Emmanuelle
Fictional character
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Emmanuelle is the lead character in a series of French erotic films based on the protagonist in the novel of the same name, by Emmanuelle Arsan, written in 1959 and published in 1967.
- Sylvia Kristel (1974–1984, 1993)
- Mia Nygren (1984)
- Monique Gabrielle (1987)
- Natalie Uher (1988)
- Marcela Walerstein (1993)
- Noémie Merlant (2024)
| Emmanuelle | |
|---|---|
| Emmanuelle character | |
 Photo of Sylvia Kristel used to promote the 1974 film Emmanuelle | |
| First appearance | Emmanuelle (1967 novel) |
| Created by | Emmanuelle Arsan |
| Portrayed by |
|
| In-universe information | |
| Gender | Female |
| Spouse | Jean |
| Children | Diana, Emily, Eve-Ladah |
| Nationality | French |
Emmanuelle originated as the pen name Emmanuelle Arsan, used by Marayat Rollet-Andriane, a French-Thai actress who wrote a 1957 book, The Joys of a Woman, detailing the sexual exploits of a bored housewife. The first Emmanuelle film debuted in 1974 and starred Sylvia Kristel, who became synonymous with the role. The film embraced its X-rating and became a success, with an estimated audience of 300 million. It remains one of France's most successful films. The films' explicit content varied from softcore to full hardcore, though no penetration or oral sex made it to publicly available releases.
It spawned a film series with multiple sequels, and a video game. The original series consists of six theatrical films and seven made-for-television films, while a reboot was released in 2024. Emmanuelle was also the inspiration for several unrelated films and series, including the Italian series Black Emanuelle, or the American series Emmanuelle in Space, as well as many unofficial productions using the Emmanuelle name, capitalizing on the craze.
Character history
Emmanuelle appeared as the pen name of Marayat Rollet-Andriane, a French-Thai actress (1932–2005). Her 1957 book The Joys of a Woman detailed the sexual exploits of Emmanuelle, the "bored housewife" of a French diplomat. Rollet-Andriane's book caused a sensation in France and was banned.
The producer of another Arsan/Rollet-Andriane film Laure, Ovidio Assonitis, claimed that all books published under the pen name Emmanuelle Arsan were written by her husband Louis-Jacques Rollet-Andriane, rather than by Marayat.[1]
Development
| Emmanuelle | |
|---|---|
| Created by | Emmanuelle Arsan (novel) Jean-Louis Richard (1974 film) |
| Owners | StudioCanal (original series) Pathé (reboot) |
| Years | 1974–present |
| Based on | Emmanuelle (novel) |
| Print publications | |
| Novel(s) | Emmanuelle series by Emmanuelle Arsan (1959–1988) |
| Comics | Emmanuelle by Guido Crepax (1978) |
| Films and television | |
| Film(s) | List of films |
| Games | |
| Video game(s) | Emmanuelle (1989) |
The first Emmanuelle film was the 1974 French theatrical feature Emmanuelle starring Dutch actress Sylvia Kristel (1952–2012) in the title role. She came to be the actress best identified with the role. This film pushed the boundaries of what was then acceptable on screen, with sex scenes, skinny-dipping, masturbation, the "Mile High Club", rape, and a scene in which a dancer lights a cigarette and puffs it with her vagina. This film was created and directed by French director Just Jaeckin.
Unlike many films that tried to avoid an X-rating, the first Emmanuelle film embraced it, and became a success with a viewing audience estimated at 300 million.[2] It remains one of France's most successful films, and played in the Arc de Triomphe theatre for over eleven years.[3] In France and the US the film was uncut, but British censors balked at masturbation and explicit sex. Heavy cuts were made to the film including the complete removal of the opium den rape and the infamous 'cigarette' sequence in the club.
Several sequels starring Kristel followed, beginning with Emmanuelle 2 known as Emmanuelle: The Joys of a Woman in its U.S. release, and also Emmanuelle l’antivierge in some European press materials, including the soundtrack LP and CD. Kristel sold her interest for $150,000, missing on a share of the film's $26m domestic gross. She was paid $6,000 for her role but negotiated a $100,000 contract for the sequel, Emmanuelle 2.
