''Emily'', also known as ''The Awakening of Emily'', is a 1976 British erotic historical drama film set in the 1920s directed by Henry Herbert, produced and written by

Christopher Neame Christopher Neame (born 12 September 1947, London) is an English actor now living in the United States. UK career Neame's UK film credits include appearances in two Hammer Horror films: '' Lust for a Vampire'' (1971) and ''Dracula AD 1972'' ...

, and starring

Koo Stark Kathleen Norris Stark (born April 26, 1956), better known as Koo Stark, is an American photographer and actress, known for her relationship with Prince Andrew. She is a patron of the Julia Margaret Cameron Trust, which runs the museum of the Vic ...

. The story revolves around a seventeen year old girl who is pursued by various middle aged men and women. The main setting of the film is

Wilton House Wilton House is an English country house at Wilton near Salisbury in Wiltshire, which has been the country seat of the Earls of Pembroke for over 400 years. It was built on the site of the medieval Wilton Abbey. Following the dissolution ...

, which was the director's ancestral seat, and the countryside around it. An

X-rated An X rating is a rating used in various countries to classify films that have content deemed suitable only for adults. It is used when the violent or sexual content of a film is considered to be potentially disturbing to general audiences. Aust ...

film, it has a cast of mainstream actors including

Victor Spinetti Vittorio Giorgio Andre "Victor" Spinetti (2 September 1929 – 19 June 2012) was a Welsh actor, author, poet, and raconteur. He appeared in dozens of films and stage plays throughout his 50-year career, including the three 1960s Beatles films ...

Sarah Brackett Sarah Evershed Brackett (13 May 1938 – 3 July 1996) was an American-born television and film actress who worked mostly in Britain. Brackett's parents were William Oliver Brackett, a Presbyterian minister, and his wife Nancy Alexis Thompson, ...

, Constantin de Goguel, Ina Skriver,

Jeremy Child Sir Coles John Jeremy Child, 3rd Baronet (20 September 1944 – 7 March 2022) was a British actor. Early life Coles John Jeremy Child was born on 20 September 1944 in Woking, Surrey, son of Foreign Office diplomat Sir Coles John Child, 2nd ...

, Jack Haig, and Richard Oldfield. Its music was composed and sung by the singer and poet Rod McKuen.

Plot

Emily Foster (Koo Stark) is an American-born seventeen-year-old brought up in London. Her father died when she was a small child, while her mother, Margaret Foster (

), is supported by a lover. The film, set in 1928, follows Emily as she returns home from a finishing school in Switzerland to her mother's country house in the English countryside, where she meets several characters who would like to seduce her, and follows her induction into sensual pleasures. The film follows her interactions with these adult pursuers. Richard Walker (

), her mother's lover, is a middle-aged man-about-town who quietly sets his sights on Emily, while a young American writer and schoolteacher named James Wise ( Richard Oldfield) tries to impress her by sensual acrobatics in his flying machine. However, her first sexual experience is an encounter with a woman — Augustine Wain ( Ina Skriver), a Swedish painter who lives nearby. Emily then has her first sexual encounter with a man, Wain's husband, the middle aged Rupert Wain ( Constantin de Goguel) in a scene indicating penetrative sex.'Emily', in ''Variety's Film Reviews: 1975-1977'', volume 14 of series (R. R. Bowker, 1989)I. Q. Hunter, ''Cult Film as a Guide to Life: Fandom, Adaptation, and Identity'' (2016), p. 99 Meanwhile, perhaps intended to mark the contrast in the

sexual mores Sexual ethics (also known as sex ethics or sexual morality) is a branch of philosophy that considers the ethics or morality or otherwise in sexual behavior. Sexual ethics seeks to understand, evaluate and critique interpersonal relationships and ...

of the different British classes at the time, housemaid Rachel (Jane Hayden) and her soldier boyfriend Billy (

David Auker David Auker is a British film and television actor. Filmography Film *'' Unman, Wittering and Zigo'' (1971) .... Aggeridge *''Confessions of a Pop Performer'' (1975) .... Zombie (Kipper) *'' Adventures of a Taxi Driver'' (1976) .... 2nd kidn ...

) are engaged to be married, but Rachel tries to insist on waiting until after their wedding before they have sexual intercourse.

Cast

as Emily Foster

Jay Robert Nash Jay Robert Nash (born November 26, 1937, in Indianapolis, Indiana) is an American author of more than 70 books on myriad aspects of true crime. Among Nash's crime anthologies are ''Encyclopedia of Western Lawmen and Outlaws'', ''Look For the Woma ...

, Stanley Ralph Ross, ''

The Motion Picture Guide ''The Motion Picture Guide'' is a film reference work first published by Cinebooks in 1985. It was written by Jay Robert Nash, Stanley Ralph Ross, and Robert B. Connelly. It was annually updated through new volumes and had a CD-ROM version, whic ...

