Black Velvet (1976) User Reviews

Beautiful setting and beautiful women in the desert

[The_Void · 6/10 · 24 August 2008]

What we have here is yet another Laura Gemser film being passed off as a part of the popular Emanuelle series. The film has nothing to do with the Emanuelle character and in fact Laura Gemser is simply called Laura in this. The Italian title literally translates as 'Black Velvet', but even that title has little to do with this film. It's also known as Emanuelle in Egypt and Black Emmanuelle, White Emmanuelle (which is the title I saw it under) and to be honest I'm not really surprised that none of the titles really define it - as this is a very hard one to give a meaningful title to. The film takes place in Egypt and basically just follows a bunch of characters. There's no real narrative to the film so it basically just does whatever it likes for ninety minutes or so. We do have a mother character with two daughters and a servant she likes to seduce, along with a chauvinistic photographer and his girlfriend, who he treats badly; by making her pose with a load of corpses, for example. The characters then have sex in various combinations.

The best thing about Black Emmanuelle, White Emmanuelle is undoubtedly the setting and cinematography as the film really does look great and actually it's a shame that the story wasn't better. The beautiful scenery is matched by some beautiful female talent - Laura Gemser obviously takes part although she shares her screen time with other beauties such as Annie Belle, Ziggy Zanger and Susan Scott. The two male stars are Al Cliver and Gabriele Tinti - which lead me to believe that this film may have been the result of the cast wanting to have some fun in the desert, seeing as the two were at the time going out with Annie Belle and Laura Gemser respectively. Curiously, director Brunello Rondi; who I just assumed was a hack, did collaborate with Federico Fellini on two of his most praised films - 8½ and La Dolce Vita. Whether or not you like this film will really come down to whether you value style over substance - there is none of the latter, but the film does look very nice and there are least some memorable scenes. I do have to say I rather enjoyed this film - although I'd have preferred it with some sort of plot.

Boring Exploitation

[Michael_Elliott · 1 September 2012]

Black Emanuelle, White Emanuelle (1976)

* 1/2 (out of 4)

The actual merit of any Emanuelle film could be debated but it seems the sleazier they got the more of a cult following they gathered. We had official entries in the series, rips, countless sequels and at times films that had nothing to do with the sexy lady but a film still got her name in the credits. That's the case with this film, also known as BLACK VELVET, which features some lovely ladies acting in various sexual acts but none are named Emanuelle. No white Emanuelle and no black Emanuelle. Not only is there no Emanuelle but there's not much plot either. In the film Laura Gemser plays a beautiful model who is constantly being abused by her photographer boyfriend (Gabriele Tinti). The two find themselves in Egypt where they encounter various strange folks including the daughter (Annie Belle) of a sexually frustrated woman and another pervert (Al Cliver) who tries to come off like a Jesus-type figure. Again, there's really not too much going on here in terms of an actual story and in the end it pretty much hurts the film but to be honest, Emanuelle films, no matter what country they were coming from, dealt with stories too well. This film has a few good things going for it but just not enough to make it worth sitting through the 94-minute running time. There are a few campy moments including one early on where the abusive boyfriend makes Gemser pose next to a rotting dog. What this had to do with anything or the reason for it is beyond me but seeing the beautiful Gemser next to a dead dog was kind of weird to say the least. Fans of Gemser will certainly want to check this film out as she's naked plenty of times and I'm sure this is the main reason to turn into any of her films. Belle comes off pretty good as well as she fits her role perfectly and her scenes with Gemser are quite erotic. Cliver, best known for his role in Fulci's ZOMBIE, is also fun if you're a fan of his. There's quite a bit of nudity but the sex scenes are all rather tame except for the one between Gemser and Belle. The films pacing is all over the place and it's really too slow to make the film work. The cinematography is above average for this type of flick and the editing by the one and only Bruno Mattei isn't that bad either. Still, there's just not enough here to make the film work and in the end it's certainly for Gemser fans only.

