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Tender and Perverse Emmanuelle (1973)

** (out of 4)

Jess Franco film about the investigation into the death of Emmanuelle (Alice Arno). While I think this was better than the American versions, the film overall is way too slow and boring. Franco, known for sleaze, actually focuses on the mystery aspect and there isn't too much sexuality, although there's a very steamy sex scene between Arno and Lina Romay. The film does contain a wonderful score by Daniel White and Romay, in her second film with Franco, shows that wonderful beauty and presence that would dominate future films.

This is just an attempt to cash in on the EMMANUELLE series (shocking from Franco, I know!) but this was made before the first EMMANUELLE film in 1974. One has to assume that it is a title slapped on at a later date because the lead female is actually named Barbara. The odd thing is that in the dubbing she is referred to as Emanuelle and Barbara at different points. Confused? Good because it is only gonna get more convoluted. Okay, so Emanuelle's husband Gordon invites his shrink Michel (Jack Taylor) to come to the house for the weekend to help Emanuelle (Norma Castell), who is slowly breaking down. The day after he arrives, Emanuelle is found dead at the bottom of a cliff. The cops begin investigating her apparent suicide with Michel as the main suspect and many twists, turns and lovers are revealed. This is a pretty entertaining timekiller. The mystery is actually pretty well done and culminates with a bizarre twist. Franco fills the running time with lots of softcore sex scenes involving nearly the entire cast (including the cute Lina Romay).

This is not an official French "Emmanuelle" film, nor is it an unofficial "Emanuelle" ("Black Emanuelle") Italian copycat from the series created by Albertino Bitti and Joe D'Amato; it is a Franco film all the way with the title slapped on only as an afterthought. Unfortunately though, it's just not a very good Franco film. It's really a murder mystery where the main character, an unhappily married pianist (alternately called both Barbara and Emanuelle) is found dead at the bottom of a cliff at the very beginning of the movie--a victim of either suicide or murder--and it's up to her shrink (Jack Taylor) and sister-in-law (Lina Romay)to investigate.

Truth be told, I was drawn to this movie by some tantalizing stills of Lina Romay wearing some very 70's-style sunglasses (and pretty much nothing else), the version I saw of this movie though was pretty skimpy on the nude scenes of both Romay and another equally beautiful Franco regular, Alice Arno. There were only some lesbian scenes between Romay and the more obscure lead actress who played "Barbara/Emanuelle", but they were pretty obscure in a different sense--I could barely make them out. I suspect this problem will be taken care of when, like pretty much the entire Franco back catalogue, this movie gets an official DVD release. A more permanent problem is that it simply does not have a very compelling plot and it seems to be a pretty lackluster effort by Franco and everyone else involved. It's better than the execrable WIP films Franco and Romay made right after, but definitely a step down from the interesting stuff Franco was doing in the late 60's and early 70's. See it if you've got a sunglasses (or Lina Romay) fetish, but for everyone else, watch it at your own peril.

Emanuelle is a successful pianist that is kept imprisoned by her jealous husband. She's murdered and an investigation is engaged. Emanuelle's lover is suspected for the murder and is forced to find the murderer himself. It's a nice twist ending.

This is actually a murder mystery with just a few sex scenes thrown in. As a triangle drama it's quite good with passion and hate, but as an Emanuelle flick it just doesn't deliver. I wouldn't say this is a typical Jess Franco flick. There are some scenes that give him away though, for example the scene at the bar with the red light and strange disco music and of course Lina Romay (Franco's wife) as Greta, Gordon's jealous and manipulating sister. There are some lesbian scenes that are pretty explicit. I'd give this one 6 out of 10. I'd recommend a Massaccesi Emanuelle flick instead, for example `Emanuelle and the White Slavetrade'.