Black Emanuelle. Not a masterpiece, but worth considering
And so “Black Emanuelle” was born…
It was 1973 when director Just Jaeckin brought Emmanuelle Arsan’s celebrated novel to the screen, casting the beautiful Sylvia Kristel in the lead role.
The success was overwhelming all over the world, and Italy did not miss the opportunity to ride the wave of success and to enhance the character of Emmanuelle even more.
The first Italian director to realize that this was a “business” was Bitto Albertini.
But for obvious reasons of plagiarism, Bitto himself is prevented from completely screwing Kristel, and so he decides to create a character inspired by the model, but in the end completely different.
The fundamental novelty of this character, created by Albertini, lies first of all in the name, cleverly changed from Emmanuelle to Emanuelle (to be pronounced strictly Emànuelle), and in the fact that she was a black photojournalist.
And this is the real novelty of the movie.
Consequently, the Indonesian actress Laura Gemser was chosen, who, interestingly enough, had played a supporting role in the first sequel of the “official” Emmanuelle series, “Emmanuelle 2 the Anti-Virgin”.
And so “Black Emmanuelle” was born.
As expected, this movie, which was released in December 1975, was also a considerable success in Italy with the public, but, as was often the case with Italian movies at that time, not with the critics.
In “Il Giorno” of 06/12/1975 (by C.R.) we read :
“…shot in luxurious Playboy glossy paper, the little movie reveals everything, but really everything, about the mulatto Emanuelle, and also indulges in a few digressions into splendid Kenyan landscapes.
Director Albert Thomas (a pseudonym for director Albertini) has the sole merit of attempting a few “art house” shots. The actresses and actors undress, or rather dress, because they are generally “naked”.
Of course, I do not agree with such snobbish and drastic judgments, which have been poured without much consideration on this movie, which will certainly not be a masterpiece, but which deserves some consideration, if only for the fact that it represents the progenitor of a successful series, always played by Gemser, which will come to have about five more films, plus another “fake” pair, in which the protagonist will actually be named Emanuelle, but in which she will not “wear” the role of the uninhibited and reckless photojournalist.
The exotic scenery is impressive..
The plot of “Black Emanuelle” is really very weak, to tell the truth: the beautiful photojournalist Emanuelle, in Nairobi for a photo shoot, finds herself the guest of a white couple (Karin Schubert and Angelo Infanti).
Soon, even the protagonist begins to indulge in the pleasures of the body and inevitably takes a shine to the host.
What to choose at this moment ?
Stay in Nairobi, close to the man she has fallen in love with, or run away to be free of romantic entanglements forever?
Emanuelle will choose the second option.
The exotic scenery is impressive, Nico Fidenco‘s music is excellent as usual, and there is plenty of eroticism, such as in the lesbian scene between Gemser and Karin Schubert, but the movie probably lacks a bit of “action”, which will instead be one of the strong points of the following films.
In my opinion, Emanuelle’s character in this first movie (the worst of the whole series, paradoxically, while it is usually the sequels that are worse than the original) is still in an embryonic stage.
We see a woman who is certainly uninhibited and ready to let herself go, but also a fragile and confused woman, an aspect that Giammai will repeat in later films, in which limits and vulnerability will gradually give way to an Emanuelle who is increasingly self-aware, cynical and determined, and who faces incredible vicissitudes.
The intrepid photojournalist will nonchalantly move from all-female harems to confront cannibals in the Amazon rainforest, arms dealers, the prostitution and white slavery markets, and much more.
In short, a true champion of free love, constantly on the move around the world, chasing photo scoops and sensational stories for the benefit of viewers.
