LAST TANGO IN BUENOS AIRES
The Emmanuelle franchise has just turned 31, and is alive & well, in case you were wondering about the fate of France’s #1 erotic superheroine. Originally introduced in the semi-autobiographical novel Emmanuelle by Emmanuelle Arsan, the character went on to infamy in the soft-focus feature film adaptation in 1974 that took most of the world by storm. A series of lush sequels followed, theatrical features that featured a rotating roster of directors (including cult figures Jean Rollins and Walerian Borowczyk) and the occasional presence of original star Sylvia Kristel.
After 7 films however, the 90s saw the classy Emmanuelle brand go to cable, spawning a rather different brand of bump and grind, soft-core tawdriness, sadly probably more familiar to latenight TV viewers at this point than the original films.
That may be about to change: Alain Siritzky Prods., the Paris-based production outfit behind the series since the first film, has announced a new feature film, Emmanuelle Tango, which finished principal photography in Buenos Aires, Argentina earlier this year. Newbie director Milos Twilight brings us a tale in which aliens (from outer space, not Latin-America) threaten world safety; managing to find time to hit the nearest tango bar while they’re at it. Only Emmanuelle can stop them, apparently.
The first worldwide theatrical Emmanuelle release in a decade, will this mean a return to the fun, witty entries of days gone by, and a resuscitation of the sullied Emmanuelle name? One time will tell….
