By Peter Landau

It is the James Bond franchise of sexploitation, an outstanding series with exotic locations, an amazing star, and wall-to-wall action of the highest quality. It pushes the envelope more than just erotically, but also with taboo plot lines such as cannibalism, snuff films, white slavery, and non-white slavery. It's Black Emanuelle (Picture: ) (1975) and its many, many sexually charged sequels and follow-ups.

Back in the 1960s and '70s Italian filmmakers were well known for taking a box-office hit and spinning off a bunch of unofficial sequels. "Their domestic theatrical market was so huge that it could stand multiple sequels and rip-offs to popular films in the same year of its release, baring little or no relation to the original," says John Severin of Severin Films.

"The Black Emanuelle films of course came as a result of the massive success of Emmanuelle starring Sylvia Kristel (Picture: )," he adds. "Italian rip-offs immediately followed, the most successful of which were the Black Emanuelle films starring the irresistible Laura Gemser (Picture: )."

Severin Films has just released a limited-edition box set aptly called Black Emanuelle's Box, featuring the classics Emanuelle in Bangkok (1976), Emanuelle Around the World (Picture: ) (1977), and Sister Emanuelle (1978), with a bonus CD, Getting Down with Black Emanuelle, an all-new compilation of re-mastered soundtrack music by composer Nico Fidenco. It's available at Severin-Films.com.

John and Dave Severin are former employees of the trailblazing DVD company Blue Underground. Carl Severin headed up Blue Underground UK.

"Blue Underground USA proved to be a fertile training ground for those of us looking to start our own labels," says John Severin. "So we broke off last year. We also have the added advantage of having our own production arm; we do our own documentaries, featurettes, commentaries, et cetera, for ourselves and other companies."

"When we worked at Blue Underground we released the jaw-dropping Emanuelle in America (Picture: - )--a truly outrageous classic," Dave Severin says. "We've been itching to do more Black Emanuelle since."

"Yeah, Emanuelle in America was always one of my favorite Blue Underground films," agrees John Severin. "It's got the snuff-film plot. But I always had remembered Emanuelle in Bangkok from my halcyon Skinemax youth and knew that EIA was just the tip of a very groovy iceberg. I always loved Emanuelle Around the World as well. I'd be hard pressed to say which I liked more."

Severin Films is named after the protagonist in Venus in Furs , arguably the first major novel to ever address the subject of sadomasochism. The Velvet Underground turned the novel into a song on their first record and exploitation master Jesus Franco made it into one of his best movies.

"It all seemed to dovetail nicely," says John, on why they picked it as a title for their burgeoning company.

Severin's mission is to bring viewers the other world of exploitation cinema. "It was amazing to us that so many of the great sexploitation films had yet to receive the Cadillac treatment from a DVD company," John states. "Why? I think it goes back to how psychosexually fucked-up America is, that it's somehow more socially acceptable to release Hostel (Picture: ) than Emanuelle in Bangkok. Severin is all about love."

In its short existence, Severin has been able to acquire some truly great movies that other companies might have been too sexually conflicted to put out--Gwendoline (Picture: ) (1984) and Felicity (Picture: ) (1979), among many others.

"That's why I think of us as 'The Criterion Collection of Smut'," John notes. "But at a more reasonable price. I mean, I love Criterion's stuff, but I think it's shocking when a company like Criterion charges $39.95 for a DVD with no nudity in it whatsoever. If you're going to charge those prices, there had better damn well be some skin in there, don't you think? Okay, maybe not in Grey Gardens, but you get my point. Basically everything we've done as a label in our first year has led us to this point--our first box set, Black Emanuelle's Box."

But what of Laura Gemser, without whom there'd be no Black Emanuelle? Laura had a tenuous link to the official Emmanuelle films in that she played a masseuse in a particularly steamy, if brief, scene in Emmanuelle 2 (Picture: - ) (1975).

In the first Black Emanuelle feature, Gemser was billed simply as Emanuelle then was allowed to use her real name in subsequent films, of which there were many. Her success in this role was such that even movies where she wasn't playing the Emanuelle character were re-titled in some markets: Black Velvet became Black Emmanuelle, White Emmanuelle (1977) or Taboo Island became Emmanuelle on Taboo Island (1976).

But the Black Emanuelle films are striking not simply because of this dark-hued beauty, but also because of the diversity of the skin explicitly on display. In Emanuelle in Bangkok, there's Ely Galleani, known for her uninhibited nature in the likes of Baba Yaga (1973) and A Lizard in a Woman's Skin (1971).

