Black Emanuelle's Box Vol. 2

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Black Emanuelle's Box, Vol. 2 (1976-1978)

Black Emmanuelle, White Emmanuelle (1976) Black Emanuelle 2 (1976)

Emanuelle and the White Slave Trade (1978)

(aka "Black Emanuelle, White Emanuelle" or "Emanuelle in Egypt" or "Naked Paradise" or "Smooth Velvet, Raw Silk" )

directed by Brunello Rhondi
Italy/Africa 1976

Crystal (Susan Scott), a wealthy widow living in Egypt, opens her house to a collection of decadents including her two daughters (Annie Belle and Ziggy Zanger), a model (Laura Gemser) whose sadistic photographer (Gabriele Tinti) forces her to pose beside dead bodies and on top of mounts of camel droppings, and a hunky guru (Al Cliver). Along with a gay former Hollywood star (Feodor Chaliapin), the group travel the Nile (including a little lovemaking in the Temple of Abu Simbel) amidst much sexual tension and exploration. Despite the DVD cover's title BLACK EMANUELLE, WHITE EMANUELLE (not to be confused with the Mario Pinzauti film set in the American south) and the alternate title EMANUELLE IN EGYPT, this is not actually one of the "Black Emanuelle" films in the separate series of Bitto Albertini and Joe D'Amato (although the opening credits do subtitle Gemser's name with "Emanuelle Nera"). The film is notable for starring two of Italian erotica's power couples, Laura Gemser and Gabriele Tinti (both from the Joe D'Amato "Black Emanuelle" series) and Annie Belle and Al Cliver (also featured in the Emmanuelle Arsan-penned LAURE). Less explicit than those films, this film by Fellini collaborator Brunello Rhondi is a series of visually ravishing set-pieces layered with Fellini-esque decadent behavior (and a bit of Antonioni-esque jet-set infatuation with and condescension towards the exotic) minus the surrealism. Rhondi and cinematographer Gastone di Giovanni (NIGHT EVELYN CAME OUT OF THE GRAVE ) stuffs the Techniscope frame with exoticism while composer Alberto Baldan Bembo ups the horny atmosphere with an exotic score that easily rivals the best of Nico Fidenco's scoring for the "official" BLACK EMANUELLE series.

Eric Cotenas

Posters

Theatrical Release: February 1978

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DVD Review: Severin Films (Black Emanuelle's Box Volume 2) - Region 0 - NTSC

Big thanks to Eric Cotenas for the Review!

DVD Box Cover		CLICK to order from:
Distribution	Severin Films Region 0 - NTSC
Runtime	1:34:03 (4% PAL speedup)
Video	2.35:1 Original Aspect Ratio 16X9 enhanced Average Bitrate: 4.87 mb/s NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s
	NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.
Bitrate
Audio	English (Dolby Digital 2.0 mono); Italian (Dolby Digital 2.0 mono)
Subtitles	English, none
Features	Release Information: Studio: Severin Films Aspect Ratio: Widescreen anamorphic - 2.35:1 Edition Details: • BLACK VELVET - interviews with stars Annie Belle and Al Cliver (18:25) • Theatrical Trailer (3:46) DVD Release Date: November 13, 2007 Amaray Chapters 16

Comments

The most visually stunning of the set, this film's 2.35:1 anamorphic image is exquisite despite the PAL-NTSC conversion (its a trifle soft in spots but the film was shot in 2-perf Techniscope and in some shots there is intentional soft focus filtering). Mono soundtracks are available in English and Italian with English subtitles but the English versions were so cut down that its better to watch it in Italian (the Italian dubbing is better anyway).

Extras include a fantastic trailer with several animated variations on the Italian title - and some cool music not featured in the film itself - as well as a featurette featuring interviews with Al Cliver (Pier Luigi Conti) and Annie Belle (over the phone).

- Eric Cotenas

DVD Menus

Screen Captures

(aka "Black Emanuelle - Vol 2" or "Emanuelle Nera No. 2" or "New Black Emanuelle")

directed by Bitto Albertini
Italy 1976

With Joe D'Amato having poached Laura Gemser for his BLACK EMANUELLE offshoot, Bitto Albertini - director of the original BLACK EMANUELLE - replaced her with Sharon Lesley as a supermodel with amnesia staying in a New York clinic. First seen in an inquisition fantasy with her torturer revealed to be her psychiatrist (Angelo Infanti) who is trying to piece together her identity from the various ostensibly perverse - though rather tame - sex-filled fantasies with the doctor's neglected wife (Dgmar Lassander), nympho daughter (Danielle Elison), an ex-NFL player, and various others along for the ride. As with SISTER EMANUELLE in the first Severin box set, BLACK EMANUELLE 2 is the bum title in this box with little to recommend for it if sold separately. New York looks rather ordinary here compared to the way D'Amato captures it in his series offshoots and the exotic settings are also similarly bland here.

