The Museum of Wicked Delights  FOR ADULTS ONLY

I have to give After Hours Cinema some major kudos. They certainly know how to package their releases. Their recent DVD set, GRINDHOUSE OCCULT DOUBLE FEATURE, has an enticing enough cover if you see in it a store or online:

But there's more. If you buy the DVD, you will discover that the above is just a "front" for the real cover underneath:

Wonderfully exploitative and harkening back to pulp and men's magazine days! The artist is Michael DeWeese, btw.

One's fancy for the films in this 2 DVD set--THE SINS OF REVEREND STAR (aka, STAR-CROSSED MAIDENS, 1976) and NIGHT OF SUBMISSION (1976)--will chiefly be advanced by one's interest in by-now historical sleaze the likes of which is not made any more. The contributing factors to that atmosphere of depravity and human wretchedness are the poverty-row budgets of these type of films, the amateurish delivery of dialog (yes, porn had actual dialog in those days!), the general unattractiveness of the cast, and the overall haphazard feel of a shoot that probably lasted a day or two at most. Both films clock in at around the 60 minute mark. For those seeking the quick pleasures exemplified by contemporary porn, those two 60 minutes may seem far too long. For others, those who feel a link to a past whether they were a part of that past or not, this new After Hours set will probably "do the job." Neither film is distinguished in any way, but each is a testament to a world and a lifestyle that is no more, just as the run-down and seedy theaters that showed these films are no more, either.

Both films are presented at 1.78:1, which is not the ratio they probably played at in their original grindhouse runs. (The credits of NIGHT OF SUBMISSION are cut-off slightly at times.) And After Hours seems to have added some elements to both films to make them uniquely copyrightable by them. In THE SINS OF REVEREND STAR some audio/music gave me suspicions of a new addition, and NIGHT OF SUBMISSION clearly has a few exterior scenes (of New York?) that are new, though the attempt is made to give them a "grindhouse" feel with artificially added "age-streaks." Both films have the grindhouse-aged look, but I'm assuming, perhaps naively, that this look is part of the original 35mm prints After Hours used in their transfers.

A booklet is included in the set--"featuring photos and historical liner notes"--which I didn't have access to for this review.

Above: One of the few artistically framed shots in NIGHT OF SUBMISSION.

After Hours' GRINDHOUSE OCCULT DOUBLE FEATURE is available from Amazon.com

Posted by The Museum on 15-05-2008 17:39:00 | Permalink | Comments

Aside from her acting career, Laura Gemser also had a modeling career that predated her entry into film. On the AV Maniacs message board, David N posted his discovery of what could be a Laura Gemser record cover of Hawaiian music. The album: ON THE BEACH AT WAIKIKI; the band: Big Ben Hawaiian Band.

Well, it certainly looks like Laura Gemser, and after some quick research, I found another Hawaiian music record cover that definitely proves that it's Gemser and that she did Hawaiian or Polynesian-themed photo shoots. This time the album is HAWAII TRAUME, which appears to be a compilation.

Posted by The Museum on 11-05-2008 13:40:00 | Permalink | Comments

Now this is a cover!

Here are the descriptions and specs for the above DVD set from After Hours:

This double-barreled dose of DVD decadence contains two of the Seventies grindhouse's more entertaining cult classics, chock a block full of strange rituals, brainwashed babes, and hot and horny lovin. Not recommended for the highly suggestible (or for the faint of heart), get ready to relinquish your soul to the forces of occult sexual madness!

SINS OF REVEREND STAR (1976)

Employing a strange, hypnotic amulet, male members of Reverend Star's cabal lure women into erotic encounters, sometimes staged in elaborate ceremonies inside the organization s lair. In the hopes of discovering the source of Star s mysterious power, a police detective and his female sidekick attempt to infiltrate the group s inner circle. Naturally, his sexy sidekick winds up ensnared in the cult s clutches, but the cop manages to expose the Reverend for the charlatan he really is.

NIGHT OF SUBMISSION (1976)

A reporter (Carter Stevens) is writing an expose on a voodoo cult he has just discovered operating out of a New York bar. Inside the cult s lair, ritual whippings are elaborately staged in candlelight, followed by nightlong orgies. Going undercover, the reporter begins to participate in these insidious rituals. After an evening of sadomasochistic debaucheries, however, he discovers that the powers of voodoo have a way of keeping the uninitiated from exposing its decadent secrets. Features New York heavyweight Vanessa Del Rio, Crystal Sync, Heather Madigan and Annie Sprinkle.

