''Emmanuelle 5'' is a French film directed by

Walerian Borowczyk Walerian Borowczyk (21 October 1923 – 3 February 2006) was an internationally known Polish film director described by film critics as a 'genius who also happened to be a pornographer'. He directed 40 films between 1946 and 1988. Borowczyk sett ...

. :Hu:Emmanuelle 5

Overview

In 1985, ASP films (owner of the

Emmanuelle Emmanuelle is the lead character in a series of French erotic films based on the main character in the novel ''Emmanuelle'' (1959), created by Emmanuelle Arsan. Character history Emmanuelle appeared as the pen name of Marayat Rollet-Andrian ...

franchise since the first official feature) approached Polish director Borowczyk (known for his heavily erotic art films) to helm the latest Emmanuelle feature, and he accepted, intrigued by the idea of giving a new spin to the series and character. "She is free, without prejudice, and she has confidence in herself" he told France's ''Cinema'' magazine in the April 87 issue. Once in production, however, he was to be in conflict with his producers; first over the casting of his lead actress, and later for his abstract imagery and script. ''Emmanuelle 5'' is 85 minutes long, shortened after the director himself sheared the film of several scenes of dialog and exposition, preferring to lay voice-overs to scenes of erotic visual montages. Shot in English sync-sound, it also features the first American actress to play the Emmanuelle character. The film shoot took place on location in Paris, Cannes, and the island of

Réunion Réunion (; french: La Réunion, ; previously ''Île Bourbon''; rcf, label= Reunionese Creole, La Rényon) is an island in the Indian Ocean that is an overseas department and region of France. It is located approximately east of the island ...

from May 26 to July 19 in the year 1986. French distributor AAA gave ''Emmanuelle 5'' a push in print ads and promotional posters, all touting filmgoers with the Borowczyk name. A series of six different styles of poster were designed by artist Léo Kouper. The posters all bore different quotes from writer Emmanuelle Arsan, endorsing the work of Borowczyk. Amidst critiques to ''Emmanuelle 5'', there were also rumors Borowczyk didn't actually direct anything but the "film within a film" ''Love Express'' sequence. This was mostly because he utilized a series of assistant directors for certain exteriors, namely the Cannes and Middle-Eastern segments. The film, however, contains his trademark lighting, the handwritten notes and drawings, themes of censorship and hypocrisy. Despite the critical backlash, ''Emmanuelle 5'' did well in France, staying in theaters for 26 weeks, and spawning yet another theatrical sequel.

Plot

Emmanuelle ( Monique Gabrielle) is a free-spirited woman who makes erotic arthouse films and runs a dance studio out of her loft in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

. The movie opens with a ''

Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous ''Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous'' is an American television series that aired in syndication from 1984 to 1995. The show featured the extravagant lifestyles of wealthy entertainers, athletes, socialites and magnates. It was hosted by Rob ...

'' style

montage Montage may refer to: Arts and entertainment Filmmaking and films * Montage (filmmaking), a technique in film editing * ''Montage'' (2013 film), a South Korean film Music * Montage (music), or sound collage * ''Montage'' (Block B EP), 2017 ...

Cannes Cannes ( , , ; oc, Canas) is a city located on the French Riviera. It is a communes of France, commune located in the Alpes-Maritimes departments of France, department, and host city of the annual Cannes Film Festival, Midem, and Cannes Lions I ...

, with a documentary-like narration giving us an overview of the famous film festival held there every year. A film within a film, the sequence shows Emmanuelle premiering her latest film, ''Love Express'', in Cannes, causing a scandal in the process. Later, she defends her film at a press conference to reporters who accuse her of creating

pornography Pornography (often shortened to porn or porno) is the portrayal of sexual subject matter for the exclusive purpose of sexual arousal. Primarily intended for adults,

. After the Q&A, Emmanuelle's producer introduces her to Prince Rajid (Yaseen Khan), a wealthy despot who owns the fictional Arab country of Benglagistan. He is apparently obsessed with Emmanuelle and wants to premiere the film in his homeland. Outside, a throng of male fans awaits Emmanuelle, all desperate for a touch of the famed beauty. Things quickly escalate and the mob strips her of every last article of clothing, sending her jumping onto a stranger's departing boat for safety. Her unwitting

saviour Savior or Saviour may refer to: *A person who helps people achieve salvation, or saves them from something Religion * Mahdi, the prophesied redeemer of Islam who will rule for seven, nine or nineteen years * Maitreya * Messiah, a saviour or li ...

is Charles D. Foster (Dana Burns Westburg), a young millionaire who disapproves of Emmanuelle's erotic films. The couple quickly fall in love after a night of exciting sex on his

yacht A yacht is a sailing or power vessel used for pleasure, cruising, or racing. There is no standard definition, though the term generally applies to vessels with a cabin intended for overnight use. To be termed a , as opposed to a , such a pleasu ...

