Emmanuelle’s Magic – Magique Emmanuelle (1992)

Directed by: Francis Leroi | 90 minutes | romance | Actors: Marcella Walerstein, George Lazenby, Sylvia Kristel, Joel Bui, Jay Hausman, Pham Duc-Tu, Daniel Hung Meas, Vibbe Haugaard, Toby Senegal, Sénégal Fratini, Natala Sevenants, Jean Pierre de Varenne, Robert Terry Lee, Corinne Mafiodo, Lauren Song

‘Emmanuelle’s Magic’ picks up where ‘Emmanuelle Forever’ left off. Still on a plane trip, old Emmanuelle (Kristel) and her former flame (Lazenby) chat about the secret to a good sex life. In flashbacks we see how the young Emanuelle (Walerstein) experiences all kinds of erotic adventures with the help of a magic drug.

On this umpteenth part of the Emmanuelle series you can let go of all the pros and cons that pretty much apply to the entire series. Not really untasteful, nice locations, badly acted, wooden editing and an absolute dreary story. But what stands out most in ‘Emmanuelle’s Magic’ is the effortless and touching attempt to prove that Emmanuelle and her comrades are not street girls. They drink brandy and champagne, have a bachelor party in a luxury chalet and talk about Pygmalion and Stan Getz. In addition, we learn that all those friends are art historians, archaeologists or something else learned. This turns out to be particularly comical when you look at the silly faces of the ladies, on which there is no sign of spiritualization.

What is also striking is the innocence of the erotic. When Emmanuelle in a Swiss chalet sprinkles three former classmates with her magic perfume, they suddenly become young again and cellulite-free. The clothes are immediately taken off and then you expect at least an exciting lesbian quartet. But no, the reborn students limit themselves to a cute dance in front of the mirror, after which they go into town to score a hunk. And even when they have found this one, a little sweaty type, they finish it neatly one by one, without haste and without interfering with each other.

This scene is typical of the entire movie and perhaps the entire series. Emmanuelle remains a not-too-exciting and not-too-high cultural phenomenon for a slightly older audience. The only questions that will leave you with afterwards is whether modeling clay can really dry up so quickly and whether Emmanuelle is still a contaminated name for Dutch girls, as the name Adolf is for boys. Judging by this innocent erotic production, that first name should be reinstated.