'', Volume 3 (Cinebooks, 1986), p. 759 *

as Margaret Foster *

as Richard Walker *

Jane Hayden Jane Hayden (born 1957) is an English stage, television, and film actress. Early life Hayden was born in Harrow, Middlesex, the younger sister of Linda Hayden, although their name at birth was Higginson. Their screen surname is an adaptation of t ...

as Rachel * Constantin de Goguel as Rupert Wain * Ina Skriver as Augustine Wain * Richard Oldfield as James Wise *

as Billy Edwards *

as Gerald Andrews * Jack Haig as Taxi Driver * Jeannie Collings as Rosalind *

Pamela Cundell Pamela Isabel Cundell (15 January 1920 – 14 February 2015) was an English character actress. She played List of Dad's Army characters#Mrs Fox, Mrs Fox in the long-running TV comedy ''Dad's Army''. She was a descendant of Henry Condell, one ...

as Mrs Prince

Crew

*Director:

Henry Herbert, 17th Earl of Pembroke Henry George Charles Alexander Herbert, 17th Earl of Pembroke, 14th Earl of Montgomery (19 May 1939 – 7 October 2003), styled Lord Herbert between 1960 and 1969 and often known simply as Henry Herbert, was a British landowner, member of the Ho ...

*Producer:

*Writer: Christopher Neame, as Anthony Morris *Assistant Director: Peter Bennett *Music: Rod McKuen *Cinematography:

Jack Hildyard Jack Hildyard, B.S.C. (17 March 1908, London – September 1990, London) was a British cinematographer who worked on more than 80 films during his career. Career He made several films with David Lean including ''The Sound Barrier'' (1952) ...

*Film Editor: Keith Palmer *Art Director:

Jacquemine Charrott Lodwidge Jacquemine Francesca Anastasia Charrott Lodwidge (born Jacqueline Lodwidge)Register of Births for Langport Registration District, vol. 5c , p. 441: "Lodwidge, Jacqueline other's maiden surnameKermaree" (20 July 1919 – 20 February 2012) was an En ...

*Production Manager: Caroline Langley, as Caroline Neame

Production

The film was produced by

, ''Rungs on a Ladder: Hammer Films Seen Through a Soft Gauze'' (2003), p. 122 who also wrote the screenplay, claiming to have completed it in seventeen hours. It was intended as a vehicle for him to move into production, and ''Emily'' did indeed become his first film. He secured the services of Henry Herbert as director, together with his large house and estate in Wiltshire as location. Neame later wrote that this was "a country house of faded grandeur, but it suited the narrative well with its plush reds and rich greens, all set in a golden landscape". Neame went on to produce ''

Danger UXB ''Danger UXB'' is a 1979 British ITV television series set during the Second World War. It was developed by John Hawkesworth and starred Anthony Andrews as Lieutenant Brian Ash, an officer in the Royal Engineers (RE). The series chronicles ...

'', ''

The Flame Trees of Thika ''The Flame Trees of Thika'' is a British television serial of seven 50-minute episodes made by Euston Films for Thames Television in 1981. It was adapted by John Hawkesworth from the 1959 book of the same title by Elspeth Huxley, and is set i ...

'', ''

The Irish R.M. ''The Irish R.M.'' is a trilogy of books by the Anglo-Irish novelists Somerville and Ross and a 1983 television comedy-drama series based on them. They are set in the turn-of-the-twentieth-century west of Ireland. Books The television series ...

'', '' Soldier, Soldier'', and ''

Monsignor Quixote ''Monsignor Quixote'' is a novel by Graham Greene, published in 1982. The book is a pastiche of the classic 1605 and 1615 Spanish novel ''Don Quixote'' by Miguel de Cervantes with many moments of comedy, but also offers reflection on matters ...

''. The director, Henry Herbert, had begun by making documentaries about musicians but was directing only his second feature film.Harris M. Lentz III, ed., ''Obituaries in the Performing Arts, 2003'',
p. 188
/ref> His first had been '' Malachi's Cove'' (1974), starring

Donald Pleasence Donald Henry Pleasence (; 5 October 1919 – 2 February 1995) was an English actor. He began his career on stage in the West End before transitioning into a screen career, where he played numerous supporting and character roles including RAF ...

, which he had both written and directed, based on a short story by Anthony Trollope. The art director of ''Emily'',

, had also worked on ''Malachi's Cove''. The film editor, Keith Palmer, had worked with Lodwidge on another country house picture, '' Blue Blood'' (1973), filmed at the nearby

Longleat House Longleat is an English stately home and the seat of the Marquesses of Bath. A leading and early example of the Elizabethan prodigy house, it is adjacent to the village of Horningsham and near the towns of Warminster and Westbury in Wilts ...

. The film was Peter Bennett's first as assistant director.

Reception

The critics did not like the script.

Alan Brien Alan Brien (12 March 1925 – 23 May 2008) was an English journalist best known for his novel ''Lenin''. This took the form of a fictional diary charting Vladimir Lenin's life from the death of his father to shortly before his own demise in 1924. ...

wrote in ''

The Observer ''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. It is a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' and '' The Guardian Weekly'', whose parent company Guardian Media Group Limited acquired it in 1993. First published in 1791, it is the ...

