Emanuelle chez les cannibales

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.

The sex in this one is really hot. In fact it's got the best female masturbation moment that I've ever seen. It's the extreme violence paired with the over the top soundtrack music that really blew me away. Also the cannibals going wild. I showed some friends and they had never watched anything like it. If only "House of 1000 Corpses" could be so crazy. We live in sensitive times and in a tame country. Thank goodness for the classic Italian cannibal movies.

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" ! (**)

The fifth part of the Black Emanuelle series starring Laura Gemser is, along with Emanuelle in America, the most of famous of them all. And with a good reason: The movie is a entertainment mix of softcore sex, "extreme" gore and adventure epic! The plot goes like this: While doing an undercover work in a mental hospital, Emanuelle discovers a girl who seems to have been raised by a cannibal tribe. She decides to go to the Amazonian jungle and there she finds that the supposedly extinct tribe is very much alive and the massacre starts! Even if the movie has a typical "cannibal flick" plot, and the gore is a bit restrained (but amusing to watch), the purpose of the movie is to show as much nudity as you can in a 90 minutes movie. And in that, the movie doesn't disappoint a bit. The main actresses are all very attractive, especially Laura Gemser and Euro horror regular Susan Scott (Death Walks at Midnight).

On a side note, the soundtrack of this one is pure gold! Written by Nico Fidenco, the catchy main tune is very effective.

It's not as good as Emanuelle in America, but I still recommend this to anyone who likes 70s exploitation cinema! 7/10

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.