I really don't know why this is generally perceived as the worst Carry On. It's really not as bad as all that! Carry On England is surely the worst, closely followed by Cowboy..... Both these are almost unwatchable, but this definitely has its moments. Kenneth Williams and Joan Sims are as good as they can be, given the weird script, there's some good lines in there too. Like "Carry On Screaming", this film parodies a genre popular at the time - in this case, European art-house pornography - but this is nowhere near as effective as Screaming, despite some interesting set-pieces and clever filming. It gets caught between two stools, it's trying to be a parody and a pastiche at the same time, and ends up being at a median point with few of the good qualities of either. The story is frankly bizarre and the film frequently becomes disconnected, dull and messy. Yet, despite its numerous failings, there is a good film in there struggling to get out. There are even moments where it's so well done that it could quite easily have been a clip from a real 70s art-house classic! Sadly, it's never maintained for long, and it is so unlike any other Carry On film that fans of the genre are bound to be disappointed.
Review of Carry on Emmannuelle