Kristel stepped away from the role in the 1980s, yielding to younger actresses, but returned for the seventh feature film. In 1992 and 1993, Kristel reprised the role of an older Emmanuelle for a series of made-for-cable films with titles such as Emmanuelle's Love and Emmanuelle's Perfume, which featured Marcela Walerstein as a younger version of Kristel's character. Kristel did not take part in any love scenes for this series, which also co-starred George Lazenby, also in a non-sexual role. Kristel also appeared in films throughout her career that capitalized on or parodied her Emmanuelle image, such as the American sex comedy Private Lessons.
A number of unofficial productions in Italy, Japan and the United States cashed in on the Emmanuelle craze, changing the spelling of the title. In a number of cases, the character's name was spelled "Emanuelle" suggesting these films were not authorized. Among the best known were Italian "Black Emanuelle" films starring Laura Gemser, who became the second most popular actress to play Emanuelle in the 1970s. The 1978 spoof Carry On Emmannuelle (with double "N") starred Kenneth Williams as the French ambassador to London. Having lost his libido by landing on a church spire during a parachute jump, he discovers his sex-starved wife, Emmannuelle Prevert, has seduced a string of VIPs. It starred Suzanne Danielle in the title role.
After the last official Emmanuelle theatrical feature film, Emmanuelle au 7ème ciel (the seventh film for which Kristel returns as the main character), ASP began to produce further films, all featuring the character of Emmanuelle, albeit played by a series of actresses. These included a science fiction series in the 1990s called Emmanuelle in Space starring American actress Krista Allen in one of her first roles. Following spinoffs included TV series Emmanuelle 2000 starring Holly Sampson, TV and video series Emmanuelle's Private Collection starring Natasja Vermeer, and a one-off, Emmanuelle in Rio, starring Ludmilla Ferraz in her only acting credit.
At the 2008 Cannes Film Festival, Alain Siritzky said he was looking for a new Emmanuelle, with production on the first film scheduled to begin in September.[4] It was announced at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival that Allie Haze (performing under the alias Brittany Joy) had been chosen.[5] The direct-to-video series that starred Allie Haze was titled Emmanuelle Through Time.
It was announced at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival that a new reboot of the series was to get a cinematic release, written and directed by Audrey Diwan and featuring Noémie Merlant playing Emmanuelle. This version is set for release in 2024 with a distribution deal confirmed for several countries including France and the United States of America.[6]
Box office
The film played to packed houses in Paris, running for years. Emmanuelle was also an international hit and has played to 300 million. French distribution company Studio Canal has acquired home video rights for a number of Emmanuelle movies and has released remastered DVDs of the films. Taking video and DVD into account revenue is estimated close to 650 million.[citation needed]
Explicit content
The sexual explicitness in Emmanuelle films varies from arty softcore to full hardcore, although no penetration or oral sex made it to public versions. Many question the place of hardcore scenes in Emmanuelle and ASP never attempted to mix the two genres after experimenting in the late 1980s.
- Emmanuelle 4 (1984), starring Kristel and new Emmanuelle Mia Nygren, had hardcore scenes shot, but they were never used. These scenes, which did not involve the main actors, were included in television versions and turned up as extras on European DVD editions of Emmanuelle 4 and in a version called "Emmanuelle 4X" on a VHS in France in the 1980s.
- Emmanuelle 5 (1987), directed by Walerian Borowczyk, was released in two versions: one with softcore love scenes, and a French home video version that extended several scenes with hardcore sex directed by Borowczyk (apparently[citation needed] Borowczyk said that he had not directed them). The scenes are the Love Express and dance studio segments, embellished with penetration, ejaculation and a woman urinating. This VHS version omits several minutes of footage seen in the public version (including dialogue and plot).
