Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.0
Overall		3.5

Emmanuelle 2 Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov December 13, 2018

Francis Giacobetti's "Emmanuelle: L'antivierge" a.k.a. "Emmanuelle 2" (1975) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Australian label Umbrella Entertainment. There are no bonus features on the disc. In French or English, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

Something different

The beautiful Emmanuelle (Sylvia Kristel, Emmanuelle, Mata Hari) travels to Hong Kong to meet her husband, Jean (Umberto Orsini, Ludwig, The Damned), who spends the majority of his time mixing business with pleasure. The two are still madly in love with each other, but have agreed that they can see other people if they choose to do so.

In the mansion where Jean lives Emmanuelle meets Christopher (Frederic Lagache), a handsome American pilot who seems to prefer work over beautiful women. Sensing that Christopher isn’t interested in her, Emmanuelle decides to seduce him to prove to Jean that all men are the same if presented with the right ‘opportunity’.

Emmanuelle also befriends Anna-Maria (Catherine Rivet), the very beautiful but shy daughter of a local diplomat who is still a virgin. The two become very close friends and begin sharing some of their most intimate secrets. Eventually, Jean and Emmanuelle take Anna-Maria to an exotic massage parlor where she makes love to a local girl.

The handsome pilot repeatedly rejects Emmanuelle’s advances and she ends up seducing total strangers. In one of the best sequences in the entire film, Emmanuelle makes love to a tall jockey whose entire body is covered with beautiful tattoos.

Completed a year after Just Jaeckin's classic Emmanuelle, Francis Giacobetti’s Emmanuelle: L'antivierge a.k.a Emmanuelle 2 is easily the best film about the famous beauty. Like the first film it initially received an X-rating in France, but a few years later the dreaded rating was removed in a Parisian court.

The film has a couple of explicit sequences, but they are neither vulgar nor harmful. On the contrary, the lovemaking sequences are some of the most stylishly lensed that I have seen in a classic erotic film. The locations are also carefully selected and the emphasis on period detail is outstanding. (See the Jade Garden sequence).

The narrative is fairly straightforward, but this should not be surprising. On the other hand, there is truly great chemistry between the actors that makes the entire film notably relaxed and fun to watch. Kristel, Orsini, and Rivet are clearly the stars of the film, but there is also a memorable sequence with young Laura Gamser (Black Emanuelle).

The film is complimented by an indescribably beautiful soundtrack composed by legendary Oscar winning composer Francis Lai (Arthur Hiller’s Love Story, Claude Lelouch’s A Man and a Woman). It is not only the best soundtrack done for a classic erotic film, but arguably also one of the best done for a period film. It is as sensual and elegant as the famous soundtrack Ryuichi Sakamoto created for Bernardo Bertolucci’s timeless epic The Sheltering Sky.

Emmanuelle 2 was lensed by cinematographer Robert Fraisse (Jean-Jacques Annaud’s The Lover, Philippe de Broca’s The Gypsy, John Frankenheimer’s Ronin).

Emmanuelle 2 Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.34:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Francis Giacobetti's Emmanuelle 2 arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Umbrella Entertainment.

The release is sourced from the same master that Universal Studios used in Italy for the local release of Emmanuelle 2 in 2013. This is a master that was apparently prepared by StudioCanal and licensed to other parties as well.

Even though there are some extremely light traces of filtering, I actually think that it is quite good. In fact, it is clearly superior to the one that StudioCanal have in their vaults for the first Emmanuelle film. Here's why: Some of the wider panoramic shots make it clear that smaller ranges of nuances are missing, but close-ups typically look very good and when there is plenty of light clarity is equally satisfying (see screencaptures #1 and 14). Trained eyes should be able to spot the effects of the filtering only in still shots where black crush begins to sneak in and exacerbates them (see the hair in screencapture #6). The good news is that there are no traces of sharpening adjustments, so most of the time it looks and feels like one is viewing an older master struck from an interpositive. The primaries and their supporting nuances are stable and the overall color temperature is quite convincing. A new master would clearly improve saturation in certain areas, but the improvements I feel will not be dramatic. Image stability is very good. There are no large debris, cuts, damage marks, stains, or other distracting age-related anomalies to report. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play ir on your player regardless of your geographical location).

Emmanuelle 2 Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 and French DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English subtitles are provided for the French track. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.

The French track is quite good and I think that it is probably the one that most viewers will use when viewing the film. However, you should keep in mind that it features original overdubbing, so from time to time you will notice a bit of unevenness. It is just the way that a lot of these genre films were done. They teamed up actors from different countries speaking different languages, so typically their creators produced two tracks -- an original and international, which was usually a full English dub -- and both incorporated some overdubbing. On this release the French track is superior because it has a better dynamic range and as a result handles Francis Lai's score in a much more convincing fashion. There are no serious age-related anomalies to report, but a new mix could improve fluidity.

Emmanuelle 2 Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

There are no bonus features on this release.

Emmanuelle 2 Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Francis Lai passed away last month but his legacy will ensure that he is remembered for as long as people view and appreciate quality films. A Man and a Woman, Love Story, The Crook, the list just goes on and on. One of my all-time favorite soundtracks is the one that Lai created for the second Emmanuelle film. The gentle piano solo from Les Fantasmes d'Emmanuelle is just sublime, but the entire soundtrack really is a stunner that once heard cannot be forgotten. The film is lovely as well, not the stinker that some old reviews claim. It is light, overflowing with exotic atmosphere, and of course erotic in that old-fashioned way that simply does not tolerate vulgarity. I like it a lot. Umbrella Entertainment have gathered the first two Emmanuelle films in this set, so if you enjoy elegant vintage erotic films consider picking it up for your collection. RECOMMENDED.