Emmanuelle 2 Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.5

Emmanuelle 2 Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov May 1, 2019

Francis Giacobetti's "Emmanuelle: L'antivierge" a.k.a. "Emmanuelle 2" (1975) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the disc include original trailers; vintage TV spots; and a segment from an archival documentary produced by David Gregory. In English or French, with optional English subtitles. Region-A "locked".

Different sensation

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 Kino Lorber.

The release is sourced from the same remaster that StudioCanal licensed to their partners in Italy for this release of Emmanuelle 2 from 2013. It is an old remaster, but I like it quite a lot. Indeed, the film looks just a tiny bit softer than it should, but overall it has the most pleasing appearance of the three Emmanuelle films that are now available on the market. A lot of the daylight close-ups for instance boast pretty good delineation and depth; the darker footage has a nice range of nuances as well. However, also during the darker footage it is easy to see that shadow definition isn't optimal and as a result in certain areas the visual become noticeably flat. The cinematography plays with and promotes different types of highlights and specific fonts that introduce minor density fluctuations as well, so in areas where they become more prominent it is also easier to spot some other limitations of the remaster. There are no traces of sharpening adjustments. Image stability is excellent. All in all, even tough there is room for meaningful improvements, I think that the current presentation is quite nice. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Emmanuelle 2 Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

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

The lossless French track is quite good. When I picked up the Italian release of Emmanuelle 2, I thought that Francis Lai's score finally had the type of effect on the visuals that the creators of the film intended. The music is light and clear, never really feeling like a distraction, and it is quite wonderful to listen to. Balance is also good, though from time to time there is some very light uneveness that could be addressed in a new remix.

Emmanuelle 2 Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• The Joys of Emmanuelle - Part Two - this segment is from an archival documentary that also appeared on the French Blu-ray release of Emmanuelle. It focuses on the production history and success of Emmanuelle 2 and utilizes clips from archival interviews with Producer Yves Rousset-Rouard, director Just Jaeckin, and star Sylvia Kristel. There are also some very interested comments on the film's censorship troubles in France. The documentary was produced by David Gregory for Anchor Bay Entertainment. In French and English, with optional English subtitles where necessary. (10 min, 1080p).

• Radio Spots - presented here are six vintage radio spots for Emmanuelle 2 that were created by Paramount Pictures. In English, not subtitled. (3 min, 1080p).

• Trailers -
  
  1. Emmanuelle
  2. Emmanuelle 2 U.S. trailer
  3. Rmmanuelle 2 International trailer
  4. Emmanuelle 2 teaser trailer
  5. Emmanuelle 3

Emmanuelle 2 Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

If there is another erotic film with a soundtrack that is as brilliant as the one that the great Francis Lai composed for Emmanuelle 2, then I have not seen it. The simplicity and elegance of Les Fantasmes D'Emmanuelle for instance are pure perfection, and there is so much more to like. To be honest with you, out of all the Emmanuelle films that Sylvia Kristel appeared in, I enjoy revisiting the second film the most. RECOMMENDED. (If you like Emmanuelle 2, also consider Jean-Jacques Annaud's The Lover, which has a similar look and an equally special soundtrack by Gabriel Yared).