Emmanuelle 5

Emmanuelle 5 (1987)

* 1/2 (out of 4)

Emmanuelle (Monique Gabrielle) is at Cannes showing off her latest film, which is bought by an Arab prince. Emmanuelle goes to his small country for the premiere but soon she is held captive by the evil ruler who won't even allow women to show their legs or touch themselves but that's not going to sit well with our star. Apparently there are three versions of this film; the original European version, an American edit and an alternate hardcore version. I watched the American edit, which features some newly shot scenes as well as outtakes from the Euro version. I've never been a huge fan of the director but I might go as far to say this is the most entertaining film I've seen from him. If you've seen any of the Emmenuelle movies, whether the original series or the Black Emanuelle movies, then you know what to expect. Gabrille isn't much of an actress but she does have a great body and shows it off enough to keep the film moving. The supporting cast includes Crofton Hardester and Dana Bruns Westburg but they don't add a whole lot to the film. The biggest problem is the studio subplot dealing with the evil ruler who won't let women be free but of course we all know this movie was made to show women naked so the political message just comes off silly and rather stupid. Apparently fans have called Borowczyk a sell out for doing this film but there's still plenty of "art" here to where he can call it his own. I doubt his die-hard fans are going to give this film too much credit so I'd say those seeking cheap nudity will be the ones to enjoy this the most.

If your thing is frequent viewing of all varieties of colossal mammillae and the constant fornication the heroine engages in with every Tom, Dick and Harry (and I emphasize Dick.) don't miss this movie!!! If you have an IQ anything above moron, avoid it like the plague. The acting is beyond atrocious . The story line? You mean there was one? This film is such an accumulation of excrement that no professional would review it .All the participants must have used phoney names. If anyone was paid , it was an abomination! To be fair though, Dominique Gabrielle does have one hell of a figure. It is the crime of the century that they made her act.

I haven't watched the movie in full yet, I am just coasting along merrily taking in the view, and the golden- tressed curves of the road makes for a pleasure-filled ride. In the meantime, just dropping all you two-bit critics a line to stress that you cannot fault Monique Gabrielle for this. She has a charm (besides the obvious ones) and she does as best she can for a movie with clear limitations. I don't think anybody else could have filled her shoes, even if she seems to be carrying them the whole time.

Serious movie, clearly NO, but pretty heroine SURE ENOUGH. Should have been done different, but it has to play to a very demanding audience WHO DOES WANT EXACTLY THIS KIND OF SCENERY, THIS KIND OF PLOT so do bear that in mind. Things happen way too soon and heavy-handed for us with the (ahem) refined tastes, but our salivating grease-monkey brethren want it no other way, and they'd be bored if the movie came in at a slower, more subdued pace, hence the unbelievably ridiculous Cannes scene. Nice view, though. Very, very nice, thank you.

Well, as a small budget film, this one is SATISFACTORY.

In Deutschland, this would be referred to as "Einschlawtizen", meaning "Understandably bad due to budget restrictions".

Although not a full hearted effort, this film may please the 'duller" viewer.

Again, compared to Terminator 2, this doesn't stand 2 feet tall.

MaRX.

Penthouse queen Monique Gabrielle stars in this low budget Andy Sidaris style 'thriller' as an actress lured to some fictional middle eastern kingdom to be a sex toy for its cruel ruler. With that plot line it had exotic (or at least lurid) potential, but the final product lacks the conviction of its cheesy exploitativeness. Even the nude scenes are boring and tame, and the whole thing looks about as authentically middle eastern as a set from Harum Scarum. What make the other Emmanuelle movies appealing is the way they drip with local color and jungly Asian atmosphere, not to mention steamy hothouse sex, and the previous installment (Emmanuelle IV) was still churning this out.

This is yet another series that went on too long. Avoid.