2-DVD Set includes booklet with liner notes!

You can order the DVD set from Amazon.com by clicking on the above cover. Amazing that Amazon.com sells this, actually.

Posted by The Museum on 09-05-2008 03:35:00 | Permalink | Comments

We're taking a short break from our review of the Emanuelle series to present three VCD covers of European exploitation films, one of which happens to be an ersatz Emanuelle film, EMANUELLE, QUEEN OF SADOZ [sic]. Another VCD film, CALIGULA, THE UNTOLD STORY, also stars Emanuelle actress Laura Gemser.

For those who don't know, the VCD format held rule over much of the third world before the advent of DVDs. Cheaply produced and playable on any computer with a simple CD drive, VCDs were budget priced, and therefore affordable to the masses.

I'm not sure if VCDs are a particularly viable viewing currency nowadays in the poorer areas of the world, but they still seem to be produced, so there must be some use for them, despite the far reaching advancement of the DVD format. It's always fun to come across a VCD that one doesn't expect to see and realize that in some far away place in the world, someone is watching a Euro exploitation film while eating their rice. How we are brought together in such appreciations and delights!

Anyway, here on three VCDs I came across in a visit to Chinatown:

The origin of all three are Chinese under the "Theatre Pictures" banner. Category III, of course.

Posted by The Museum on 28-04-2008 20:11:00 | Permalink | Comments

If we discount that part of the opening credits that shows Emanuelle naked and masturbating in bed (a scene probably added during the latter part of the editing process and not part of the original script), Gemser's first nude scene occurs about 22 minutes into the film. In the case of both main female characters--Emanuelle and Ann Danieli--the script seems purposefully constructed to prime one firstly with a nude tease and then, secondly, with the hardcore payoff. So this scene, which takes place in a car, exhibits Gemser's breasts while Angelo Infanti (playing the role of Gianni Danieli) fondles them. It comes after Emanuelle has been witnessing various sexual stimuli since she got on the plane taking her to Kenya. In the film it is her first step in the sexual world of Africa and the white community that lives and parties there. She is the instigator of the love-making in the car, but soon pushes Gianni away, asking to be taken back to her room. Gianni is an interesting character--laid back, somewhat passive, somewhat moody, yet happy-go-lucky at times. There's a resigned quality to him that's appealing. At this point in the film he does not pursue Emanuelle, but she him.

Of note, one should mention that, as the screen capture reveals, the car scene contains many pitch-black shadows, making the Gemser tease that much more artistic and priming. Viewers are now eager and waiting for more.

Posted by The Museum on 21-04-2008 12:26:00 | Permalink | Comments

A short break from our examination of the original Emanuelle series with this announcement that a new Emanuelle DVD set, THE EMANUELLE COLLECTION, has just been released (streeting yesterday, April 15th) from Media Blaster's sub-label, Exploitation Digital. Despite the titling, none of the three films included are from the original series, but rather either offshoots or retitlings of other films that take advantage of the Emanuelle name. The first film in the set is DIVINE EMANUELLE, otherwise known as LOVE CULT (1981), directed, written and starring the very blond Christian Anders. The second film is LADY EMANUELLE, aka TRADITA A MORTE (1989), an Italian film directed by Pasquale Fanetti. The third film is Bitto Albertini's YELLOW EMANUELLE, which originally was titled IL MONDO DEI SENSI DI EMY WONG (1977). Bitto Albertini was the director of the first two "Black Emanuelle" films--BLACK EMANUELLE (1975) and BLACK EMANUELLE 2 (1976). All films, which were previously released as individual DVDs from Media Blasters, have now been gathered for an inexpensive set that sells for less than $20. We will review all three films in the future, but they are worthy films in the European soft-porn genre prevalent in the 1970s and 1980s, and their presentations here, with deleted scenes and in proper aspect ratios, are impressive.