The power of seduction

[Maciste_Brother · 8/10 · 26 July 2008]

I'm probably the only person on this planet who likes VELLUTO NERO, also known as "Emanuelle in Egypt" or the more famous title, BLACK EMANUELLE WHITE EMANUELLE. Few exploitation fans like it (see other reviews at IMDb), most of the actors in the film don't (seem to) like it. Serious critics dismiss it because it's one of those kind of trashy 1970s Italian flicks.

People expecting a typical grind-house film starring the incredibly beautiful Laura Gemser are in for a surprise. The first thing that I noticed about it is how un-erotic it is. As awful as the many 70s Italian soft-porn films are, there's at least always an emphasis on trying to turn on its audience. Take another Laura Gemser film for example, LOVE CAMP, which is crap but from the get go it shows people having (simulated) sex and freely displays naked bodies on a whim, which is what fans expect. Not this one. Just from the opening credit, you know that BLACK EMANUELLE WHITE EMANUELLE is not your average Euro-cult skin flick. The film is not erotic at all. Aside from the appeal of seeing naked women, I can't imagine anyone getting turned on by anything in the film. It's almost deliberately anti-erotic. Watching Laura Gemser on a mound of camel poop doesn't register on my Peter meter. So what's going on here? Why make a soft-porn movie with a beautiful cast and be blaze about the erotic aspects? The director/writer, Fellini favorite Brunello Rondi, was obviously trying to do something different, with the result pleasing no one, including the cast (this after viewing the extras on the DVD). Well, except for me. I love it.

What's unique about this underrated film is as un-erotic as BLACK EMANUELLE WHITE EMANUELLE is, it's remarkably sensual and atmospheric. In fact, it's one of the most sensual films I've ever seen. Sensuality and eroticism are two different things and it's often neglected in lieu of eroticism but not in this film. It oozes sensuality and atmosphere. The lack of tangible storyline, which many have pointed out, actually works here. The whole thing is propelled by mood and the barely there storyline about the power of seduction and how it affects people: Laura is Laura, a world famous model who's jaw-droppingly beautiful and yet she hardly cares about how she attracts people and rarely uses her beauty to manipulate people. Al Cliver is Horatio, a handsome guru who uses his charms, spiritual and physical, to control the rich folks of the villa and Annie Belle is Pina, the young spunky daughter who rebels against everything and loves to use her powers of seduction to help people and to prove she's as good as anyone. The film is an indirect tug-of-war between the three and how they control the people at the villa. It's not an overt competition. In fact, most would probably not notice this as the storyline but it is. The sensuality aspects are weaved within this three-way tug-of-war. At one point, Horatio hypnotizes Laura and she becomes mad and kills a goat and freaks out, always looking outstanding in the process. Horatio was able to make Laura do something her abusive husband (the late Gabriele Tinti, Laura's real life husband) was unable to do.

The film's most compelling parts are with Laura Gemser and Gabriele Tinti. Their scenes together are well acted, difficult, at times unpleasant, and totally believable. IMO, those scenes elevate the movie from standard grind-house flick to art film. The director obviously knew what he was doing with those scenes and they work, to the detriment of many. Having one of the most beautiful woman in the world stand around dead people or the corpse of an animal, the vivid contrast is amazing, wicked and in turn heightens the level of sensuality. Unable to take her husband's constant abuse, Laura runs in the hands of Pina, who's the only one who really loves her for who she is. At one point, Pina and Horatio get it on and the usually unswayable Horatio is suddenly swayed by Pina and wants to leave the villa with her. Pina wants to leave her troubled home too but she knows Horatio is too involved with her mother so Pina and Laura literally walk away from it all.

As much as I love this film, it's not without faults. Excluding the Laura/Gabrielle scenes and Susan Scott's performance, one of the problems is the complete lack of conviction from most of the cast. They look like they didn't exactly know what to do or how to act, certainly Al Cliver. I like Al. Cool actor. But his hypnotizing moments are not very convincing. According to the interview on the DVD, Al and the director didn't get along, so that might explain a few things. There's also some racist overtones. I'm not sure if this reflects the written characters or the writer himself but it's pretty obvious. Another annoying aspect is the nudity. It's fine as it is but there should have been a bit more, certainly on the male side. Every men is buttoned up to their collars and it makes the film look/feel unnecessarily stodgy.

