Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.0

Emmanuelle Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov March 13, 2010

Gallic director Just Jaeckin's classic erotic film "Emmanuelle" (1974) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Optimum Home Entertainment. Amongst the supplemental features on the disc are the terrific documentaries "An erotic success" and "An interview with Emmanuelle". The disc has been coded for Regions A and B, which means that it is perfectly playable on North American PS3s and SAs. All of the supplemental features are also perfectly playable on North American PS3s and SAs. Additionally, the disc's main menu could be set in one of the following languages: English, French, Spanish, Dutch, Japanese and Portuguese. Region A/B "locked". Please be advised that the film contains sexually explicit footage that is not appropriate for minors!

Sylvia Kristel as Emmanuelle

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 British distributors Optimum Home Entertainment.

I really can't see much of a difference between this release of Emmanuelle and the one Studio Canal introduced in France. In fact, this UK release very much seems like an exact replica of the French one; even the menus are identical. Obviously, this is very good news for those of you who did not want to import the pricey French disc - now you could add Emmanuelle to your film libraries for a much more reasonable price.

As I noted in my review of the French release, this high-definition transfer represents an excellent upgrade over all previous releases of this classic erotic film. Detail, clarity and contrast are dramatically improved here, and many of the close-ups look absolutely fabulous. The color-scheme is also very strong. Reds, greens, blues, yellows, browns and blacks look warm but for the first time also natural. Furthermore, there a couple of scenes where I noticed a bit of mild edge-enhancement creeping in, but overall I felt that it was never a serious issue of concern. Film grain is fully intact, though occasionally I noticed a bit of digital noise mixed with it as well. Finally, as it was the case with the French release, aside from a few tiny flecks that I noticed in the very beginning of the film, I did not see any disturbing scratches, debris, or dirt to report in this review. My score is 3.75/5.00.

(Note: This disc has been coded for Regions A and B. Therefore, you must have a native Region A or B, or Region-Free, PS3 or SA in order to access its content. Please note that if you reside in a Region-C territory, and have only a native Region-C PS3 or SA, you won't be able to access the disc's content. Additionally, you could set the disc's main menu in one of the following languages: English, French, Spanish, Dutch, Japanese, and Portuguese.).

Emmanuelle Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are three audio tracks on this Blu-ray disc: French DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0, English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0, and Spanish DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. I opted for the French DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track and later on did a few random comparisons with the English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track for the purpose of this review.

Again, the French DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track sounds lovely. The dialog is clean and easy to follow, and Pierre Bachelet's beautiful score sounds better than it ever has. I also did not detect any distracting pops, cracks, or heavy hiss to report in this review.

I am not a very big fan of the English dub (DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track), but many years ago I actually did see the film with it once, and I was not disappointed at all. Still, as I mentioned in my review for the French release of Emmanuelle, I think that the title song is a lot more effective in French.

For the record, Studio Canal have provided optional English, Spanish, Dutch, Portuguese and Japanese subtitles for the main feature.

Emmanuelle Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Note: All of the supplemental features on this Blu-ray disc are encoded in 480/60i. Therefore, they are perfectly playable on North American PS3s and SAs.

An erotic success - a terrific documentary on the history of director Just Jaeckin's Emmanuelle. Producer Yves Rousset-Rouard, director Just Jaeckin, and critics talk about the many technical difficulties the film had to overcome, its history with the censors, the films that Emmanuelle inspired, its unprecedented success in France, etc. In French, with imposed English subtitles (if you set up the main menu in English). (54 min, 480/60i).

An interview with Emmanuelle - producer Yves Rousset-Rouard and director Just Jaeckin discuss Emmanuelle's character, how they met Dutch actress Sylvia Kristel, and what they wanted to accomplish with their film. In French, with imposed English subtitles. (31 min, 480/60i).

Trailer - the original theatrical trailer. In French, not subtitled in English. (1 min).

Emmanuelle Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Optimum Home Entertainment's Blu-ray release of Just Jaeckin's Emmanuelle appears to be an exact replica of Studio Canal's French Blu-ray release. Even the supplemental features included on the disc, all of which are perfectly playable on North American PS3s and SAs, are exactly the same. The price tag on the British release, however, is different - and much better. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.