This was the first "Emmanuelle" movie to be made, though actually based on a spin-off from the original novel (whose author had even tried to suppress but failed!); I've only watched the initial entry of the popular French series, as well as a few of the later Italian variant "Black Emanuelle" (incidentally, I should be acquiring all of these in the near future despite my reservations about them!) and, of course, the British spoof CARRY ON EMMANNUELLE (1978). As for the film under review, it's only the second effort by director Canevari that I've checked out the other was the uniquely trippy Spaghetti Western MATALO! (1970); I've also just got my hands on what is perhaps his most notorious title, namely the Nazisploitation flick THE GESTAPO'S LAST ORGY (1977)
Well, A MAN FOR EMMANUELLE's nothing like the cool chic of the Just Jaeckin/Sylvia Kristel 'classic' and much more akin to the style of MATALO! itself i.e. a heady brew of philosophy, cinematic technique and, naturally, softcore sex! As is to be expected, coming from a film made during the "Euro-Cult" heyday, it looks and sounds great (with score and title song provided by Gianni Ferrio) in essence, one might say that while the later Emmanuelle evoked the bourgeois hedonism of the 1970s, this one carries the radical politics prevalent at the tail-end of the previous decade proudly on its sleeve! As a matter of fact, the heroine (here played by Erika Blanc, who probably was never better) isn't the insatiable society woman abroad incarnated by Sylvia Kristel or even the bland continent-hopping journalist that was Laura "Black Emanuelle" Gemser, but rather a neurotic woman subject to frequent changes of mood (brought on by stomach cramps) who can go from almost aggressive passion to coldness and even contempt in the blink of an eye!
Apparently, the only man she's fond of is a "Professor", presumably her psychoanalyst, whom she's constantly and desperately trying to reach during the course of the film. In the interim, she goes randomly from one sexual encounter to the next: they're either old flames (who are surprised by her sudden re-appearance and boldness taking off her clothes the minute she's inside an author's flat, asking the effeminate owner of a lingerie business to make love to her at his shop during a particularly busy morning) or else casual acquaintances (like a lecherous married man who gives her a lift in his car, to whom she's quick to give a piece of her mind, and a motorcyclist who saves her during a street riot who, however, emerges to be a psycho with his own gender issues!). Two more important affairs involve a predatory lesbian (whom Emmanuelle ultimately rejects) and a middle-aged colleague from work played by Adolfo Celi (who's so engrossed in politics that, soon enough, he ends up tiring our heroine as well!). Eventually, it transpires that the man of her life has died in a tragic road accident and the film ends as it began, with Emmanuelle lost in thought while sitting naked in a revolving chair
though not before she's soaked herself with milk to be cleansed of all past relationships! Could it be sheer coincidence that Roman Polanski will later have his own actress wife appropriately enough called Emmanuelle (Seigner) herself repeat this very same act in his erotic thriller BITTER MOON (1992)?
All things considered, I was quite surprised by A MAN FOR EMMANUELLE which I found to be well made and generally compelling, despite its heavy-going nature and occasional tastelessness. To be honest, it's been so long since I watched the 1974 EMMANUELLE (though I guess I should revisit it and even proceed to some of the sequels, most being readily available for DVD rental locally, on the strength of this) that I can't objectively state which of the two is the better film or approach to the material in the long run. What's sure, however, is that Canevari's effort has been overlooked for far too long and I'm glad I was now able to set the record straight, as it were!