- Emmanuelle 6 (1988) also had two hardcore scenes (one short without ejaculation, but with fellatio and penetration, between a man and a woman whom Emmanuelle watches in a horse box, and the second longer, with fellatio, penetration and ejaculation, starring the same couple entering the place where Emmanuelle is being held prisoner at the end of the movie), directed by erotic horror specialist Jean Rollin. However, they were not used in the theater version, but were included on a hardcore VHS version in France.
Film appearances
| Year | Title | Actress(es) | Director | Series | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1969 | A Man for Emmanuelle (Io, Emmanuelle) |
Erika Blanc | Cesare Canevari |  Italy | |
| 1973 | Swap Meet at the Love Shack (Emanuelle Meets the Wife Swappers) |
Monica Marc[a] | Hubert Frank |  Germany | |
| Tender and Perverse Emanuelle | Norma Kastel[a] | Jesús Franco |  France | ||
| 1974 | Free Love (The Real Emanuelle) |
Laura Gemser[a] | Pier Ludovico Pavoni | Italy | |
| Emmanuelle | Sylvia Kristel | Just Jaeckin | Emmanuelle | France | |
| The Erotic Diary of a Lumberjack (Erotic Daughters of Emanuelle) |
Willeke van Ammelrooy[a] | Jean-Marie Pallardy | |||
| 1975 | The Daughter of Emanuelle | Greta Vayan | Jean Luret | ||
| Tokyo Emmanuelle | Kumi Taguchi[a] | Akira Katō |  Japan | ||
| Tokyo Emmanuelle: Private Lessons | Katsuhiko Fujii | ||||
| Emanuelle's Revenge (Emanuelle and Françoise) |
Rosemarie Lindt | Joe D'Amato | Italy | ||
| Black Emanuelle | Laura Gemser | Bitto Albertini | Black Emanuelle | ||
| Emmanuelle 2 | Sylvia Kristel | Francis Giacobetti | Emmanuelle | France | |
| 1976 | Laure (Forever Emanuelle) |
Annie Belle[a] | Emmanuelle Arsan | Italy | |
| Blue Belle (Teenage Emanuelle) |
Massimo Dallamano | ||||
| Emmanuelle's Silver Tongue | Nadia Cassini | Mauro Ivaldi | |||
| Emanuelle in Bangkok | Laura Gemser | Joe D'Amato | Black Emanuelle | ||
| Emmanuelle on Taboo Island | Laura Gemser[a] | Enzo D'Ambrosio | |||
| Black Emanuelle 2 | Shulamith Lasri | Bitto Albertini | Black Emanuelle | ||
| Black Cobra Woman (Emmanuelle Goes Japanese) |
Laura Gemser[a] | Joe D'Amato | |||
| Black Velvet (Black Emmanuelle, White Emmanuelle) |
Laura Gemser & Annie Belle[a] | Brunello Rondi | |||
| Passion Plantation (Emmanuelle Black and White) |
Malisa Longo | Mario Pinzauti | |||
| Néa (A Young Emmanuelle) |
Ann Zacharias[a] | Nelly Kaplan | France | ||
| The Margin (Emmanuelle '77) |
Sylvia Kristel[a] | Walerian Borowczyk | |||
| 1977 | The Dragon Lives Again | "Jenny" | Law Kei |  Hong Kong | |
| Hong Kong Emmanuelle | Deborah Dik | Wah Man | |||
| Yellow Emanuelle | Chai Lee[a] | Bitto Albertini | Italy | ||
| Emanuelle in America | Laura Gemser | Joe D'Amato | Black Emanuelle | ||
| Emanuelle Around the World | |||||
| Emanuelle and the Last Cannibals | |||||
| Sister Emanuelle | Giuseppe Vari | ||||
| Goodbye Emmanuelle | Sylvia Kristel | François Leterrier | Emmanuelle | France | |
| Emmanuelle Tropical | Monique Lafond | J. Marreco |  Brazil | ||
| Porno Nights of the World (Emanuelle's Sexy Night Report) |
Laura Gemser | Bruno Mattei | Black Emanuelle | Italy | |
