Of all the films in this long running series, THIS movie is truly the "jewel in the crown." Because "Emanuelle Around the World" is really filmed on location in many cities around the world, it truly has an "epic" feel. Laura Gemser, in the title role, traipses from one continent to the next, often with the blonde Karin Schubert by her side, as they pursue white slavers and attempt to bring them down. It's like an X rated "Charlie's Angels at times, and Schubert creates a memorable "tough girl" character in Cora. The thing that makes this entry in the series, the most controversial, is the astounding level of sexualized violence. This movie must have the most rape scenes of ANY movie in history. And each one is more horrific than the last. By the time the action moves to Hong Kong the rapes begin to involve German Shepards and snakes. Obviously this one is not for all tastes, but it really is a powerful film that has not only retained the ability to shock, but in this PC climate, it is even more shocking than ever. The strange thing is, there is so much beauty mixed in with the ugly violence; the travelogue style of the film is so impressive, taking the audience on a World tour of some of the most beautiful, exotic and obscure places on the planet. And of course the incomparable, exotic beauty of it's heroine, Laura Gemser, makes anything easier to endure. And look for the gorgeous Brigitte Petronio in her cameo appearance, playing agirl hading out in hotel rooms in
India. The love scene between her and Gemser is subime! A million times sexier than some ugly hardcore footage. Another remarkable thing about "Emanuelle Around the World," is the impressive way it walks the fine line between soft-core and hard-core territory. Thankfully scenes of close-up penetration and ejaculation shots are left out, as that would immediately compromise the film, and make it impossible to take seriously. Joe D'Amato made the mistake of going all out hardcore with his "Emanuelle In America." And even though that film is absolutely inferior to "Around the World," it is sadly the one that gets all the attention. Take away the few minutes of ugly, poorly shot hardcore and that 45 second snuff footage at the end, you are left with a boring, lackluster film, which is surprisingly light stuff, almost comical for most of it's runtime. Not so with "Around the World,' which retains a dark, violent tone throughout. For fans of true grindhouse cinema, the uncut version of "Emanuelle Around the World" is the Holy Grail of 70's shock cinema..The series never reached these heights again. And obviously we will NEVER see anything like this movie in modern times; can you imagine THIS being made TODAY? The director might find himself in prison.
Review of Emanuelle Around the World