But those faults are hardly enough to detract from the sum of its greatness. Like I said, the film is very sensual, with the overall good-looking cast, truly gorgeous cinematography of the Egyptian landscape and best of all, a brilliant soundtrack by Dario Baldan Bembo. The music is lush, lyrical and unforgettable. It's easily one of my favorite scores ever. It deserves more recognition, as with the movie itself.

Looking at Brunello Rondi's IMDb page, the man had a stellar career. He probably got the movie he wanted to make but unfortunately, it's relegated to near obscurity because it pleased and seemingly still pleases no one. It's a shame because it's good.

Atmospheric with a dash of sleaze

[themidnitekrawlr-29918 · 7/10 · 16 November 2018]

Laura Gemser steals the show as you would expect. Key scenes include her being forced to model naked next to roadkill, modeling on top of a humongous mound of camel dung and towards the end she indulges in drinking the blood of a baby goat she stabbed to death while being hypnotized. Overall the sleaze is moderate but the Egyptian atmosphere is mesmerizing and engulfs you in its desert wasteland and also wows you by including ancient Egyptian sites like the Abu Simbel temples at the end of the film. The soundtrack is amazing and the small cast is filled with off beat, deprived and eccentric characters but in all the story just feels a bit lacking.

Pretty sexy but almost completely plot less

[lazarillo · 16 February 2008]

This movie is virtually plot less even for a "Black Emanuelle" flick (which is saying A LOT). It revolves around a family of women living in Egypt for some reason. The mother (Nieves Navarro) spends her time getting it on with her native manservant and a handsome, much younger spiritual guru (Al "Zombie" Cliver). The older daughter gets off on teasing and tormenting the manservant when her mother's not busy with him. The younger daughter "Laure" (Annie Belle, who may or may not be playing the same character she played in the real-life Emmanuelle Arsan's own directorial knock-off her "Emmanuelle" character, which was called "Laure")also shows up, apparently returning from school or something. Finally, you have friends of the family played by real-life couple, Laura Gemser and Gabriele Tinti. Gemser is playing a character called "Emanuelle", but she doesn't seem like the same chirpy, world-renowned photojournalist "Emanuelle" she plays in all the other movies (who sometimes goes by "May"). Here she is a much more passive fashion model, whose crazed photographer boyfriend (Tinti) insists on photographing her naked next to rotting animal carcasses or a caravan of natives who have been recently slaughtered my highwaymen ("It's life and death"!), that is when he's not raping her in front of everybody. "Laure" gets involved with "Emanuelle" and her boyfriend and also with Cliver (who at the time was Belle's real-life lover). So are you confused yet?

Needless to say much softcore sex ensues--which is really the only reason watch this. Gemser looks very lovely, but she is not as good as she usually is (with the exception of a bizarre freak-out scene in a mosque). Annie Belle (who I guess is supposed to be the "white Emannuelle") was a French beauty with a great body and bad Annie Lennox haircut who couldn't act her way out of crisp paper sack, let alone any of the movies she was inexplicably cast in (like Joe D'Amato's "Absurd" or Ruggero Deodato's "House by the Edge of Park"). Ditto with the vaguely sexy but more obscure actress playing the older sister. The best performances by far though are Tinti as the crazed photographer and Nieves Navarro as the insatiable older woman.

The movie is more of a travelogue than usual as the characters all take off trekking around Egypt stopping only for sex or sex-related religious/psychedelic experiences. It is also even more pretentious, pseudo-philosophical, preposterous, and, well, European than usual as well. I'd recommend this maybe for the four sexy actresses involved, the stunning Egyptian scenery, and the general weirdness, but otherwise it barely even qualifies as a narrative film.

