Goodbye Emmanuelle (1977) from Tuna

Goodbye Emmanuelle (1977) is the third and last of the real Emmanuelle films.

Although Sylvia Kristel appeared briefly in number 4, it was only for a paycheck. The releasing company couldn't bear to see the franchise die, and so continued it, but with none of the original cast or crew.

In number three, hubby is the same, and is an architect. The two live in the Seychelles, where they frolic with any number of like-minded friends, until a film director comes around, scouting locations, and Emmanuelle becomes interested, then captivated by him. The first two films were directed by men who were primarily photographers, which accounts for the great visuals. This time, they hired a film director who also writes, and he made #3 a French love story, which is to say a very slow-paced film about the growing relationship between Emmanuelle and the movie director.

Emmanuelle is a very different person in this film. In number one, she was wide-eyed, eager and rather innocent. In number two, she was a self-assured hedonist.  For this one, she is somewhat world-weary, and admits that living for love only works if you have a great imagination. There is also a feminist flavor to this film. There was some criticism of number two as misogynistic, and some of it came from Kristel. The director, still fighting to get number two released in France as an 18+, decided to tame number three down a little, hoping that would win him points. Although there was still plenty of nudity, the simulated sex was even less explicit than in the first two, and there was much less girl/girl. Also, a downside to open marriage was presented.

I thought it the worst of the three, by far. It is true that I have always been near an ocean, and don't think of the coast as exotic, but the location was a real step down from Thailand and Hong Kong for me. I also didn't like the shift from eroticism and imagery to Emmanuelle's rather ordinary search for love, commitment and fulfillment. For me, they lost the entire point of the series. It does look good, however, and the transfer is at least as good as was number two. Anchor Bay deserves kudos for a great job on this three DVD set.