Lettere a Emanuelle

This another 1970's "Emmanuelle" knock-off, but it's a little more "official" than most since it's based on a novel by the original Emmanuelle Arsan. A teenage girl (Anna Zacharias) is caught pilfering erotic books from a bookstore. She convinces the handsome young bookstore owner (Sami Fray) to let her write an erotic book for him which he can publish anonymously. The problem is she's a virgin, so she needs to do the appropriate "research" in order to write the novel. She spies on her mother with her lesbian lover and the bookstore owner with his female co-worker. She convinces the lovestruck servant boy to strip for her. Finally though, she decides too get some actual firsthand experience by going to bed with her new publisher. Afterwards though he betrays her, so she takes revenge. . .

This film was directed by a woman (Nelly Kaplan), and while it's not really any less erotic, it is (for better or worse) considerably less sleazy than some of the "Emmanuelle" knock-offs (especially the Italian ones). It has solid production values and surprisingly good acting. Ann Zacharias was actually in her early twenties at the time, but is pretty convincing playing a younger character. She does sexy pretty well of course, but her character is also pretty funny--putting on a thick pair of glasses to studiously observe the sex scenes, or clinically inspecting her horny servant boy's manhood with a pair of forceps. (For whatever, reason Zacharias kind of struck me as a French-Scandinavian version British actress Pamela Franklin in films like "The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie"). She is actually a much better actress than either Sylvia "Emmanuelle" Kristel or Annie "Laure" Belle, the two much more famous actresses to portray Arsan's erotic heroines. It's kind of a shame she never did much beyond this.

I've seen just about all the 1970's riffs on "Emmanuelle", and this is definitely one of the better ones. I'd recommend it.

A very good movie for a bored time. The story is centered around an adolescent girl (Sybill) who writes a very amazing and best selling erotic fiction with the help of her publisher. The book is titled Nea and the writer remains anonymous because she is not yet eighteen. She also ends up falling in love with her publisher, who instead falls for Sybill's elder sister. Rest of the plot centers around Sybill plotting revenge...

It is a well made movie and highlights quite a few issues very nicely. For example, parental relations and sibling relations are handled very sensitively. Over that, Ann is very cute and she fits the role of the obsessed adolescent perfectly. I would recommend this movie to anyone who is bored and want some fun.

Mid seventies everything was possible. On 42nd they had their glory days with porn, in Europe they were doing erotic flicks. Some became notorious as Emmanuelle (1974)or as Spielen wir Liebe (Maladolescenza 1977)or Ultimo tango a Parigi (1972). The last two became famous due young actresses going nude with an age mostly just on the border of youngsters. Maladolescenza is still not released due 14 year old ones going naked all the way. Nevertheless, it was a time to shock viewers with themes' about youngsters searching out how to make love.

Nea is also a perfect example. It clocked in on the success of Emmanualle because it was also called Nea: A Young Emmanuelle. But the German release said it all, Die erotischen Phantasien einer 16 Jährigen.

It's about a 16 year old girl (Ann Zacharias)trying to write an erotic novel. She succeeds and finds a publisher (Sami Frey). He agrees. But she wants to find out more about love and by seeing her mother having a lesbian affair which she's watching, she decides to find out what love is all about and starts a relation with the publisher. But the publisher is of course messing around with other girls. She's out for revenge.

No don't think to see blood or whatsoever. The reason I watched it is because the way she's taking revenge is a bit sleazy. She knows a guy who never had love and she takes him in her room to make use of his semen for the revenge, that part is sleazy but never becomes explicit. In fact, up to today's standards it's a bit low on everything. It do contains nudity and frontal male nudity but as I said, never becomes explicit. The theme about a 16 year old wanting sex with an adult was a shocker back then. But Maladolescenza and Last Tango In Paris were more shocking due the age of the youngsters. Still, it's fun to watch how she seducing the publisher and when she's playing with herself it's being edited with a cat, one to see. Sometimes funny but never shocking, still, if you want to see sleaze from France watch it or go for Une Vraie Jeunne Fille from the same year. All about the same theme, searching for the perfect sex.

Gore 0/5 Nudity 3/5 Effects 0/5 Story 3/5 Comedy 0,5/5