Emanuelle in Prison Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		1.5
Video		3.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		2.0

Emanuelle in Prison 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.

This is one of a few titles in this set that has had a previous Blu-ray release that I reviewed, though in this case it was put out by Shout! Factory rather than Severin. Those interested can read my Women's Prison Massacre Blu-ray review of that version for plot details as well as a chance to compare screenshots. Parts of my original review are repeated below, as appropriate.

Emanuelle in Prison Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Emanuelle in Prison 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 of original camera negative by Film Export Group.

This presentation often looks rather similar to the Shout! release in terms of both overall color timing (I'd say the two are pretty interchangeable in that regard), but also vis a vis some of the passing ebbs and flows of density and contrast that I mentioned in that first review. The biggest upgrade here is a nice uptick in general detail levels which adds a bit of interest in terms of things like textures on outfits. The overall look here can still be pretty soft, as evidenced by several of the screenshots I've uploaded to accompany the review. Grain is arguably more consistently in evidence in this presentation, but it's still rather surprisingly fine.

Emanuelle in Prison Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

This release sports a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono track that to my ears was virtually interchangeable with the one I reviewed on the Shout release from years ago. As I mentioned in that review, the post looping is almost hilariously inartful at times, but the track offers secure fidelity for all dialogue, effects and score. Optional English subtitles are available.

Emanuelle in Prison Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Audio Commentary with Author and Critic Annie Choi (Bleeding Skull) and Film Editor Perri Pivovar (Requiem for a Dream, Carol)


• Jailhouse Rock (HD; 39:02) is an interview with composer Luigi Ceccarelli. Subtitled in English.


• Razor Blade Smile (HD; 14:00) is an interview with actor Pietro Angelo Pozzato. Subtitled in English.


• Franca Stoppi: Matron of Hell (HD; 17:13) is a video essay written and narrated by film critic Rachael Nisbet focusing on the memorable actress.


• Trailer (HD; 3:53)

Emanuelle in Prison Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Emanuelle in Prison is pretty smarmy material, not even graced by the winking self awareness that sometimes informs some craptastic outings. Gemser is certainly an arresting presence (no pun intended, given the setting of the film), but she's given very little to do here other than react to unseemly goings on. This Severin version improves on the technical merits of the Shout release, while offering some really well done supplements as well.