'' that Neame and Herbert should have been less tame with a scene in the drawing room, as censorship had been relaxed and the sexuality could have been more explicit. For

Kenneth Tynan Kenneth Peacock Tynan (2 April 1927 – 26 July 1980) was an English theatre critic and writer. Making his initial impact as a critic at ''The Observer'', he praised Osborne's ''Look Back in Anger'' (1956), and encouraged the emerging wave of ...

, ''Emily'' "failed to get to first base" in his realm of eroticism. The ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' review was a little kinder:

"Story set in England in 1928 deals with teenage Emily returning from finishing school and her subsequent sexual awakening. It is sufficiently well told to sustain screen interest throughout although the acting performance of the cast is collectively unimpressive. Director Henry Herbert lacks consistency, but given the modest budget has put a lot on the screen. Rod McKuen's music score is incongruous at times and never outstanding. A first-time effort for producer Christopher Neame (son of Ronald), this Brent Walker release is a classier than normal British-made entry with highly effective camera work by
Jack Hildyard Jack Hildyard, B.S.C. (17 March 1908, London – September 1990, London) was a British cinematographer who worked on more than 80 films during his career. Career He made several films with David Lean including ''The Sound Barrier'' (1952) ...
. It has good international playoff potential in selected situations with some strong built in exploitation angles, notably topliner Koo Stark, who will look good on posters, front of house stills, etc."

'' (1986) commented: "Rod McKuen contributes a typically wretched soundtrack."Nash, Jay Robert; Ross, Stanley Ralph; Connelly, Robert B. (1986). ''The Motion Picture Guide''. Cinebooks, 1986, Volume 3, p. 760. In their book ''Great Houses of England & Wales'' (1994),

Hugh Montgomery-Massingberd Hugh John Massingberd (30 December 1946 – 25 December 2007), originally Hugh John Montgomery and known from 1963 to 1992 as Hugh Montgomery-Massingberd, was an English journalist and genealogist. He was chief editor of ''Burke's Peerage''/''Burk ...

and Christopher Simon Sykes later wrote:

"The present Lord Pembroke is (as Henry Herbert) a film and television director, best known for the Civil War drama series ''
By the Sword Divided ''By the Sword Divided'' is a British television series produced by the BBC between 1983 and 1985. The series, created by John Hawkesworth, was a historical drama set during the mid-17th century, dealing with the impact of the English Civil Wa ...
'' and for ''Emily'', starring Miss Koo Stark."

The historian

Simon Sebag Montefiore Simon Jonathan Sebag Montefiore (; born 27 June 1965) is a British historian, television presenter and author of popular history books and novels, including ''Stalin: The Court of the Red Tsar' (2003), Monsters: History's Most Evil Men and ...

went to see the film while at school, expecting a skin flick, thanks to sensational press coverage, and later described it as "one of the biggest disappointments of my adolescence".Hardy, Rebecca (2008-10-17). "Homeless and broke - Koo's Stark life". ''Thurrock Mail'', 17 October 2008.

Box Office and Revival

''Emily'' was a moderate success at the box office in the 1970s, but in the early 1980s it had a revival and did far better, gaining publicity due to a romance between Koo Stark and

Prince Andrew Prince Andrew, Duke of York, (Andrew Albert Christian Edward; born 19 February 1960) is a member of the British royal family. He is the younger brother of King Charles III and the third child and second son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince ...

, ''A Take on British TV Drama: Stories from the Golden Years'' (Scarecrow Press, 2004), p. xiv-xv Around that time the film was often shown on HBO and other cable TV channels.

Certification

In 1983, the film was rejected by the

British Board of Film Classification The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC, previously the British Board of Film Censors) is a non-governmental organisation founded by the British film industry in 1912 and responsible for the national classification and censorship of f ...

because of a scene showing two women embracing in a shower.

Aftermath

The film's leading lady, Koo Stark, suffered in later years from press misrepresentation. In a libel action in 2007, she won an apology and substantial damages from ''

Zoo Weekly ''Zoo'' was a British (and formerly an Australian and South African) lad's mag published weekly by Bauer Media Group in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 29 January 2004, and for a time was the UK's only men's weekly after the similar an ...

'', which had described her as a porn star. She commented "I am relieved that my name has been cleared of this false, highly damaging and serious allegation."Koo Stark news release
at carter-ruck.com, accessed 12 November 2017 In June 2019 Stark again won damages for libel in an action against

Viacom Viacom, an abbreviation of Video and Audio Communications, may refer to: * Viacom (1952–2006), a former American media conglomerate * Viacom (2005–2019), a former company spun off from the original Viacom * Viacom18, a joint venture between Par ...

, whose MTV company had referred to her in the same terms."Prince Andrew’s ex wins damages over ‘porn star’ label"
in ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper '' The Sunday Times'' (f ...

'' (London), 10 June 2019, accessed 16 February 2020

Notes

External links

*{{IMDb title, id=0075985, title=Emily British erotic drama films 1976 films British aviation films Films directed by Henry Herbert Films scored by Rod McKuen Films shot in Wiltshire Teensploitation Films set in 1928 1970s English-language films 1970s British films