Posted by The Museum on 17-04-2008 01:33:00 | Permalink | Comments

About 16 minutes into the film, Karen Schubert provides the first hardcore scene of the movie--or at least her body double does. Prior to that, Schubert also provides the first nudity in the film, in a scene where she's getting dressed for a dinner party. Because of her hard, facially blockish looks, I don't find Schubert sexy, but her duo introductions are appropriate, as they tantalize us to anticipate something similar coming from Gemser in her role as Emanuelle.

The hardcore inserts are done well, integrated as they are with similar looking body doubles (if they were body doubles!) and attire and background. The sex scene, which is between the journalist Ann Danieli (Schubert) and a black gas station attendent, is intershot with a scene of another black gas station attendent pumping gas into Ann Danieli's car, while Emanuelle waits inside. I think we get the idea!

File the Schubert sex scene under "Jungle Fever," a fetish that the movie plays upon continually. In the 1970s, cinematic sexual couplings between a white woman and a black man were relatively rare and carried a red-faced element of taboo. Even interracial passionate kissing contained something illegal and forbidden to the viewer. The natural question to ask is if much has changed since then.

Posted by The Museum on 13-04-2008 04:09:00 | Permalink | Comments

In its first five minutes BLACK EMANUELLE establishes several of the film's motifs. The movie begins with a shot of a plane going across the night sky, establishing instantly the international travel component that will be so important in the Emanuelle series. Inside the plane, Emanuelle sits, glancing through a men's magazine, which symbolizes the voyeuristic aspect of the film. Placing the magazine back in its holder, she sees a couple begin some petting in the seats across her aisle--another voyeuristic tag. The title card comes on, identifying Emanualle, instead of Laura Gemser, as playing in BLACK EMANUELLE. That's the way Gemser was initially credited (in poster art and ads, too), under her character's name, not her own. The main credits play over a night scene, from another part of the film, of a naked Emanuelle on bed, masturbating. Masturbation is the logical outcome of voyeurism, a necessary release to sexual tension if a partner isn't available. Both voyeurism and masturbation in a film are acts of complicity with the viewer, who, in all cases, is watching the movie for some erotic charge. It's membership in the club of wicked delights: The filmmaker says, "I know why you are here, and I agree to the terms of your interest."

After the main credits, back to the plane. Emanuelle wishes to smoke, but is out of cigarettes. She heads down the aisle, looking, it seems, not just for someone who may have cigarettes, but who may be a quick romantic partner. As she goes down the aisle she is ogled by a couple of male passengers, including a black man, whom she passes by with indifference. Spotting a young man talking to a flight attendant, a young white male, she approaches. She sits down next to him and begins conversation, to find out that the man is a missionary. Emanuelle is surprised at his casual attire and his selection of life career. Two points here: Emanuelle's interest in Caucasian men and the twist of unexpected identity revelations, which foreshadows the self discovery that will happen to Emanuelle in the film.

On the ground in their destination in Kenya, Emanuelle and the young missionary sit in an outdoor cafe, while Emanuelle waits for the person she is scheduled to meet. She refuses a black waiter pouring her drink and even wipes the rim of the glass to clean it, before pouring her drink inside. We get the picture of a woman who is indifferent to black men, perhaps even disdainful, and who cares for Western sanitary cleanliness, perhaps even to excess. When the young missionary invites Emanuelle to visit him one day, Emanuelle tells him that she doubts she will, considering her familiarity with the creature comforts of the West.

All of this, in five minutes, is set up quite nicely, and subtly, to delineate the psychological makeup of Emanuelle, which in this first film is at the center of the story.

Posted by The Museum on 08-04-2008 00:27:00 | Permalink | Comments

For purposes of this study of the first Emanuelle film, BLACK EMANUELLE, we will be using two elements: the Polish DVD, which is the hardcore version, and an earlier American video element that presents the R-rated version released theatrically in the United States. The hardcore version was assembled through inserts in which the film's main actors and actresses did not participate. These inserts appear to be part of the filming plan from the start of production, however. In an interview for Nocturno Cinema's IO EMANUELLE, a 1997 booklet dedicated to Laura Gemser, the Indonesian beauty admits, "Of course, EMANUELLE wasn't so clean. I remember in fact, they added in some scenes that I refused to star in, and they used a body double. To tell the truth, I don't know if they used those scenes, but I remember that they filmed them."

