The Carry On films had been declining in popularity for some years now. Carry On Behind (1975) was the last good Carry On but it bombed at the box office charts as did the truly awful Carry On England (1976). Times had changed and the saucy seaside postcard humour of the Carry On's had become old-fashioned, especially as the smutty and far more explicit Confessions Of A... and Adventures Of A... films were scoring favourably in the Box Office ratings.
In one last blatant attempt to revive the series flagging momentum, producer Peter Rodgers and director Gerald Thomas turned to the subject of the French soft-porn film series, Emanuelle. A lot of the regulars such as Hattie Jaques, Charles Hawtrey and Barbara Windsor had left the series some years before whilst the late, great Sid James died in 1976, therefore leaving a big gap in the series that couldn't and never will be filled.
The regulars that are present for this final installment of the series are the outrageously camp Kenneth Williams (who delivers a dire French accent throughout), the ever reliable Joan Sims, as well as Kenneth Connor, Peter Butterworth and Jack Douglas (who became a regular in the series in the early seventies) and they all look a noticeably lot older. Suzanne Danielle is in the title role as the promiscuous Emmanuelle and is fairly engaging in her role but not even having the sheer brilliance of Kenneth Williams manages to save this completely awful film. Interest wanes after just fifteen minutes as the film falls flat on its face with no sense of direction. The capable cast all struggle against a script that is awash with juvenile smut and jokes that all had been heard countless times in previous entries.
The only scene that manages to ignite and raise a chuckle is when the gang are all discussing their most amorous experiences. Joan Sims recalls hers being in a laundrette where she spots a man she is immediately attracted to. They then use their laundry to act out their sexual fantasies. This scene is played out to perfection and you really have to see it to understand what I mean. But one good scene is hardly enough reason to watch this! The film was an unsurprising flop at cinemas and it served as the final nail in the coffin. The cast all seem to be on auto-pilot and probably wished they were doing something better. This film is the one that barley anybody had seen until it was released on video in the early 1990's, whilst on TV it has only been shown late at night. An absolute mess and one that is best forgotten! A sad end to a much-loved series.
Ian Phillips
In one last blatant attempt to revive the series flagging momentum, producer Peter Rodgers and director Gerald Thomas turned to the subject of the French soft-porn film series, Emanuelle. A lot of the regulars such as Hattie Jaques, Charles Hawtrey and Barbara Windsor had left the series some years before whilst the late, great Sid James died in 1976, therefore leaving a big gap in the series that couldn't and never will be filled.
The regulars that are present for this final installment of the series are the outrageously camp Kenneth Williams (who delivers a dire French accent throughout), the ever reliable Joan Sims, as well as Kenneth Connor, Peter Butterworth and Jack Douglas (who became a regular in the series in the early seventies) and they all look a noticeably lot older. Suzanne Danielle is in the title role as the promiscuous Emmanuelle and is fairly engaging in her role but not even having the sheer brilliance of Kenneth Williams manages to save this completely awful film. Interest wanes after just fifteen minutes as the film falls flat on its face with no sense of direction. The capable cast all struggle against a script that is awash with juvenile smut and jokes that all had been heard countless times in previous entries.
The only scene that manages to ignite and raise a chuckle is when the gang are all discussing their most amorous experiences. Joan Sims recalls hers being in a laundrette where she spots a man she is immediately attracted to. They then use their laundry to act out their sexual fantasies. This scene is played out to perfection and you really have to see it to understand what I mean. But one good scene is hardly enough reason to watch this! The film was an unsurprising flop at cinemas and it served as the final nail in the coffin. The cast all seem to be on auto-pilot and probably wished they were doing something better. This film is the one that barley anybody had seen until it was released on video in the early 1990's, whilst on TV it has only been shown late at night. An absolute mess and one that is best forgotten! A sad end to a much-loved series.
Ian Phillips