Camp d'amour

Those of you familiar with the the various "Emanuelle" films featuring Laura Gemser will be somewhat disappointed with "Divine Emanuelle". Its comic-book approach is somewhat unique: Ms. Gemser floats in as the figurehead of a "love cult", and she comes complete with a pumped-up bodyguard (borrowed from an old Hercules B-movie!) and not enough young, vivacious followers. The storyline is dull and predictable, but who cares... in these films, it's the nudity that counts! Unfortunately, this one comes up short (as compared to, say, Emanuelle in America). Sure, Gemser looks great, and there is one requisite lesbo scene that's not bad; otherwise, it's a bit of a snoozer. I would say that if you can find a rental copy without too much trouble, then sure, it's worth a look.

This is by far the worst Laura Gemser movie i have seen. Also Gemser is miscast as the lead evil- doer rather than the heroic investigative reporter. Everything is atrocious but not to level of so bad it's good. Just plain awful and boring.

The sex scenes are not appealing. The violence is mundane. Really little or no gore or special effects. Instead watch Emmanuel And The Last Cannibals or any of the Gemser- Joe Dmato films.

GEMSER just poses as a statue in this movie. She doesn't act, move or interact with other characters. The supporting cast is just a joke. There is the constant presence of a juiced up bodybuilder out of a 1950s Hercucles movie. It's just a horrible hodgepodge of everything and it just doesn't work. Certainly not worth any money and not worth time to watch it.

While this film does contain some better than usual sex scenes in the series, they can't offset one dimensional comic book type characters and melodramatic acting, especially the cult queen's muscle bound bodyguard/executioner, Tanga, and her snow white boyfriend, played by Christian Anders. The sadism and violence are extreme even compared to other Emmanuelle films. Anders also directed and not very well. His theme song sounds very much like a Beatles tune, All You Need is Love.

This is one of those hippie/"free love"-type films that were big in the early 1970's (complete with some truly insipid musical numbers) except that it was made in 1980 and was also obviously influenced by the very unpleasant series of Nazi prison camp movies that were big in the mid to late 70's. The resulting hybrid is truly bizarre. Members who violate the "free love" ethos of the cult (i.e. by trying to have monogamous relations or refusing to prostitute themselves to perverted outsiders for money)are whipped and tortured. Laura "Black Emanuelle" Gemser is the main attraction here, playing the supreme leader of the cult. I'm sure no one has ever complained about her numerous nude and sex scenes, but she does seem a little miscast as an Ilsa, the Wicked Warden type (she's a svelte, submissive Asian, not a tall, dominant Teutonic type). The plot (in so much as there is one) involves a naive senator's daughter who is seduced into the cult by Gemser's ridiculously blonde, male second-in-command. The movie plays out like a softcore version of "Hair" with an occasional beating and torture sequence and maybe a nod here and there to the Manson Family and the then recent Guyana tragedy. Not really recommended, but if you enjoy this sort of thing.. .

If a quasi-mythical, strange odyssey into a distorted matriarchal society marked by strange hippy ceremonies and sexual torture of all and sundry sounds like your desire for the night this might just be your choice viewing material. Its an intriguing oddity marketed in some countries as porn (Divine Emanuelle), in others as some sort of crime/action film. Its reminiscent of the "cult" films like Guyana and the real events on which they were based like the Jonestown cult: ie, kooky dnacing, chanting and solemn ceremonial garb soon ripped or torn like some Greek melodrama/historical play with bouts of murder and violence mixed with sexual power games. It is an undeniably luscious cheap film in terms of design and location with kinky indulgence in various fetishes from whipping to stalking plus generous doses of nudity both male and female. Its a quirky flick starring the Nubian-like Queen of exploitation (Black Emmanuelle) Laura Gemser wielding her power generously upon a vast array of dutiful and punishable subjects as she seeks further power and wealth. A film for exploitation/film-porn junkies with a sense of humour.