Nackt unter Kannibalen

The acting may be appalling, but it's difficult to tell for sure because this is dubbed -- badly. The direction, by high priest of sleaze Joe D'Amato, is adequate, but it's the unrelenting sex and violence that float this flick's boat.

A lot of "classic" exploitation is, in fact, incredible boring, slow moving, and beyond inept. This is not one of those. This delivers what audiences expect, and it takes the carnage several steps beyond the norm. We get nipples cut off and eaten, a vagina cut open and used as a hole to pull innards through, castration, close-to-hardcore sex, stabbings, beheadings and damn attractive women.

Laura Gemser is her usual stunning self as Emanuelle and is lovingly scrutinized in a couple of love scenes by D'Amato's leering camera.

Some of the photography is surprisingly atmospheric and the score is memorable and moody.

The director is often criticized for his output, but I'm happy to congratulate him for a body of work that is, if nothing else, unashamedly extreme and sleazy. Franco made many more boring stinkers than D'Amato and rarely made anything that wasn't awash with shoddy camera-work, nonsensical plotting and self-indulgent repetition. D'Amato, on the other hand, was a dedicated journeyman who gave audiences what they wanted. He wasn't a genius by any stretch and he was sloppy with his action direction, but he did contribute to an impressive oeuvre.

"Emmanuelle and The Last Cannibals" is textbook trash.

Much with like Nun or Nazi-sploitation, the Italian cannibal movie cycle of the 1970's is something of a bizarre enigma of a niche genre to the uninitiated. To the average layperson, Italians and cannibal movies must seem terribly outlandish... but then again so would the idea of Herzog shooting so many German-language films in the Amazon. Italy actually made at least 5 serious cannibal/jungle adventures and around 10 lesser ones from 1972-1988. This one lacks the professionalism of Ruggero Deodato's, the style of Umberto Lenzi's, and the austere grandeur and seriousness of Sergio Martino's efforts, but makes up for it with ample sex and lurid cheesiness.

Yup, this is the one and only true soft-core porn-themed Italian cannibal movie, complete with plenty of self-pleasury, lesbianry, voyeury, buggery, and plain ol' missionary. One of those films that makes you feel dirty while watching it or later with the mere memory of having seen it.

One of the lower-budgeted efforts ranking down there with ZOMBIE HOLOCAUST, EMANUELLE IN THE LAST CANNIBALS must have been shot mostly just outside Rome. Awful gore effects only enhance the fun, but the real stars of the show are the even worse-than-usual dubbing, shamefully bad dialog, and many questionable directorial touches. Right when you're laughing out loud at the film, it often switches gears into 'sex mode' with numerous soft-core scenes which act as plot-padding filler. Thankfully the animal-killing scenes are in short supply for a change.

Acting-wise, they could have done a lot worse. Save for Japanese actor Al Yamanouchi's hilarious early-career miscasting as an uncredited Latino guide, the cast is most appropriate with a good cross-section of Italian B-movie characters of the time. Donal O'Brien chews scenery wonderfully as a hard-as-nails guide, Gabriele Tinti gives just as earnest a leading man performance as he did in his earlier art-house days, Laura Gemser & Nieves Navarro look pretty and seems comfortable with the rampant nudity. Also watch for ubiquitous euro-fatman and villain voice-over actor Geoffrey Copleston as a random Amazonian landowner. All that's missing are cameos from George Eastman or Luc Merenda.

Fidenco's score gives a certain level of cheesy seriousness to the thing, but also pegs it all as sexually-themed. This film was more-or-less remade much more professionally years later as CANNIBAL FEROX with no sex and much more violence. Among its genre peers, this film (which I'll call TRAP THEM AND KILL THEM this time) ranks among the more enjoyable in that in the unintentional hilarity department it ranks second only to EATEN ALIVE.

This is not a good movie by any means, it's technically crude and pretty boring actually, BUT it may very well be the ultimate cult experience! Half soft-porno flick and half gory cannibal shocker (with the gore effects being good for their time), it's a truly mind-boggling hybrid. Even wackier than "Caligula" ! (**)

"Emanuelle and the Last Cannibals" is a sleazy cannibal exploitation sickie made by Joe D'Amato.It has lovely Laura Gemser plus plenty of soft core sex,some nasty gut munching and gore.The soundtrack by Nico Fidenco is quite effective.Laura Gemser plays a journalist Emanuelle who joins an expedition into the darkest and deepest corners of the Amazon after the patient in the lunatic asylum turns out to be sporting cannibal tattoo.The film is loaded with long scenes of sex and masturbation and there are some pretty sadistic gore scenes added for good measure."Emanuelle and the Last Cannibals" isn't bad by any means,so anyone who likes sleazy Italian exploitation cinema won't be disappointed.Recommended.7 out of 10.

EMANUELLE AND THE LAST CANNIBALS is a pretty slow moving and ultimately dull exploitation film from Smut King, Joe D'Amato. Filled with plenty of tits and ass and a few choice gore scenes, this one still tends to be rather boring and uninspired.

The insanely sexy Laura Gemser once again plays a nymphette journalist who's always looking for the latest "scoop". While doing some undercover work at a mental hospital, our sexy heroine comes across a titty-eating whacko who was brought up by cannibals, which of course starts Emanuelle thinking about her next story. She teams up with a professor and some others and sets out on an expedition into the Amazon. Things go wrong (as they always do in these jungle films...) and our friends spend the rest of the film's run-time being harassed by the local cannibals.

After seeing the Almighty King Of Sleaze Films - EMANUELLE IN America - I was hoping for a lot more from this one. LAST CANNIBALS didn't deliver near the amount of sleazy filth that America did, and although there were a few decent gore scenes (the female-evisceration-innards-eating was particularly choice...) everything in this film felt sort of half-assed and dull. Worth a look for the serious exploit fan, others will probably be bored or disgusted. If you're into this genre of film, skip this one and go straight for EMANUELLE IN America - I guarantee you won't be disappointed - 6/10 for LAST CANNIBALS...