro-trash on the stronger side, but it should be noted that this is a relatively early effort from both film-makers, and despite a steady stream of sex and a touch of violence—a three-way lesbian tryst, genital fondling, oral sex, inappropriate use of a wine bottle, and meat cleaver mutilation—the naughtiness is not all that explicit (by D'amato's standards, at least) and the carnage (achieved with the use of a couple of bottles of ketchup and a few spare mannequin parts) is too fake to be truly disturbing. A rather slow pace adds to the tedium, making this a less than essential film for fans of either Mattei or D'amato.

The first French "Emmanuelle" film was released in 1974, so it's kind of amazing it took the French four long years to combine "Emmanuelle" with their other perennial favorite erotic heroine "Lolita" (based on novel by a Russian-American, Vladimir Nabokov, but first published in France). Actually, the first two Silvia Kristel "Emmanuelle" movies both had younger, "lolita-esque" characters in them, but here the character is important enough to actually be in the title.

Spanish actress Nieves Navarro, who had been in a couple of the "Black Emanuelle" movies with Laura Gemser, finally gets to play the title character here, but her "Emanuelle" is actually much closer to Sylvia Kristel's original "Emmanuelle" than to Gemser's "Black Emanuelle" (even if it's also missing the second "m" in order to avoid lawsuits from the producers of the original series). Navarro's "Emanuelle" is not a young housewife like Sylvia's Kristal's "Emmanuelle", but rather an older businesswoman traveling around Asia with her helicopter-pilot husband. When their helicopter is forced to land for a while in a rural part of Thailand (or Malaysia?), "Emanuelle" befriends a young local girl called "Lolita" (Thiwa Yuporn). The young girl becomes obsessed with the older European woman. At first she puts her off, so the girl instead seduces one of her male lovers and her husband, but you just know this is all going to end with a steamy interracial, inter-generational lesbian sex scene!