It should be mentioned that this Italian production "Io Emmanuelle" (A Man for Emmanuelle) has little connection to the erotic Emmanuelle series of the 1970's. Dark, heavy-handed and at times, depressing, this classy art-house film follows a mentally unbalanced woman, as she stumbles through several unpleasant encounters with men, and one woman. Emmanuelle, played by the ravishing Erika Blanc, is searching for "tenderness" as she calls it, from another human being, but finds only hostile, crude, and selfish people, who all desire her body, but seem to care little about her as a person. Emmanuelle tries to enjoy physical sex, but after it is over, she finds herself repulsed by her partner, and usually retaliates by doing something very cruel to "punish" them. Throughout the film Emmanuelle talks of a professor, the one man who seems to have captured her heart, as well as her respect. Very similar to Roman Polanski's "Repulsion" in theme and style.
Full of bizarre characters, gorgeous sets and fashions, and a dazzling style, "Io Emmanuelle" is well worth the trouble it will take to track down this rare title. This is a fascinating study of sexual repression, very intelligently written and always entertaining. More of a "giallo" style film than an erotic film, (the sex scenes are few and unremarkable)i believe this would be a cult classic if it was easier to find. Highly recommended.
