Eva negra

First off, yes, Eva (Laura Gemser) is absolutely beautiful. Whether clothed or unclothed she's breathtaking. That said, she's just not that interesting as a character. Ms. Gemser's performance in EVA NEGRA (aka: BLACK COBRA WOMAN) is every bit as languid as her other Emmanuelle outings.

Presented as an "erotic thriller", this movie is obviously just another excuse for Ms. Gemser to get naked every 15 minutes. On that score, even the steamy scenes get tiresome. Without a real plot or direction, there's really nowhere to go with this.

Oh, there are some poisonous snakes thrown in as well.

One highlight is Jack Palance's perverted performance as the Eva-obsessed Judas. Gabriele Tinti is also memorable as his unhinged, even more Eva-obsessed brother Jules.

Black Cobra (1976)

* 1/2 (out of 4)

Joe D'Amato directed film about a shy, lonely man (Jack Palance) living in Hong Kong where his only friends are his pet snakes. One night his brother takes him to a strip joint where he sees a beautiful woman (Laura Gemser) putting on a dance with a snake. He moves the woman in but soon someone starts killing off her lesbian friends. The killer doesn't know the woman is a Goddess to snakes. Like many other D'Amato/Gemser films, this one here basically leaves the plot behind in favor of the beautiful actress walking around in the nude and carrying out various lesbian scenes. Gemser is also fun to watch (when she's naked) but the story here is pretty dull and lifeless. Palance must have really been down on his luck at the time.

When Laura Gemser and Joe D'Amato team up to make a movie; you can bet that no matter what the movie is about or what character Gemser is playing that some of the alternate titles will include the word 'Emanuelle'. And this film is no exception, as it got branded with the unimaginative title 'Emmanuelle Goes Japanese'. Naturally, the film has nothing to do with Gemser's most famous character and thankfully the title Black Cobra Woman is generally the more accepted one - and the one that I saw the film under. From the plot description I was actually thinking that this film might be half decent...and it does at least get off to a decent start. The film focuses on Judas; a rich man who surrounds himself with exotic snakes but has little contact with people. One night, Judas goes with his brother to see an act at a nightclub that involves a beautiful woman dancing with a snake. Naturally, he is immediately taken in by this woman (she's played by Laura Gemser so this part of the film is quite realistic) and decides to take her back to his home...

Laura Gemser takes the lead role and spends most of the film either naked, getting it on with other women or both; which is all well and good, but anyone familiar with Gemser's filmography will have seen it all so many times before and it's particularly disappointing in this film as we actually have the basis for a decent plot here. One of the more bizarre casting decisions is represented by Jack Palance, who I guess was either not getting a lot of work around the time or just couldn't resist a starring role alongside the beautiful Laura Gemser. Naturally for a Joe D'Amato flick, it features plenty of sleaze and it's really all encompassing so there wouldn't really have been room to flesh out the story even if the director wanted to. The film does at least deliver on the title's implied promise of featuring snakes; and seeing Gemser dance with a big Cobra is worthwhile. A scene that sees a snake skinned alive and cooked was a bit needless, though. Overall, however, this film is not really worthwhile; it's better than some of the lesser Emanuelle flicks, but that's not really saying anything. I can't recommend tracking Black Cobra Woman down.

Eva Nera (1976), directed by Joe D'Amato, attempts to weave an exotic tapestry of erotic adventure and intrigue but ultimately falls short of its ambitions. The film's premise, centering on the illicit and seductive allure of Southeast Asia, offers ample potential for a thrilling narrative. Unfortunately, despite the lush, picturesque settings and the tantalizing promise of forbidden romance, the story stumbles in its execution. The plot, which follows Eva (played by Laura Gemser) and her journey through a world of smuggling and seduction, often feels disjointed and underdeveloped, leaving viewers with more questions than answers.

The performances in Eva Nera are a mixed bag. Laura Gemser, known for her work in the Emanuelle series, brings a certain enigmatic charm to her role. However, the supporting cast fails to rise to her level, delivering lackluster and sometimes wooden performances that detract from the film's overall impact. The chemistry between the characters, which is crucial in a film of this nature, often feels forced and unconvincing, further distancing the audience from the unfolding drama.

One of the film's notable aspects is its cinematography. The exotic locales are captured with a vividness that highlights the natural beauty of the settings, providing a visually stimulating backdrop for the narrative. However, even this strength is undermined by inconsistent editing and pacing issues. At times, scenes drag on unnecessarily, while crucial plot points are glossed over, disrupting the flow and leaving the viewer feeling disengaged. The music score, while attempting to heighten the sense of eroticism and adventure, occasionally feels out of sync with the on-screen action, adding to the overall sense of disarray.

In conclusion, Eva Nera is a film that promises much but delivers little. Despite its alluring premise and visually appealing settings, it is hampered by a weak script, uneven performances, and poor pacing. For fans of Laura Gemser or those intrigued by 1970s erotic adventure films, it might hold some nostalgic value.

Black Cobra is directed by filth king Joe D'amato, edited by fellow trashmeister Bruno Mattei, stars gorgeous Asian sexpot Laura Gemser, and even features future Oscar winner Jack Palance in a key role, and yet despite this massive potential (particularly for deviancy), the film blows it by being thoroughly bland for most of its running time. With a story revolving around poisonous snakes, erotic dancing, and revenge, this could and should have been so much more sleazy.

Naturally, the frequent full frontal nudity from Gemser prevented me from switching off in disgust (or rather, lack of disgust), but the soft-core action soon became rather tedious, with Gemser delivering loads of the self gratification and girl on girl action that we can always rely on, but nothing out of the ordinary (I find it hard to believe I'm saying this, but the copious bare flesh actually got boring).

Admittedly, there are a couple of scenes that manage to register slightly on the sleazeometer—a rather amusing strip scene in a lesbian bar that gets the clientele frisky, and a live snake being chopped up and fried for lunch—but most of the action falls way short of what I have come to expect from my Italian trash. The biggest cop-out is the finale—Gemser's revenge on the man who killed her lover—that involves the insertion of a cobra up the jacksy, but which is satisfied to simply suggest the nastiness.

Strangely, the film is also known as Emanuelle Goes Japanese, despite no character of that name going anywhere near Japan (Gemser's character is called Eva and the film is set entirely in Hong Kong).