Emmanuelle + Emanuelle in Ontario Overview

When French director Just Jaeckin released Emmanuelle in 1974, it didn’t just make actress Sylvia Kristel an international star, it redefined the language, style and look of erotic films for decades to come.

Exported to more than 40 countries, Emmanuelle became one of the most profitable French films ever made — its sensuous, soft-focus tone carried by Pierre Bachelet’s unforgettable score.

The film was never without controversy — a reputation it maintains to this day. The feature will be preceded by Emmanuelle in Ontario, a new documentary short produced by Eric Veillette and Severin Films, examining the strange and fascinating story of how Emmanuelle was censored by the Ontario Censor Board in November of 1974. As a bonus, The Censor (1980), a stop-motion, animated satire of Ontario’s censorship follies in the 1970s.

The Revue’s screening of Emmanuelle is presented in collaboration with Severin Films, whose new 11-disc box set Saga Erotica: The Emmanuelle Collection celebrates the enduring and contentious legacy of the film that brought European eroticism to the global mainstream.

Based on the memoir by Emmanuelle Arsan

Music by Pierre Bachelet

French w/ English subtitles

Plus the shorts Emmanuelle in Ontario (13min.), The Censor (6min.)

Prizes courtesy Severin Films

The Revue is screening the director's cut of Emmanuelle.

Showtimes