An admirable and interesting attempt at something different

[Woodyanders · 8/10 · 21 November 2012]

Glamorous, but passive and browbeaten fashion model Laura (the eternally ravishing Laura Gemser) and her abusive photographer husband Carlo (Gabriele Tinti in fine slimy form) go to Egypt to visit Laura's wealthy, horny, and bitter friend Crystal (the fetching Susan Scott). While staying in Crystal's palatial abode, Laura befriends Crystal's cheerful free-spirited daughter Pina (charmingly played with considerable happy gusto by slinky blonde dish Annie Belle) and falls under the charismatic spell of shifty spiritual guru Horatio (hunky Al Cliver). Writer/director Brunello Rondi boldly goes against the expected trashy lowbrow soft-core exploitation grain with this unusual feature: The barely there meandering narrative unfolds at a leisurely pace, most of the characters are mean and/or miserable, a strangely glum vibe pervades throughout, there's a heavy and provocative central emphasis on unhappy people coming to terms with the horrible emptiness of their dreary lives, Carlo demeans Laura by forcing her to pose with dead animals, the bloodied bodies of slain folks, and even on a stinky pile of camel poop, and the whole thing culminates in a startling bizarre climax with Laura freaking out after drinking goat's blood (!). The solid cast holds the picture together: Gemser, Tinti, and Cliver do brave work in their demanding roles, Feodor Chaliapin Jr. is both funny and heartbreaking as washed-up old has-been ham actor Hal, and Ziggy Zandor impresses as Pina's lusty and frustrated sister Magda. Gastone Di Giovanni's sumptuous widescreen cinematography offers plenty of breathtaking shots of the gorgeous desert locations. Alberto Baldan Bembo's heady score does the intoxicatingly trippy and sensuous trick. A praiseworthy oddity.

A Movie Of Many Different Titles

[InvasionofPALs · 10 December 2003]

Not much plot worth describing here, but the video version of this movie I have is loaded with nudity and is titled "Naked Paradise" (on VCI Home Video). The number of titles this movie goes under is probably more interesting than the movie itself. I see where an unfortunate individual who commented on the film rented this under the title "Emmanuelle In Egypt". Only problem is that this is not an "Emmanuelle" movie. Clever and misleading video company that was! "Naked Paradise" is a much better title for this movie about various relationships (sexual and otherwise) between family members and others milling about on an island without much to do except fornicate or think about fornicating. Not a deep, spiritual movie by any means.

Math Porn

[tedg · 17 February 2010]

This is a pretty interesting twist on the by then settled formula.

The Emanuelle formula is:

— lots of nudity, with the women being trim, suggesting innocence.

— shot as softcore with two or three hardcore inserts, so that multiple versions can be marketed.

— the women are portrayed as in control of sexual dynamics, with our title character in the role of explorer.

— there must be interracial, lesbian and forced sex, all in the path of "discovery."

— virtually every sex scene involves a hidden watcher.

— exotic locations, with some gritty, unsettling reality.

— a statement at the end about sexual achievement as some sort of important milestone in female self-awareness.

These were marketed to couples where the woman felt uncomfortable with the hard core stuff that was then exploding as a market.

Laura Gemser starred in many of these. She is a very pretty Indonesian girl, in her mid- twenties here. The fold is that she is a photographer, and we play up the photographs of the location, merged with voyeurism. In an impressive adaptation, our star plays a Franco- African woman returning to East Africa. The location is Tanzania at the end, but what is now Rwanda near where the Ishango Bone was found. It is the oldest mathematical object on Earth, as old as humans. It is best decoded as a complex abstraction of an alternative number system, far more sophisticated than what we use.

This number system might use what we call the category of primes, and instead of counting objects it models female cycles, small and large.

The number system we have now is an accident of commerce. But before we counted owned objects to create the artificial concept of wealth, we likely used our powers of abstraction to model what really mattered. The filmmakers of course were not aware of this explicitly, but the center of this film is an ovarian orrery, within which we as men (some of us), observers and reporters are constrained in simple orbits while the central woman pulls with her gravity.

Lest you think I am being silly, let me remind you that the writer/director here was the writer of Fellini's most celebrated films.

Ted's Evaluation -- 3 of 3: Worth watching.