| 1978 | Emanuelle and the Porno Nights of the World | ||||
| Emanuelle and the White Slave Trade | Joe D'Amato | ||||
| Emanuelle: A Woman from a Hot Country | Laura Gemser[a] | José María Forqué |  Spain | ||
| Emmanuelle and Carol | Raquel Evans | Ignacio F. Iquino | |||
| Carry On Emmannuelle | Suzanne Danielle | Gerald Thomas | Carry On |  United Kingdom | |
| Emanuelle and Lolita | Nieves Navarro | Henri Sala | France | ||
| High School Emanuelle: Wet Saturday | Minako Mizushima[a] | Nobuyuki Saitō | Japan | ||
| 1979 | Emmanuelle from Kasımpaşa | Feri Cansel | Sirri Gültekin |  Turkey | |
| 1980 | Emanuelle: Queen of Sados | Laura Gemser | Elia Milonakos |  Greece | |
| An Erotic Journal of a Lady from Thailand (Emmanuelle 3) |
Brigitte Lahaie[a] | Jean-Marie Pallardy | France | ||
| The Daughter of Emmanuelle | Vanessa Alves | Oswaldo de Oliveira | Brazil | ||
| Porno Esotic Love (Emmanuelle's Exotic Loves) |
Laura Gemser[a] | Joe D'Amato | Italy | ||
| 1981 | Divine Emanuelle | Christian Anders | Germany | ||
| Emmanuelle in Soho | Angie Quick | David Hughes | United Kingdom | ||
| In the Claws of the CIA (Kung Fu Emanuelle) |
Raquel Evans[a] | John Liu | Hong Kong | ||
| 1982 | The Inconfessable Orgies of Emmanuelle | Muriel Montossé | Jesús Franco | Spain | |
| Emanuelle in the Country | Laura Gemser[a] | Mario Bianchi | Italy | ||
| Emanuelle: Queen of the Desert | Bruno Fontana | ||||
| Violence in a Women's Prison (Emanuelle Reports from a Women's Prison) |
Laura Gemser | Bruno Mattei | Black Emanuelle | ||
| 1983 | Women's Prison Massacre (Emanuelle Escapes from Hell) | ||||
| Emanuelle's Perverse Outburst | Joe D'Amato | ||||
| 1984 | Emmanuelle Goes to Cannes | Olinka Hardiman | Jean-Marie Pallardy | France | |
| Emmanuelle 4 | Sylvia Kristel & Mia Nygren | Francis Leroi & Iris Letans | Emmanuelle | ||
| 1986 | Peep Show (Scandalous Emanuelle) |
Laura Gemser[a] | Joe D'Amato | Italy | |
| 1987 | Emmanuelle 5 | Monique Gabrielle | Walerian Borowczyk | Emmanuelle | France |
| 1988 | Emmanuelle 6 | Natalie Uher | Bruno Zincone & Jean Rollin | ||
| 1989 | Lady Emmanuelle | Malù | Pasquale Fanetti | Italy | |
| 1993 | Emmanuelle 7 | Sylvia Kristel & Annie Bellac | Francis Leroi | Emmanuelle | France |
| Emmanuelle Forever | Sylvia Kristel & Marcella Walerstein | ||||
| Emmanuelle's Revenge | |||||
| Emmanuelle in Venice | |||||
| Emmanuelle's Love | |||||
| Emmanuelle's Magic | |||||
| Emmanuelle's Perfume | |||||
| Emmanuelle's Secret | |||||
| 1994 | Emmanuelle, Queen of the Galaxy (Emmanuelle: First Contact) |
Krista Allen | Lev L. Spiro | Emmanuelle in Space |  United States |
| Emmanuelle 2: A World of Desire | Jean-Jacques Lamore | ||||
| Emmanuelle 3: A Lesson in Love | David Cove | ||||
| Emmanuelle 4: Concealed Fantasy | Kevin Alber | ||||
| Emmanuelle 5: A Time to Dream | David Cove | ||||
| Emmanuelle 6: One Final Fling | Jean-Jacques Lamore | ||||
| Emmanuelle 7: The Meaning of Love | Brody Hooper | ||||
| 2000 | Emmanuelle 2000: Being Emmanuelle | Holly Sampson | Udo Blass | Emmanuelle 2000 | |
| Emmanuelle 2000: Emmanuelle in Paradise | Kevin Alber | ||||
