Emmanuelle (1974) 91 mins

Groundbreaking as the first soft erotic film for a wide audience, Emmanuelle achieved major box office success when it first appeared in the mid 1970’s, attracting nine million viewers after the French government’s failed attempt to ban the film.

Born in 1940 Just Jaeckin learned his profession as an erotic photographer and made his debut with Emmanuelle which became a sensation upon release. The plot is based on the autobiographical book by Emmanuelle Arsan in which Syliva Kristel plays Emmanuelle, the young wife of a French diplomat who follows her husband Jean (Daniel Sarky) to his country residence in Bangkok. In a community of bored expats, sex appears the only means of escape. Pressurized by her entourage to explore her sexuality without inhibitions, Emmanuelle’s reserved and vulnerable nature is sexually awakened through a series of erotic, exotic and unconventional encounters.