The Severin Films site now reports that both THE SEXUAL STORY OF O and THE INCONFESSABLE ORGIES OF EMMANUELLE will be released on April 24th. Both films will be 2.35:1 transfers; 16X9; 2.0 Dolby; the audio option for ...STORY OF O will be its Spanish language track. Besides its original Spanish language track ... ORGIES OF EMMANUELLE will also have an English language track, probably taken from the EMMANUELLE EXPOSED version. Both features will have optional English subtitles available.
Each disc will contain a related documentary interview with Jess Franco.
It will be a revelation to have both of these visually fascinating films
in 2.35:1. HISTORIA SEXUAL DE O, an S&M reworking of LA COMTESSE PERVERSE (1973) via EUGENIE...HER JOURNEY INTO PERVERSION (1970), is one of Franco's most gorgeous films in terms of color and composition. It has previously only been available via a 1994 Spanish language tape [King Home Video] in a ratio closer to 1.85:1. LAS ORGIAS INCONFESABLES DE EMMANUELLE was released as a Spanish language VHS by Million Dollar Video Corp's "Caliente" label in the late 1980s in a very awkward fullscreen format.
Don't let the name Emmanuelle in the title mislead, LAS ORGIAS... is rather like a lush erotic-action painting which fully exploits its exotic Balearic Islands locations. Franco's contribution to the Emmanuelle mythos is another totally personal take which slyly turns the series' concept inside out and examines the underlying sexism and absurdity inherent in it. A very entertaining satire of sexploitation in general and Spanish "macho" attitudes in particular, this is very much worth a look. You also get to hear Alain Petit's outrageous song "La Vie est une Merde" backing up a striptease. Can anyone name all the Franco films in which this song is heard?
(c) Robert Monell, 2006
I've always been uncertain whether the English track on EMANUELLE EXPOSED was a genuine translation of the original dialogue or an invented track placed on the film by the Playboy Channel (where it first appeared). I remember it sounding somehow less than genuine. It will be interesting to finally find out, given a comparison to the Spanish track with subtitles.
ReplyDeleteIf I remember correctly, LA VIE EST UNE MERDE is also heard in MIDNIGHT PARTY.
ReplyDeleteI've never seen EE but thanks for the info about that track, Tim. It will be interesting to see if they use it or a newly created one or one they have discovered that has never surfaced before.
ReplyDeleteUncle Vernon is correc about the song being in MP. In his OBSESSION intro Tim also mentions that it can be heard in VISA POUR MOURIR, which I haven't seen yet.
The song (without voice) is also used in the recent FLORES DE PERVERSION.
ReplyDeleteFrancesco
That I wasn't aware of. Thank you for that information, Francesco. Obviously Jess remains fond of it since this song has carried over through 4 decades of Franco films.
ReplyDeleteI've just seen an Anchor Bay Jess Franco Collection 2 region 2 box mentioned on Amazon.co.uk for release in April. I've managed to track down the following films which are supposed to be on it, but I don't know if this is definite or not.
ReplyDeleteDowntown Heat
Down Town
Macumba Sexual
The Story of O
Inconfessable Orgies of Emmanuelle
Mansion of the Living Dead