Feminist remake of Emmanuelle erotic film opens in French cinemas

A feminist remake of the controversial erotic French film Emmanuelle has opened in cinemas in France, 50 years after the release of the original movie.

The English-language film, directed by Audrey Diwan and starring 35-year-old Noémie Merlant, purports to be a modern remake of the 1974 film, against the backdrop of the #MeToo movement and 21st century feminism. 

It also stars Will Sharpe, Jamie Campbell Bower, Anthony Wong, and Naomi Watts.

The original film was directed by Just Jaeckin, and starred Sylvia Kristel, in an adaptation of Emmanuelle Arsan's 1967 novel Emmanuelle. The film (the first of many in the ‘series’) was a major success, drawing in 50 million viewers worldwide, although it also attracted controversy.

The new film is the third from director Ms Diwan, who has tried to distance the production from typical ‘remake’ associations, she has said.

The film sees Emmanuelle fly to Hong Kong on a business trip, and - in contrast to the book - she is not dependent on a man. She seeks “hidden pleasure”, and experiments considerably, also attempting to seduce a man called Kei.

‘The ultimate in risk-taking’

Ms Merlant accepted the role without a second thought, she told France 2 on Sunday 22 September. She replaced French actress Léa Seydoux, who had been originally announced to play the role. 

“I said yes straight away, I wasn't afraid,” said Ms Merlant, to France 2. “Audrey Diwan told me she wanted to explore female pleasure. I felt very connected to this character. I thought [playing this character] was the ultimate in risk-taking.”

Ms Merlant said that some of her family and friends initially had reservations about her playing the role, but that she was not worried.

“Thanks to the #Metoo movement, we are lucky to have more space as women to express ourselves and reconnect with our bodies and our desires. I was interested in exploring taboo subjects such as women's sexuality and nudity,” she said.

“The part of the book that interested me was a long discussion on eroticism,” said director Ms Diwan to AFP. “I wondered whether eroticism still had a place in our society.”

Mixed response

Initial reactions to the film, which premiered at the San Sebastian International Film Festival (September 20-28), have been mixed. 

One review by Le Figaro said the film’s execution was “ridiculous”, but FranceInfo said the direction was “well thought-out”. It has a rating of 4.6 out of 10 on film website IMDb, and largely negative critic write-ups on the review website Rotten Tomatoes.

The film opens in France today (September 25), and is released by Pathé Films.