By the time BLACK EMANUELLE was made, both mid to upper echelon softcore and hardcore pornography had been minted and were becoming popular genres. BLACK EMANUELLE was constructed to take advantage of both genres. Because it did not have a regular extended dosage of graphic sex scenes, the hardcore version could not expect to play in "triple X" theaters, but it could land playdates in theaters around the world where its brief hardcore scenes would create appropriate interest among potential audiences eager to see taboos broken under the guise of a soft-porn or sex adventure film. Many countries still frowned upon the exhibition of hardcore films or outright banned them from securing any playdates. The hardcore version of BLACK EMANUELLE could secure a playdate, however, without being labeled a genuine hardcore film, but still gain the sellable notoriety of showing forbidden material.

Such a plan to maximize profits by crafting two versions of a film was nothing new in the 1970s, and as we see more of these type of films released on DVD, we also see at times the joint presentation of both variants--hard and soft, as well as the discarding of the soft version at other times for the more potent and profit-making hard, and usually rarer, version.

Posted by The Museum on 04-04-2008 17:02:00 | Permalink | Comments

The prelude to BLACK EMANUELLE for Laura Gemser was a credited appearance in the second Emmanuelle film, EMMANUELLE 2 (that's the French series, chiefly with Sylvia Kristel). In this 1975 Francis Giacobetti film, Gemser plays an Asian masseuse who gives a full body massage to a European female (played by Catherine Rivet) using her own naked body as the instrument of touch and rubbing. Who would not want such a massage from Laura Gemser! Giacobetti had already known Gemser through Gemser's fashion and nude photo shoots and asked her if she'd like a small part in the film. Gemser agreed, and her decision probably led to her being cast as "Black Emanuelle" later on. Gemser's first film was not EMMANUELLE 2, however, but rather FREE LOVE, a Pier Ludovico Pavoni film made in 1974 in which she had a far more substantial role.

Posted by The Museum on 02-04-2008 16:38:00 | Permalink | Comments

As stated in a previous post, the first Gemser-Emanuelle film, BLACK EMANUELLE, is not available in an authorized version as a NTSC DVD in the United States. While a DVD of BLACK EMANUELLE is available from Televista (at a high-price of about $25), this edition is unauthorized and taken from an earlier video element released in 1997 by Maxima Entertainment. The entity behind Televista may even be the same entity that was behind Maxima. The Maxima video, as well as the Televista DVD, are in widescreen, surprisingly, but the presentation is of the non-hardcore version. This version is the one that probably played in most, if not all, theaters in the United States. Obviously the audio is in English.

Gemser and Emanuelle fans had cause to rejoice, with limitations, when an authorized DVD of BLACK EMANUELLE was released in 2006. Presented in its proper 1.85:1 aspect ratio, and anamorphic, the hardcore version of the film was able to be properly appreciated and appraised for the first time in the video era. Two problems for the fan in the United States, however: The DVD was of Polish origin, which meant that it could only be seen on a PAL/NTSC player and it offered no English language option. You could, if you ordered the DVD through the mail, choose to watch the film in its original Italian language (with Polish subtitles, if you wanted) or in the "lektor" Polish audio, which in this case was an overdub of a single male reading all the lines in Polish. As non-Italian or Polish speaking Americans wait for the film to be officially released here, licensed through the rights owner Studio Canal, this Polish DVD will have to do, with assistance from whatever bootlegs are available of the English language version.

Posted by The Museum on 01-04-2008 21:51:00 | Permalink | Comments

Above you see the title card of BLACK EMANUELLE, the first film in the Laura Gemser series. Note the position of Gemser's right hand.

And to further interest you in the forthcoming discussion of this landmark film, here is a clip from the hardcore version of the film.

Posted by The Museum on 29-03-2008 21:43:00 | Permalink | Comments

Some Emanuelleists add two films often credited to Bruno Mattei, VIOLENCE IN A WOMEN'S PRISON (1982) and WOMEN'S PRISON MASSACRE (1983), to the list of official Laura Gemser Emanuelle films. The original Italian title of the latter film was EMANUELLE FUGA DALL'INFERNO (EMANUELLE ESCAPES FROM HELL), and in the films Gemser does play an Emanuelle character--perhaps the Emanuelle. The considerations against including these two films as part of the series are probably weak: director Joe D'Amato was not involved in the films, as were none of the production companies from previous entries, and composer Nico Fidenco, whose smooth loungey grooves accompanied all previous Gemser-Emanuelle films, was also absent.

