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One of about a zillion
European cash-in’s on Just Jaeckin’s infamous Emannuelle,
Laure, a 1976 from the
author of the novel on which Jaeckin’s film was originally based is a
better than average seventies softcore film with an interesting cast and a
memorable score.
Our titular lead
(played by the stunning Anne Belle) is the saucy young daughter of a man
who runs the anthropology department at a Filipino University. When she
attends a lecture given by Gualtier Morgan (Orso Maria Guerrini) alongside
her hunky photographer friend, Nicholas (Al Cliver) she learns of a tribe
of natives who live on an island off the coast named the Mara. Apparently
every summer this tribe more or less suffers from massive memory failure
and they completely forget who they are – the just start over: new jobs,
new mates, new kids, everything just starts over for them.
Gaultier and his wife
head up an expedition made up of a randy chick named Myrte (Emmanuelle
Arsan), Nicholas and Laure and before you know it, the gang has made their
way to the island to study the tribe before they more or less become
extinct. Along the way, the members of the group get involved with one
another and every one gets it on.
Despite some
pretentious moments that indicate that the original script may have had
loftier aspirations than the end result indicates, Laure
doesn’t deviate too far from the standard softcore formula. Plenty of
soft-lit scenes of lesbian and heterosexual high jinks make up the bulk of
the picture, soap opera style pondering and contemplative characters
comprise the remainder. That said, when the focus is primarily on
titillation for the sake of titillation it can be difficult to keep the
focus on the more cerebral aspects of a story, which is the very problem
that this film is afflicted with.
There are interesting
moments that look like they are going to examine the
inner workings of human relations both sexual and non-sexual but before
these can be properly fleshed out, everyone is naked and groping one
another. This isn’t a bad thing per se, in fact it is quite frankly what
most of us watch these films for in the first place, but it is obvious
that more was intended for this picture.
Also
known under the alternate title of Emmanuelle Forever,
according to the supplements the film was written by a diplomat named
Louis Jacques Rollet-Andriane, the author of the book that started it all.
Though originally credited to his wife, Emmanuelle Arsan (who actually
does appear in the film), Jacques is revealed to be the real author and
interestingly enough, he directed this picture as well. Tampering with the
finished product would result in Jacques asking for his name to be removed
from the film.
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