Eric Cotenas

Posters

Theatrical Release: 31 July 1976

Reviews More Reviews DVD Reviews

DVD Review: Severin (Black Emanuelle's Box Volume 2) - Region 0 - NTSC

Big thanks to Eric Cotenas for the Review!

DVD Box Cover		CLICK to order from:
Distribution	Severin Region 0 - NTSC
Runtime	1:32:18 (4% PAL speedup)
Video	1.81:1 Original Aspect Ratio 16X9 enhanced Average Bitrate: 4.58 mb/s NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s
	NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.
Bitrate
Audio	English (Dolby Digital 2.0 mono)
Subtitles	none
Features	Release Information: Studio: Severin Aspect Ratio: Widescreen anamorphic - 1.81:1 Edition Details: • Diva 70 - Interview with Dagmar Lassander (15:56) • Theatrical Trailer (3:25) DVD Release Date: November 13, 2007 Amaray Chapters 16

Comments

Bland as the film is, Severin's transfer is quite nice for so marginal a film of this vintage. The mono sound is good although there's a little distortion at the high ends. Although it is not mentioned on the back of the box, a theatrical trailer is included along with the listed interview "Diva 70" with Dagmar Lassander.

- Eric Cotenas

DVD Menus

Screen Captures

(aka "Via della prostituzione" or "Emanuelle and the Girls of Madame Claude ")

directed by Joe D'Amato
Italy 1978

As the title suggests, photojournalist/fashion photographer Emanuelle (Laura Gemser) is in Africa investigating a white slave ring dealing in young women. With airline hostess/reporter in disguise Susan (Ely Galleani), Emanuelle hooks up with an Arab prince (Pierre Marfurt) to infiltrate the estate of shady businessman Giorgio Rivetti (Valentino Valentini, EMANUELLE IN BANGKOK) for stock footage safaris and a lot more romping than spying. She then trails the even more suspicious Francis Harley (Gemser's husband Gabriele Tinti, another series mainstay) to the source of the slave ring back in the states. Like the earlier films, EMANUELLE AND THE WHITE SLAVE TRADE is a thinly plotted travelogue punctuated by sex (usually energetically intercut with other action). Although explicit and violent, the film lacks the hardcore interludes and pseudo-snuff elements of EMANUELLE IN AMERICA or the graphic gore of EMANUELLE AND THE LAST CANNIBALS. Not as entertaining as some of the previous films in the series, one wonders if this was actually meant as a finale or if interest in the series had fizzled out before another entry could be made.

Eric Cotenas

Theatrical Release: 20 April 1978

Reviews More Reviews DVD Reviews

DVD Review: Severin (Black Emanuelle's Box Volume 2) - Region 0 - NTSC

Big thanks to Eric Cotenas for the Review!

DVD Box Cover		CLICK to order from:
Distribution	Severin Region 0 - NTSC
Runtime	1:28:36 (4% PAL speedup)
Video	1.85:1 Original Aspect Ratio 16X9 enhanced Average Bitrate: 4.68 mb/s NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s
	NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.
Bitrate
Audio	English (Dolby Digital 2.0 mono)
Subtitles	none
Features	Release Information: Studio: Severin Aspect Ratio: Widescreen anamorphic - 1.85:1 Edition Details: • After Hours with Joe D'Amato (12:19) • Theatrical Trailer (2:27) • Gettin' Down with Black Emanuelle Volume 2 CD • - Emanuelle and the White Slave Trade (tracks 1-8) • - Emanuelle and the Last Cannibals (tracks 9-17) • - Emanuelle in America (tracks 18-25) DVD Release Date: November 13, 2007 Amaray Chapters 16

Comments

Of the three films in the set, EMANUELLE AND THE WHITE SLAVE TRADE is the roughest looking. With the combination of obvious stock photography along with actual location shooting on a low budget, the film is never going to look slick but the print source also compares poorly to Severin's other releases of the Joe D'Amato series in the previous BLACK EMANUELLE'S BOX set though even on home video the last film of the series has been scarce

The mono audio finely renders Nico Fidenco's score (some of which is recycled from his work on EMANUELLE IN AMERICA) with its infectious theme song "Run Cheetah Run" which is also included on the soundtrack CD in stereo. The only Joe D'Amato Black Emanuelle film in the set, it features both an interview with the late director/cinematographer (along with the film's Italian trailer) as well as a CD soundtrack compiling the scores for EMANUELLE IN AMERICA, EMANUELLE AND THE LAST CANNIBALS, and EMANUELLE AND THE WHITE SLAVE TRADE in beautiful stereo.

- Eric Cotenas

DVD Menus