Emmanuelle 2: L'antivierge

"Emmanuelle 2" is an interesting relic of its era. That's not to say it's not explicit enough (it is, for a soft-core porn film), just that it has that decidedly pre-AIDS attitude about casual sexual encounters with multiple partners. The sex scenes deliver the goods, but the lack of a discernible plot may prove tiresome for some. This is a movie best enjoyed by using your fast-forward button to get to the scenes for which you rented the film in the first place (but you probably could have figured that out by yourself). (**1/2)

The sequel for the groundbreaking Emmanuelle welcomes back the gorgeous Sylvia Kristel (complete with a Kimberly Ryan hairstyle) in her second sexer. This time Emmanuelle and her husband (played by Umberto Orsini, a man I wish that I could look like) visit more of the Orient and Indonesia. Again, Emmanuelle (who's more confident about herself and her sexuality) has the time to have "philisophical discussions" wherever she goes, whether it would be in the bathtub, watching a microfilm movie short, in a locker room, a brothel, or getting acupuncture! Once again, we'll get to see the rituals and customs of the countries of the Far East, the same song being played during the "philisophical discussions", and a PYT thing who wants to learn from her (instead of the PYT teaching her). Once again I've seen the French and dubbed versions, and this time Kristel is dubbed by a more confident sounding woman, the voice of Emmanuelle from the first one seems to have been given to PYT Anna-Maria (Catherin Rivet).

All in all, almost as good as the first. BTW, one of the masseuses in the parlour Emmanuelle, Jean, and Anna-Maria visits is played by the gorgeous Laura Gemser, an Indonesian actress who would later play Emmanuelle in the series after Kristel decided to try her luck in more mainstream films in America.

I probably have seen the very first Emmanuelle movie when I was a teenager .. whatever the case though it has been way too long to remember, if this connects neatly to the first one. It seems to, considering where she comes from at the beginning, which would be the location of the first movie.

Having said all that, the movie seems quite freeing! In more than one sense and so I am not trying to use a pun here (well maybe a little bit). Talking about a little bit: while the movie itself is sexual overall, it is not like the movie ever goes pornographic. It stays sensual throughout of course! And it also sends a message, that men and women are sexual beings. That privileges are not based on gender. So if a "couple" feels like they should practice free love and fool around with other people ... who are you/me/we to judge them or tell them they are wrong? Do not shame anyone for how they feel or what they do.

So this can not only be arousing in one sense for some, but also hopefully opening some peoples minds. I was quite surprised to see such a wonderful message in a movie that I thought would just be some male erotic fantasy come true ... good for the movie and good for the viewers!

The second Emmanuelle movie is set in Hong Kong instead of Thailand, it is less provocative than the first and looks rather like a travel company's advertising clip. The story seems to be a random collection of impressions, it doesn't really have a beginning or a conclusive end. This may sound a bit negative so far, but despite the lack of dramatic action, it still is a movie I love to watch again and again. It's the only movie Francis Giacobetti ever directed, so maybe he didn't have much experience with actors, but he sure knew how to make pictures look great. Part 2 may well have the best musical score (by Francis Lai). One of the three masseuses in the steaming hot bath scene is the stunning Laura Gemser who'd become "Black Emanuelle" for a whole bunch of pictures. I voted 7/8/6/4/6/7 for the six cinema films of the series.

A must for Sylvia Kristel fans although not as hot as the original one she starred in. Also a chance to see Laura Gemser as the masseuse bearing a striking resemblance to Barbara Carrera, before Laura went on to do the Emmanuelle series herself.