. After an argument with the concerned Foster, Emmanuelle travels to Benglagistan to promote her film, and meets Eddie, an

Indiana Jones ''Indiana Jones'' is an American media franchise based on the adventures of Dr. Henry Walton "Indiana" Jones, Jr., a fictional professor of archaeology, that began in 1981 with the film '' Raiders of the Lost Ark''. In 1984, a prequel, '' Th ...

style danger-seeker who befriends her. Prince Rajid

kidnaps In criminal law, kidnapping is the unlawful confinement of a person against their will, often including transportation/ asportation. The asportation and abduction element is typically but not necessarily conducted by means of force or fear: the ...

her for his harem and decides to make her one of his 50 wives. Eddie helps her escape, and together they run into the jungle. Charles sends an army

helicopter A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by horizontally spinning rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forward, backward and laterally. These attributes ...

to help Emmanuelle. Eddie dies in the shootout but she escapes with the helicopter. Emmanuelle joins Charles on a midnight plane ride where they drink champagne and make love. The plane quickly falters and crashes into the mountains near

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

. After being rescued and returning home to

mourn Mourning is the expression of an experience that is the consequence of an event in life involving loss, causing grief, occurring as a result of someone's death, specifically someone who was loved although loss from death is not exclusively ...

her dead lover, she receives a note and flowers and realizes Foster is alive and loves only her.

Cast

* Monique Gabrielle as

* Crofton Hardester as Eddie * Dana Burns Westburg as Charles D. Foster * Yaseen Khan as Prince Rajid * Julie Miklas as Linda (uncredited) * Pamm Vlastas as Suvi (uncredited) * Heidi Paine as Girl #1 (uncredited) * Roxanna Michaels as Girl #2 (uncredited) * Michele Burger as Girl #3 (uncredited) * Max Strom as Talking Soldier (uncredited)

Versions

There are at least three versions: *The theatrical European version (also dubbed into French, Italian and German), known as "the Borowczyk" version. *The US version, including new scenes produced by Roger Corman, and directed by Steve Barnett. Members of the original cast, as well as new actors, were brought to Los Angeles a year later to shoot the additional footage. This version was completed in 1987, and also utilizes Borowczyk's out-takes. The new scenes are quite different from the traditional European style that people expect from Emmanuelle films, and are more in the vein of 80s sex-comedy in the style of '' Bachelor Party''. The attempt was to give the story more cohesion, and tighten the pacing, making it more commercial. No final film print edit was done, it was all put together on 3/4 video with a series of fade-ins and bleeds. After a few years, Corman's New Horizon imprint opted for a home video release in 1992, only available in a full-screen transfer. It never screened theatrically. Available on New Horizons DVD in the US. *The French home video version, including hard-core sex scenes that don't feature any of the principal cast. This version is trimmed of several minutes of footage found in the theatrical European version. Released in France by Carrere Video on VHS, dubbed. Out of print, never released on DVD in an uncut form. Released in 2006 by Lionsgate UK on DVD (In a cut version removing all hardcore footage), fullscreen. Also available in Greece from Arcadia Digital, in a widescreen, letterboxed version.

Score

French popstar

Pierre Bachelet Pierre Bachelet (25 May 1944 – 15 February 2005) was a French singer-songwriter and film score composer. He was also known as Andrew Bascon. He died of lung cancer in 2005. Personal life Pierre Bachelet was born on 25 May 1944 in the 12th ...

returns to score his second ''Emmanuelle'' film, following his successful soundtrack for the debut feature film in 1974. The ''Emmanuelle 5'' soundtrack is more lush Europop, this time featuring 80s style synth in addition to the guitars and vocals (by Sandy Stevenson and Bachelet himself). There are also exotic middle-Eastern sounding tracks, in keeping with the film's harem sub-plot. It was never released on LP or CD, unusual for a Bachelet score. It remains highly coveted by his fans, and those of the ''Emmanuelle'' franchise.

References

External links

* * * {{Walerian Borowczyk 1987 films 1980s pornographic films French erotic films Films directed by Walerian Borowczyk Emmanuelle English-language French films Films set in France Films set in Nevada 1980s English-language films 1980s French films