6.3 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 2.5 | |
Overall | 2.5 |
Young engineer Francesco Ferraro is sent to Smeraldo Island in the Seychelles to oversee the tests necessary to dig a silver mine. But Francesco must also find out what happened to his predecessor, vanished without trace.
Starring: Laura Gemser, Enzo Bottesini, Venantino Venantini, Ugo Cardea, Olga BiseraForeign | 100% |
Drama | 30% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Italian: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 2.5 | |
Video | 2.5 | |
Audio | 3.5 | |
Extras | 3.0 | |
Overall | 2.5 |
Note: This film is available on Blu-ray as part of Severin's The Sensual World of Black Emanuelle release.
Kier-la Janisse gave film fans one of the most outstanding boxed sets of the last few years with All the Haunts Be Ours: A Compendium of Folk Horror, a late 2021
release that ended up making my Best of 2022 list. Janisse is back now with another gigantic boxed set, one that's even bigger than the folk horror
compendium, and one that may appeal to a certain niche audience who may not have been especially interested in that earlier set. Those who may
remember the rating system of days of yore will probably recall the "M" designation, which meant "for mature audiences only", and if I may be
permitted an orthographic joke that is admittedly a bit arcane, some might argue that Emanuelle gave up one of her "m"'s in favor of
three x's, at least with regard to
some cuts
of the many Black Emanuelle films. For those not conversant with the history of this perceived franchise, and who may be scratching
their
heads at my "joke" (what else is new?), Black Emanuelle was a pretty blatant attempt to cash in on Emmanuelle, and in order to avoid any potential legal hassles one of those original
"m"'s in the title character's name got dropped. Furthermore, as supplements on many of the discs included in this set offer, there were hardcore
XXX
inserts
(in more ways than one) that at least some of the Black Emanuelle productions offered. Joke explained, hopefully. Perhaps even more
comedically
than my fitful attempt at humor, the Black Emanuelle series ended up offering many more films than its perceived progenitor, and 24 of
them (with additional cuts) are aggregated in this at times overwhelming collection. This is a collection where the quality of the films may be highly
debatable, though it's salient to note that the supplements both overtly reference and are in and of themselves examples of perhaps unexpected
critical scrutiny this franchise has engendered, and anyone interested in this kind of bizarre franchise mash up of what might be called porno,
mondo and gonzo will most likely find this an amazing set to dive into.
Black Cobra is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Severin Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1. Severin's almost overwhelming book The Black Emanuelle Bible included with this set offers a brief description of the transfer, as follows:
Source: 2K scan from 35mm print.Things are at least marginally more appealing with regard to this transfer culled from a 35mm print than they are Emanuelle, Queen of the Desert. The palette is noticeably more healthy looking, especially in the lovely outdoor scenes by water, where both seas and skies offer an appealing gamut of blue and green hues. Occasionally flesh tones can have a just slightly sickly looking yellow-green tint, though this tends to occur in less fulsomely lit conditions. Minor age related wear and tear can be spotted. Grain resolves naturally. My score is 2.75.
Amore Libere features DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono tracks in either English or Italian. While toggling between the tracks will disclose that the English track is brighter and louder, what may be of real interest is how divergent the tracks actually are. Listen, for example, to what happens to the score versus dialogue or sound effects in the opening scene in both tracks for just one example. One way or the other, dialogue is offered without any major issues. Optional English subtitles are available.
Gemser frankly doesn't have a lot to do in this film other than look gorgeous, but she certainly pulls that off without a hitch. The film actually has some really interesting elements that unfortunately are never completely developed. Technical merits are okay, though video quality probably pales a bit when compared to other transfers in this set culled from less secondary elements. The few supplements included are enjoyable.
(Still not reliable for this title)
Emanuelle nera: Orient reportage
1976
La via della prostituzione
1978
The Dirty Seven / La belva dalla calda pelle
1982
Suor Emanuelle
1977
Inferno rosso: Joe D'Amato sulla via dell'eccesso
2021
Le notti porno nel mondo nº 2
1978
Sexy Erotic Love
1980
Voglia di guardare
1986
Emanuelle nera nº 2 / The New Black Emanuelle
1976
La Mujer de la Tierra Caliente
1978
Black Emanuelle White Emanuelle / Velluto nero
1976
Black Cobra Woman / Eva nera
1976
Emanuelle e le porno notti nel mondo n. 2
1978
Notti porno nel mondo
1977
Unleashed Perversions of Emanuelle
1983
Emanuelle nera
1975
Gola Profonda Nera
1977
Love Camp / Die Todesgöttin Des Liebescamps
1981
1977
Emanuelle - Perché violenza alle donne? / The Degradation of Emanuelle
1977