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Franchise creator Bitto Albertini returns to the series with a failed attempt to make an erotic thriller. Severin Films USA R0 DVD.
After the global success of the the erotic French film Emmanuelle (1974) dozens of unofficial sequels and follow-ups were produced, none more infamous than the Black Emanuelle films starring beautiful Indonesian actress Laura Gemser. The original Emanuelle Nera (1975) was shot by director Bitto Albertini but subsequent films were helmed by exploitation regular Joe D'Amato. Finding his leading lady poached, Albertini decided to make his own sequel with a different Emanuelle and with an all new storyline.
In contemporary America the ex-model Emanuelle is recovering in a mental institution, suffering from terrible delusions and amnesia. Doctor Paul takes her as his personal patient and tries to unlock the secret behind her trauma, but finds that she cannot even recognise her own father or former husband. When Dr. Paul's niece tries to get involved for her own mysterious reasons, it seems like Emanuelle might never recover...
The script, co-written by director Bitto Albertini, takes a completely different tack to the travelogue format of his first film and instead he creates an erotic drama/thriller about a young woman who has lost her memory. The film starts very well with some paranoid delusions and some clever flashback sequences that are seen very differently when told by Emanuelle or the others who were there - however it soon descends into a rather motiveless mix of light sex and random characters with some awkwardly inserted comedy - a big 'twist' near the end makes no sense and seems to be forgotten moments later. This leaves the film quite slow paced and it drags in several places.
Albertini's direction is quite strong and the film generally looks good throughout, although it is largely stage-bound and lacking the beautiful locations shoots of his first film. There are a couple of quite original scenes - the opening dream sequence includes a neat shot in a medieval torture chamber and a well helmed explosive sequence in the Middle East, later on, the varied views of the same scene are well put together - however the rest of the production is quite generic. The contemporary soundtrack is fitting but uninspiring.
The model Sharon Lesley is cast in the lead role here, her buxom and quite full figure a complete contrast to the very slender Laura Gemser. Unfortunately she is simply not good enough as an actress to hold the demanding role and despite a few good performances from the male leads (including Angelo Infanti and Don Powell who starred in Black Emanuelle), the film never shines.
Starting off with a lot of promise, Black Emanuelle 2 tries to be a completely different movie to the popular sleazy and erotic Laura Gemser titles but it never suceeds. Although not without a few enjoyable scenes, it is not recommended.
| Anyone famous in it? | No-one of note. |
| Directed by anyone interesting? | Bitto Albertini - a lesser known Italian director who helmed the original Black Emanuelle (1975) as well as Yellow Emanuelle (1977) and a long list of trashy cinema, including sci-fi film Starcrash II (1981). |
| Any gore or violence? | A murder and rape scene, nothing too violent compared to many films of the time. |
| Any sex or nudity? | Many scenes of generally quite soft female nudity and simulated sex. |
| Who is it for? | A curiosity that fans of the Black Emanuelle movies might enjoy. |
| Black Emanuelle (1975) | Bitto Albertini's first film - a rather loosely plotted affair that focuses mainly on a series of erotic sex scenes. |
| Black Emanuelle series | Joe D'Amato's subsequent five film series that used Laura Gemser's character. |
| Visuals | Original Aspect Ratio - 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen. Colour. The print quality is quite good, with minimal damage but some noticable grain. |
| Audio | English mono, generally good. |
| Subtitles | None. |
| Extras | The disc includes:
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| Region | Region 0 (ALL) - NTSC |
| Availability | Available on its own or as part of the limited edition Black Emanuelle Box 2 |
| Other regions? | Also available with English options from Kult Video in Germany. No interview. |
| Cuts? | Believed to be fully uncut. The print used has English language credits. |