| Emmanuelle 2000: Emmanuelle's Intimate Encounters | Rolfe Kanefsky | ||||
| Emmanuelle 2000: Jewel of Emmanuelle | Jill Hayworth | ||||
| Emmanuelle 2000: Emmanuelle and the Art of Love | |||||
| Emmanuelle 2000: Emmanuelle's Sensual Pleasures | Fred Olen Ray | ||||
| Emmanuelle 2000: Emmanuelle Pie | Rolfe Kanefsky | ||||
| 2003 | Emmanuelle in Rio | Ludmilla Ferraz | Kevin Alber | ||
| Emmanuelle in Hong Kong | Crystal Sun | Dick Lau | Hong Kong | ||
| 2004 | Emmanuelle Private Collection: Sex Goddess | Natasja Vermeer | Yamie Philippi | Emmanuelle Private Collection | United States |
| Emmanuelle Private Collection: Emmanuelle vs Dracula | Keith Shaw | ||||
| Emmanuelle Private Collection: Sex Talk | Jean-Jacques Lamore | ||||
| Emmanuelle Private Collection: The Sex Lives of Ghosts | Maxamillion Eckes | ||||
| Emmanuelle Private Collection: Sexual Spells | Jean-Jacques Lamore | ||||
| Emmanuelle Private Collection: The Art of Ecstasy | Yamie Philippi | ||||
| Emmanuelle Private Collection: Jesse's Secret Desires | Jill Hayworth | ||||
| 2011 | Emmanuelle Through Time: Emmanuelle's Skin City | Allie Haze | Rolfe Kanefsky | Emmanuelle Through Time | |
| Emmanuelle Through Time: Emmanuelle's Sexy Bite | |||||
| Emmanuelle Through Time: Sex, Chocolate & Emmanuelle | |||||
| Emmanuelle Through Time: Rod Steele 0014 & Naked Agent 0069 | |||||
| Emmanuelle Through Time: Sex Tales (Adventures Into the Woods: A Sexy Musical) | |||||
| Emmanuelle Through Time: Emmanuelle's Supernatural Sexual Activity | |||||
| Emmanuelle Through Time: Forbidden Pleasures | |||||
| 2022 | The Awakening of Emanuelle | Nicole D'Angelo | Gregory Hatanaka | ||
| Call Me Emanuelle | Shoko Rice | ||||
| Do Ut Des (Emanuelle's Revenge) |
Beatrice Schiaffino | Dario Germani | Italy | ||
| 2023 | Amor Emanuelle | Kali Kiyasumac | Gregory Hatanaka | United States | |
| Emanuelle in Sin City | Liz Clare | Jason Rudy | |||
| Amityville Emanuelle | Dawn Church[a] | Louis DeStefano | |||
| 2024 | Emmanuelle | Noémie Merlant | Audrey Diwan | Emmanuelle | France |
- Notes
- Although the actress portrays an Emmanuelle-esque character as its title suggests, no one explicitly named Emmanuelle actually appears in the film.
Video game
The character of Emmanuelle is also featured in a video game of the same name, released by Coktel Vision in 1989.
In popular culture
- The American sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live aired a parody of the Emmanuelle films titled Danielle: A Free European Woman in their 01/19/2013 episode hosted by Jennifer Lawrence. The sketch featured Lawrence as the titular character, a free-spirited, sexually promiscuous, easily distracted French woman in a poorly dubbed to English film where she visits Italy with her lover, played by Fred Armisen.
- In the American television sitcom Seinfeld, the fictional movie "Rochelle, Rochelle", with the tagline "a young girl's strange, erotic journey from Milan to Minsk", is mentioned several times.
- In season 5, episode 4 of the American detective drama-comedy show Psych, Shawn Spencer references the franchise stating that he has seen them all, "even the one where she turns Black."