Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.0

Emanuelle Around the World Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman August 30, 2023

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.

In a way, Emanuelle in America and this film provided a "one two punch" that may still serve as the overall franchise's apex, if the Black Emanuelle franchise even has an apex. The fact that even those who have a soft (?) spot for this series often joke about it may reflect the fact that the D'Amato Black Emanuelle films in particular have a rather outré sense of humor themselves, or at least a self awareness of how patently ridiculous they are. That's an almost amazing element given how completely outrageous many of the D'Amato films are in other ways, including the "violence toward women" in this film which is part of its original Italian title.

For those initiated into the wild and wacky ambience of these still relatively early Black Emanuelle outings, there's once again a travelogue aspect, as the ever inquisitive Emanuelle decides to check out an Indian sex guru, which then just kind of takes a tangentially related but still wending trip through sex trafficking in various exotic locations. This is the uncut hardcore version of the film, and as such that aspect, combined with some frankly provocative material that isn't necessarily hardcore, may offer some hurdles for some that Stephen Thrower addresses in his insightful analysis included on this disc as a supplement.

Emanuelle Around the World Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Emanuelle Around the World is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Severin Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.78:1. 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 StudioCanal with additional restoration and color work by Severin Films.

The best thing about this presentation for anyone who has seen countless shoddy older home theater releases may be the surprising vibrancy of the palette. While there are still some of the density variations seen in several of the other transfers in this set, things look more consistent here, and the depth of some of the primaries in particular is quite striking. Detail levels are typically very good to excellent, though there are some of the variances also seen in the other Black Emanuelle "travelogue" elements where some of the location photography can't quite match the crispness of more controlled settings. Some very minor age related wear and tear can be spotted. Grain resolves naturally throughout.

Emanuelle Around the World Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Emanuelle Around the World follows the general standard operating procedure of this set by offering DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono tracks in either Italian or English. This was one case where I frankly didn't notice a whale of a lot of difference in either mixes or overall amplitude between the languages, and both can show some very slight hiss. One kind of comical thing if you like to toggle is that the rather nice funky bass score is not synched between languages. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English subtitles are available.

Emanuelle Around the World Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Around the World With Emanuelle (HD; 31:03) is an interesting overview by Stephen Thrower.


• I'm Not a Guru (HD; 13:54) is an interview with actor Luigi Montefiori. Subtitled in English.


• The Beautiful One (HD; 13:56) is an interview with actor Gianni Macchia. Subtitled in English.


• A Tribute to Karin Schubert: The 'Nackedei' Actress (HD; 19:18) is an interesting video essay by box set producer Kier-la Janisse, along with Stephen Broomer.


• Trailer (HD; 2:29)

Emanuelle Around the World Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I'm sure there are some devoted cineastes who look at my 3.0 scores for this film and Emanuelle in America and (once again) wonder what I'm thinking, whereas true Black Emanuelle aficionados may similarly be questioning why both films didn't get a 5.0. The fact is, my personal belief is you have to kind of approach the scores for Black Emanuelle on a veritable curve, and the good news is this film and Emanuelle in America offer lots of curves. Don't go looking for narrative coherence here (or frankly pretty much anywhere in the entire franchise), but the scenery as they say is inviting. Technical merits are generally solid and the supplements, especially the Thrower piece, are very enjoyable.