Emanuelle Around the World has Karin Schubert (Picture: ), who started out in legit fare such as Bluebeard (1972) with Richard Burton, dabbled in several softcore classics such as Black Venus (Picture: ) (1983) and Christina (1984), and turned to hardcore later in her career. Then Sister Emanuelle has the delicious M?a Zanchi, who's a dead ringer for Kirsten Dunst.

But there's not just beautiful eye candy to sweeten the Black Emanuelle pot. The rich stew is sharply seasoned with an exclusive interview with Emanuelle Around the World director Joe D'Amato.

"It's interesting for D'Amato fans, because it's the only interview he ever gave in English, at London's Eurofest," John points out. "He does an onstage interview, then gives an impromptu sit-down with another interviewer," he explains. "I actually prefer the impromptu bit. He talks about how he found Gemser, how you 'can never go far enough,' and his problems with censors over the years. He also nails why his Emanuelle films can't be confused--in a legal sense--with the Emmanuelle series: 'Because my Emanuelle has only one M.' He's charming and good-natured throughout. It's wonderful to see one of the great exploitation directors chatting about what he does best."

Beyond all the extras, including theatrical trailers, an interview with composer Fidenco, and deleted scenes from Sister Emanuelle, the real selling point begins and ends with the naked Laura Gemser.

"She's a Euro-cult legend, inhumanly beautiful, sexy, and, above all, dependable," says Dave. "By that I mean, if you look at a movie that stars, say Christopher Lee or Michael Caine, chances are it's going to be rubbish even though they're both great actors in their own right. Laura's a bit more discerning with the projects she chooses, that's all. So you know that if she's in it, there's a good chance it'll be awesome."

John jumps in to say, "David might challenge me to a duel over this, but I personally far prefer Gemser to Kristel. She's got a certain sexual abandon heretofore unseen in softcore--she just warms the screen, doesn't she? I don't know if 'dependable' should be the term . . . I tend to gravitate more toward verbiage such as 'totally, Sapphically, and existentially fulfilling.'"

The official Emmanuelle films were artfully photographed and intentionally inoffensive. In their own way they're as groundbreaking as Star Wars (1977). The Black Emanuelle films, however, are some of the finest examples of balls-out European exploitation cinema ever produced.

"Call me sentimental, but I really like the scenes between Gemser and her off-camera paramour, Gabriele Tinti [from Emanuelle in Bangkok]," says John Severin. "They have a special energy together--just like Elvis and Ann-Margret in Viva Las Vegas. There's also a great scene in an opium den between Gemser and eight to ten of her closest friends."

John Severin is especially enthusiastic about "an orgy scene in the first half hour that is amongst the finest in the D'Amato canon" in Emanuelle Around the World.

As hot as Laura Gemser is she faces foxy competition in Sister Emanuelle. "It's rare when another female can hold a candle to Ms. Gemser--where's her special Oscar?" asks John. "But Kirsten Dunst--I mean M?a Zanchi--really shines in this one."

He continues, "It's a unique film from a skinspective, because she's the real star of the show for the first half of the film. If I had to pick one scene, it would be her initial coupling with Gabriele Tinti--taking a vacation from Gemser for a change. Tinti tragically died young--I have a theory he never physically recovered from having simulated sex with Laura Gemser and M?a Zanchi in the same movie."

While Severin Films waits to see what response it gets from the first Black Emanuelle box being unleashed on the marketplace, there are enough films in the series for many more collections.

"The next box will contain Black Emmanuelle, White Emmanuelle and D'Amato's outstanding Emanuelle and the White Slave Trade. Can't announce the third title in the box yet because the contract isn't finalized," teases Dave.

The company is very excited about its next release, Malabimba (1979), a.k.a. The Malicious Whore. "It's my favorite Severin film to date . . . next to Felicity, which is, hands down, the greatest movie ever made," says John, without any hint of hyperbole. "Malabimba's so dirty, David's almost afraid to admit we're putting it out."

"It's The Exorcist meets Debbie Does Dallas," Dave chimes in. "One sequence has to be seen to be believed and it involves an elderly invalid, a young nymph, and cardiac arrest. It's got everything from a naughty nun to the inappropriate abuse of a soft toy. We'll also be releasing its sequel: Satan's Baby Doll, which has zombies thrown into the mix."

John adds, "You may not have heard of these, but I guarantee that they'll rock your ass off. How about this--if you don't like them, I'll personally come over to your house and explain why you are wrong."

Also on deck are Jesus Franco's sleazy remakes of the two most successful soft-erotic films of all time: The Inconfessable Orgies of Emmanuelle (1982) and The Sexual Story of O (1984).

"Due to a dearth of quality softcore product these days, we're thinking of putting together a couple of our own skintastic productions," John says. "Maybe Felicity 2--do you have Mr. Skin's private number?"


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