Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.0
Overall		3.5

Emmanuelle Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov December 13, 2018

Just Jaeckin's "Emmanuelle" (1974) 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.

The wife

Note: The text that is included below was previously used for the first high-definition release of Emmanuelle which StudioCanal produced in 2009.

Gallic director Just Jaeckin’s Emmanuelle is the definitive erotic film. It was released in the early '70s when the European film industry was undergoing dramatic restructuring and many of the 'traditional' studios were looking for alternative ways to generate revenue. By today’s standards Emmanuelle is a genuinely harmless film, but in 1974 censors thought otherwise -- hence, the reason why the film initially ended up with the dreaded X-rating.

The film is based on Emmanuelle Arsan’s bestselling novel “Emmanuelle: The Joys of a Woman”. Its story revolves around a beautiful young woman, Emmanuelle (played by Dutch actress Sylvia Kristel), who travels to Thailand to join her husband, Jean (Daniel Sarky), a diplomat with a very busy schedule. When the two reunite, Jean encourages Emmanuelle to explore her sexuality.

Emmanuelle joins a group of bored but sexually liberated wives that quickly point her in the right direction. She befriends the bisexual Marie-Ange (Christine Boisson), who likes to flirt with most everyone she meets, and then Ariane (Jeanne Colletin), an elegant lesbian who immediately attempts to seduce her. Marie-Ange urges Emmanuelle to approach Mario (Alain Cuny), an older man whose appetite for younger women has earned him quite a reputation, but she ends up having an affair with Bee (the sultry Marika Green), a lesbian archeologist who most of the bored wives dislike.

Not too long after that Emmanuelle and Bee make love, but then quickly part ways. Mario appears and this time around Emmanuelle goes straight into his arms. The old man quickly introduces her to all sorts of 'different' experiences -- threesomes, voyeurism, etc. Eventually, Emmanuelle decides that enough is enough.

A couple of years ago, French juggernaut StudioCanal acquired the rights for most of the Emmanuelle films and began rereleasing them on DVD. In 2007, Lionsgate released the original film in the U.S., and then a few independent distributors followed up with a number of the 'other' Emmanuelle films, most of which, I have to admit, I have never seen. In 2008 there was plenty of talk at the Cannes Film Festival that a retrospective of some sort was upcoming, but I don’t believe anything came out of it.

I mention all of the above because I sense that as of late there has been a resurgence of interest in classic erotic cinema that has apparently justified the releases of numerous of forgotten '70s and '80s films, both on this side of the Atlantic as well as in Europe; hence, the reason why StudioCanal probably decided to go back to the film that started it all.

But what gave Emmanuelle the classic status it enjoys today? Well, it is probably the fact that it managed to effectively walk the fine line between erotica and pornography at a time when specialty films were denied access to mainstream theaters. Emmanuelle broke free of the status quo and gave directors the assurance that sexually explicit films would not automatically be labeled 'porn films'.

Of course, depending on what one’s definition of porn is, one could probably argue that Emmanuelle is just that; though, a dated, softer type of film, but I disagree. Emmanuelle does have a number of sexually explicit scenes, but they are neither vulgar nor degrading.

What critics who dismiss Emmanuelle always fail to mention is how beautiful the film’s photography is. The lush visuals from the exotic locations that Emmanuelle visits suggest that the film was anything but an amateurish project. Elsewhere, the emphasis on detail is also a lot stronger than what is typically seen in many 'serious' films that were released at the same time Emmanuelle was.

There are also a couple of notable cameos in Emmanuelle -- future star Christine Boisson plays the flirty Marie-Angie (how could anyone forget her lollipop scene); and Marika Green is the elusive Bee (whose first acting job was in Robert Bresson’s Pickpocket).

Emmanuelle Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.64:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Just Jaeckin's Emmanuelle arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Umbrella Entertainment.

The release is sourced from the same master that StudioCanal used nearly ten years ago to produce the first high-definition release of Emmanuelle, which was almost certainly prepared even earlier. It is a decent master and if you have only viewed the film on DVD you will be quite pleased with the upgrade in quality, but obviously you should also expect to see some limitations that are typical for older masters. Indeed, detail typically ranges from decent to good, but on a large screen occasionally it is quite easy to tell that background nuances are not optimal. Also, the extremely fine details that a proper modern 4K remaster would deliver are just not identifiable here. However, the visuals still hold up quite nicely, so again, if you are only now upgrading your DVD release of Emmanuelle I am certain that you will like what you see. Grain is retained, but this is the one area where the age of the master shows the most -- grain exposure and density are not as stable and as consistent as they would appear on a brand new remaster. There is also a tad of surface sharpening that pops up during a couple of scenes, and my guess again is that it was introduced when the master was prepared with older equipment. The end result is still quite good, though, so your experience with the technical presentation will be satisfying. My score is 3.75/5.00. (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).

Emmanuelle 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 for the French track.

I have seen a theatrical screening of Emmanuelle in English so it is good to have both tracks. (The English track was used in different international markets). However, the French track sounds nicer -- it is fuller, better rounded, and with overall superior depth. It is cleaner as well. I like it quite a lot, though a brand new remix will likely deliver some stability enhancements in the mid/high registers where some of the unevenness of the original overdubbing is most obvious.

Emmanuelle Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

There are no supplemental features to be found on this Blu-ray release.

Emmanuelle Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

If you are interested in vintage erotic cinema your collection cannot possibly be complete without Just Jaeckin's Emmanuelle. It is one of those key films that in the early '70s defined and made erotica mainstream. It is true. You just can't have a serious conversation about the genre and not reference Emmanuelle. It was a trend-setter and there are so many other films that came out after it that would not have been made without its success. Umbrella Entertainment have gathered the first two Emmanuelle films in this set, so if they appeal to you consider picking it up. RECOMMENDED.