At its outset, "Emanuelle in America" is like most '70s Eurotica, with naked women cavorting through every other scene, frequently having simulated sex with whichever man happens to be around, or with each other. The "plot" is just a series of scenarios meant to move the title character from one sexy situation to the next for a little less than two hours. In this case, Emanuelle (Laura Gemser) is a libidinous fashion photographer and photojournalist who travels to various locations (and not just in America, though she is New York-based), not-so-surreptitiously snapping photos of wealthy people having sex (almost no one questions why she insists on wearing that ugly pendant, even while she herself is having sex). But mixed among all this softcore humpage are scenes of bestiality, hardcore sex and very graphic (but faked) snuff film footage. Perhaps what makes these scenes so "shocking" is the casual way in which they're presented. First you're watching a half-hearted lesbian coupling in a steam room, then next thing you know you see a woman fondling an erect horse penis (surprise!). Then it's back into hard-R territory, until you suddenly see a woman performing fellatio (on a man, not a horse), presented in a decidedly triple-X fashion--particularly jarring when, up until this point, Emanuelle's America is a land where men seldom even remove their shirts to have sex, let alone their pants. There's more hard-X scenes to follow (none of which involve Gemser), but whatever prurient thrills that provides are quickly dashed by the horrific "snuff" film footage that follows. Scenes of women getting hot oil poured down their throats and getting nipples torn off are a definite mood-killer, yet they're presented matter-of-factly here, making their brutality that much more appalling.
That's not to say I hated this movie. The gorgeous Laura Gemser is a compelling screen presence, though to be a sex goddess she's quite detached in her sex scenes, looking more like she's posing for a still photograph. And though it's alternately goofy, tacky and revolting, director Joe D'amato makes sure "Emanuelle in America" is never boring. Love it or hate it, you'll never forget it.
That's not to say I hated this movie. The gorgeous Laura Gemser is a compelling screen presence, though to be a sex goddess she's quite detached in her sex scenes, looking more like she's posing for a still photograph. And though it's alternately goofy, tacky and revolting, director Joe D'amato makes sure "Emanuelle in America" is never boring. Love it or hate it, you'll never forget it.