Emanuelle and Francoise Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		3.0

Emanuelle and Francoise Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov March 20, 2026

Joe D'Amato's "Emanuelle and Francoise" (1975) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Severin Films. The supplemental features on the release include new program with actor George Eastman; new program with actress Maria Rosaria Riuzzi; deleted and alternate scenes; and vintage trailer. In English or Italian, with optional English and English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

Puppet on a chain.

Rip-offs. It is the only way to accurately describe the various Emanuelle films Joe D’Amato shot. The first was quickly conceived to capitalize on the success of Just Jaeckin’s film, which had become a surprising international hit, and to avoid legal troubles, its producers made a crucial adjustment. Emmanuelle became Emanuelle. Interestingly, D’Amato’s film also sold surprisingly well at home and abroad, so he was contracted to do more. He did, but quickly moved into entirely different areas. While these new rip-offs always had some erotic content, they were no longer conventional erotic films. D’Amato shot chameleons that typically offered a bit of everything -- psychedelica, cannibalism, kink, gore, etc.

Of all the rip-offs that display D’Amato’s name, including the hardcore ones, Emanuelle and Francoise is the most effective. It has practically nothing in common with Jaeckin’s film. It can be described as a giallo, but there is plenty more in it that makes it attractive in a way that a typical giallo is not, and this is the main reason it is effective.

Its narrative is structured as a collage of uneven episodes. In one of these episodes, Francoise (Patrizia Gori) returns home and discovers her boyfriend, Carlo (George Eastman), on top of another woman. After the shameless cheater casually declares that it was meant to happen, Francoise runs away and, at a nearby train depot, commits suicide. In another episode, Emanuelle (Rosemarie Lindt) is summoned to identify the body of her dead sister, and while doing so, she vows to track down the man who has forced her to give up on life. Several other episodes show Emanuelle identifying Carlo, now also portrayed as a serial womanizer and gambler with seemingly endless debts, and eventually, after intentionally becoming his latest female target, luring him to her posh apartment. In the remaining episodes, Emanuelle drugs Carlo and then chains him in a soundproof chamber hidden behind a massive mirror.

The final thirty minutes of Emanuelle and Francoise are wild. While visually not as striking, this material makes it incredibly easy to link Emanuelle and Francoise to classic kinky mind-benders like Lucio Fulci’s A Lizard in a Woman's Skin and Perversion Story. In Emanuelle and Francoise, the kink is simply not as creative and brilliantly utilized to trick the viewer into anticipating an entirely wrong resolution.

However, D’Amato gives Emanuelle and Francoise a very fluid, almost dreamy quality, syncing shockingly well with a selection of tracks that prove to be almost as effective as Fulci’s misdirection tricks. This is a most unusual development because even D’Amato’s best genre films routinely reveal shaky, often even rough transitions, as well as an inconsistent rhythm that tends to hurt their atmosphere.

The acting is far from exceptional, but it certainly feels right for a film like Emanuelle and Francoise. Eastman is particularly effective as the handsome bad guy that good girls cannot help but fall in love with. Gori looks legitimately brittle. Lindt is in control of her character, but her energy could have been better.

Emanuelle and Francoise Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Emanuelle and Francoise arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Severin Films.

The technical presentation of Emanuelle and Francoise is underwhelming. While in select ares delineation and clarity could be acceptable, it is very easy to see that light to moderate filtering corrections have been applied, most of which collapse depth and make it impossible for a proper dynamic range to be established. Most darker areas are particularly problematic. The filtering corrections have also impacted color reproduction and balance, both of which could have been improved without them. The good news is that the density levels of all visuals remain strong. Also, some grain is retained, which is the reason smearing is not a major issue. Image stability is also good. Still, if properly restored in 2K or 4K, even from an older interpositive, this film will look dramatically better on Blu-ray. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location).

Emanuelle and Francoise Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (48kHz, 16-bit) and Italian: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (48kHz, 16-bit). Optional English SDH (for the English track) and English (for the Italian track) subtitles are provided.

I viewed the entire film with the English track, which should be considered the original track because the leads utter their line in English. However, unsurprisingly, all actors are overdubbed, and unevenness can be noticed practically everywhere. It is not distracting, it is simply how the dubbing was done. The music sounded surprisingly great. Dynamic intensity is very limited, even in the few places where there is a bit of action, as well as during the racing footage, but this is also an inherited limitation.

Emanuelle and Francoise Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Three Women and a Mirror - in this new program, actress Maria Rosaria Riuzzi explains how she entered the film industry, and recalls her contributions to Scent of a Woman (her first film), Salon Kitty, and Emanuelle and Francoise. Riuzzi also comments on Joe D'Amato's personality and working methods. In Italian, with English subtitles. (15 min).

• The Other Side of the Mirror - in this new program, George Eastman recalls his first collaboration with Joe D'Amato, and comments on the excellent professional relationship the two had as well as their work on Emanuelle and Francoise. Eastman also reveals that Bruno Mattei was not the only person to work on the film's screenplay, and suggests that Lucio Fulci's The Devil's Honey was an inspiration for it. In Italian, with English subtitles. (16 min).

• Deleted and Alternate Scenes - presented here are several deleted and alternate scenes. In Italian, German, and English, with English subtitles where necessary. (15 min).

• Trailer - presented here is a vintage German trailer for Emanuelle and Francoise. In German, with English subtitles. (4 min).

• Cover - a reversible cover with vintage American poster art.

Emanuelle and Francoise Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Of all the rip-offs that display the name Joe D'Amato, including the hardcore ones, Emanuelle and Francoise is the most effective. George Eastman claims that Lucio Fulci's The Devil's Honey was some sort of inspiration for it, which is entirely possible, but A Lizard in a Woman's Skin and Perversion Story are closer relatives. I really hope that the folks at Severin Films will revisit Emanuelle and Francoise and treat it right because on this Blu-ray release it does not have a convincing organic appearance.