Emmanuelle 3 Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		1.5
Overall		3.5

Emmanuelle 3 Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov May 12, 2019

François Leterrier's "Goodbye Emmanuelle" a.k.a. "Emmanuelle 3" (1977) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the disc include vintage trailers and radio spots; as well a segment from an archival documentary. In French or English, with optional English subtitles. Region-A "locked".

"Do you want to make love to him?"

Completed two years after Emmanuelle 2, the third film about the famous beauty begins in the Seychelles, where Emmanuelle (Sylvia Kristel) and her husband Jean (Umberto Orsini, The Damned) spend most of their time relaxing. The two have casual affairs with different people, but their relationship is as strong as ever.

The perfect balance is disrupted when Emmanuelle meets a handsome director (Jean-Pierre Bouvier, My Favorite Season) and Jean seduces a young blonde who wants to have the same kind of 'open relationship' Emmanuelle and Jean have. After Emmanuelle repeatedly meets the director, Jean confronts him and, at the right time, questions her commitment to their lifestyle. The incident triggers a chain reaction of events that eventually pushes the two lovers in opposite directions.

Francois Leterrier’s Goodbye Emmanuelle a.k.a. Emmanuelle 3 is the least playful film in the classic trilogy. It still oozes unmistakable sexual energy, most of it channeled through predictably gorgeous visuals, but the elaborate, occasionally explicit lovemaking scenes that made the previous two films so popular are missing here. They are replaced with ‘revealing’ conversations, all of which now seem very casual.

The focus of attention is on the two lovers’ struggle to save their unusual relationship. After Emmanuelle begins her affair with the director, the two frequently question each other and their arguments are used to produce thought-provoking (for its time) material. However, the drama never evolves into melodrama, which is why Goodbye Emmanuelle remains a very relaxed film.

The final third of the narrative, where Emmanuelle and the director spend extended time together and explore lesser-known islands, is especially striking. The panoramic shots of tranquil beaches could readily feature in a marketing piece aimed at affluent tourists still undecided about visiting the Seychelles. The cast is good. Kristel and Orsini again appear very comfortable with each other. Bouvier is also believable as the handsome outsider, though it must be said that several of his shirts could have been much better. The very elegant Alexandra Stewart has a small but memorable role. (She is seduced by Emmanuelle in a very entertaining scene). Olga Georges-Picot, who appeared in Basil Dearden’s The Man Who Haunted Himself and Fred Zinnemann’s The Day of the Jackal, also has a small role.

Goodbye Emmanuelle was lensed by cinematographer Jean Badal, who collaborated with Jacques Tati on his legendary film PlayTime.

The soundtrack was created by Serge Gainsbourg. The title song, Goodbye Emmanuelle, is sung by Gainsbourg and his muse, Jane Birkin.

Emmanuelle 3 Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, François Leterrier's Goodbye Emmanuelle arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.

It is quite clear that like the recent releases of the first two Emmanuelle films -- reviews of which you can see here and here -- this release is also sourced from an older master that StudioCanal had previously licensed to other international labels. For example, this Italian release of Emmanuelle 3 from 2013 is sourced from the same master.

The master has some shortcomings that could have been avoided. The main one is the presence of some extremely light denoising, which I think was completely unnecessary because the element that was used to produce the master was very nice. I'd say that the delicate nuances and sporadic background flatness that emerge in darker footage are the most obvious side effects (see examples in screencaptures #12 and 17), but even on a larger screen the film still looks quite nice. The primary colors are stable and with decent nuances, and I think that the overall balance is actually very convincing. There are no distracting age-related imperfections to report. All in all, there is no doubt in my mind that a brand new 4K remaster will reveal some meaningful ranges of nuances that are either very weak or lost on this master, and as a result the film will have a superior organic appearance, but the current presentation still makes it very easy to temporarily submerge in its exotic atmosphere. My score is 3.75/5.00. (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 3 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.

I think that the French track is preferable because the majority of the actors spoke their lines in French. However, there was still quite a bit of overdubbing, which is why there is some minor unevenness that pops up here and there. This is an inherited limitation, so I don't know if a new remix would address it. What is important to underscore here is that there are no distracting age-related imperfections, such as background hiss, distortions, and him. The inclusion of the English dub in lossless is a nice bonus.

Emmanuelle 3 Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• The Joys of Emmanuelle - Part Three - this segment is from an archival documentary that also appeared on the French Blu-ray release of Emmanuelle. It focuses on the production history of Emmanuelle 3 and utilizes clips from archival interviews with producer Yves Rousset-Rouard, star Sylvia Kristel. adult film historian David Flint, and director Just Jaeckin. There are also some very interested comments about the various Eammenuelle copycats that emerged after the success of the original trilogy, such as Carry on Emmannuelle and Yellow Emanuelle, as well as Kristel's work as a painter. 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 - four vintage radio spots for Emmanuelle 3. In English, not subtitled. (4 min, 1080p).

• Trailers - vintage trailers for:
  
  1. Emmanuelle
  2. Emmanuelle 2
  3. Emmanuelle 3/International trailer
  4. Emmanuelle 3/U.S. trailer

Emmanuelle 3 Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

With François Leterrier behind the camera the final film in the Emmanuelle trilogy promotes a slightly different type of dramatic acting, but it still delivers that familiar mix of attractive exotic atmosphere and stylish erotica. Serge Gainsbourg composed its soundtrack and also recorded the title song, Goodbye Emmanuelle, with Jane Birkin. Kino Lorber's release is sourced from an older but good master that was supplied by StudioCanal. RECOMMENDED.