Added to the list of problematic Gemser-Emanuelle films are two "mondo" movies that were hosted by Laura Gemser, one, at least, being promoted as her Emanuelle character: LE NOTTI PORNO NEL MONDO (1977) and EMANUELLE E LE PORNO NOTTI NEL MONDO N. 2. (1978 ).

Three more problematic Emanuelle movies remain: SEXY MOON (1976), otherwise known as EMANUELLE QUEEN OF SADOS, in which Gemser plays Emanuelle Brindisi, and SISTER EMANUELLE (1977), a Giuseppe Vari film where she plays "Sister Emanuelle." We should also note LE DECHAINEMENT PERVERS DE MANUELA (1983), a Joe D'Amato concoction that used scenes from previous Gemser films, including EMANUELLE AND THE LAST CANNIBALS, for a "new" film that was also referred to as EMANUELLE'S PERVERSE OUTBURST and UNLEASHED PERVERSIONS OF EMANUELLE.

All other Gemser-Emanuelle films appear to be retitlings and nothing more.

Posted by The Museum on 27-03-2008 12:36:00 | Permalink | Comments

Several Laura Gemser films were retitled with the Emanuelle moniker to take advantage of the Gemser-Emanuelle connection. Before we go further in exploring this series, we should list what are considered, with some dissent, the genuine Emanuelle films. There are seven of them, one made without Gemser.

1. BLACK EMANUELLE (1975), directed by Bitto Albertini.
2. BLACK EMANUELLE 2 (1976), directed by Bitto Albertini. [Because of another commitment, Gemser was replaced by Sharon Leslie.]
3. EMANUELLE IN BANGKOK (1976), directed by Joe D'Amato.
4. EMANUELLE IN AMERICA (1977), directed by Joe D'Amato.
5. EMANUELLE AROUND THE WORLD (1977), directed by Joe D'Amato.
6. EMANUELLE AND THE LAST CANNIBALS (1977), directed by Joe D'Amato.
7. EMANUELLE AND THE WHITE SLAVE TRADE (1978 ), directed by Joe D'Amato.

With the exception of the first film in the series, all Emanuelle films have been officially released on American DVDs in excellent quality and in their proper aspect ratio. Severin's BLACK EMANUELLE'S BOX VOLUME 1 contained EMANUELLE IN BANGKOK and EMANUELLE AROUND THE WORLD, while VOLUME 2 contained BLACK EMANUELLE 2 and EMANUELLE AND THE SLAVE TRADE. Blue Underground released EMANUELLE IN AMERICA, and Shriek Show put out EMANUELLE AND THE LAST CANNIBALS. The first "Black Emanuelle" film has been released on DVD by Televista, unauthorized and from a video source.

Because production companies and producers varied on these films and the pseudo-Emanuelle films, any official list becomes problematic. We intend to explore the options and debate all considerations.

Posted by The Museum on 26-03-2008 12:52:00 | Permalink | Comments

Is it "Emanuelle" or "Emmanuelle"? The extra "m" makes the difference. In the Laura Gemser series, the female protagonist has only one "m" in her name, while in the French series that initiated the Emmanuelle craze, the female has two "m"s. This French series began in 1974 with EMMANUELLE, with Sylvia Kristel in the title role. EMMANUELLE made over 300 million dollars in worldwide grosses and spawned theatrical sequels and television cable features. Italian cinema, ever on the lookout to take advantage of a genre success, rushed out their own similar films with Laura Gemser, beginning with BLACK EMANUELLE in 1975. Naturally, the Italians made the bolder and more dangerous films, embracing sweat-inducing taboo in several entries.

Posted by The Museum on 25-03-2008 13:07:00 | Permalink | Comments

Severin Films released two box sets of Gemser's Emanuelle films last year, under the wink-wink umbrella title "Black Emanuelle's Box," as well as a separate DVD release of the "XXX European Version" of EMANUELLE AROUND THE WORLD. (The non-XXX version found its way to the first volume of the box sets.) The Emanuelle films are superb erotic travelogues and exploitation programmers--earthy, yet sophisticated in a pseudo-chic European way, and at times shocking. So let's travel with Emanuelle....

Posted by The Museum on 24-03-2008 21:50:00 | Permalink | Comments