Yeah so, did someone order and extra side of weird with their review today? The always-unpredictable Joe D'Amato may not make the best films, heck; he may even make some of the worst films. But they all seem to share one common thread. They're almost always thoroughly entertaining. Adding to the list of Emmanuelle rip-offs and cash in's is the 1976 D'Amato epic Emanuelle's Revenge. Not to be confused with 1992's Emmanuelle's Revenge (all it takes is one more 'm' to make the difference), confused yet? I can't keep up with them anymore. Regardless, while this Revenge may not be nearly as graphic as some of D'Amato's other outings, he still manages to deliver one hell of a fanciful sleaze epic.

Ahh the story. This is where this one truly shines. I'm getting all giddy just thinking about it! Emanuelle's sister Francoise (Patrizia Gori) has been dating a starving actor/brute of a playboy named Carlo (brought to life here by the legendary George Eastman). Carlo is a hell of a guy really. He's been prostituting out his girlfriend to sleazy producers to pay off his debts! She's been forced to participate in nude photo shoots and satisfy these greasy old men on and off camera (starring in cheap, B&W stag films)! Carlo is just a plain old sleaze ball. He's been cheating on her and even forces her to have sex with him while his even greasier poker pals leer on in excitement! When Francoise finally does catch him cheating on her (red handed) he kicks her out! Heartbroken (why?) Francoise takes it upon herself to jump in front of a moving train and end it all. Hilarity!

Enter Emanuelle (Rosemarie Lindt). As she reads her sister's suicide note it all starts to fall into place, so Emanuelle sets out to conquer Carlo, seduce and destroy style. This is where it gets good (as if it wasn't good already). Emanuelle manages to wrap Carlo around her little finger eventually taking him prisoner in her home. She chains him up behind a moveable wall, when shut is covered by a two-way mirror. No one can see in, but poor Carlo can see out. Emanuelle tortures and teases Carlo sexually with seductive dances and by bringing multiple partners into the room, (men and women), satisfying each other's every desire. Poor Carlo can't do anything but sweat, so naturally this begins to drive the sexually starved beast insane! In addition, she drugs Carlo until he begins to hallucinate uncontrollably. These bouts of insanity include his warped version of a twisted dinner party orgy that needs to be seen to be believed and an attack fantasy in which he escapes and uses a cleaver on his captor! Outrageous! Poor Carlo, will he ever escape and what will become of Emanuelle?

Crazy isn't the word for this one. There's absolutely no sense of reason here. It's almost as if all of this is happening in a completely different universe...just accept it. 100% pure unadulterated trashy fun from D'Amato. No redeeming social value whatsoever. There's no reason I can give for enjoying this filth except for the fact that it's filth. Am I going to hell? Sure, probably. But hey, at least I'll have enjoyed the ride, huh? Nuff said.

This non-anamorphic release from X-Rated Kult isn't going to be winning any technical achievement awards, but it certainly gets the job done. Colors vary from scene to scene. Sometimes, looking quite sharp and vibrant while at other times looking a bit muted or having a purple hue to them (as evidenced from a few of the screen caps here). Still, it gets the job done. Print damage is minimal, only a few nicks and scratches here and there. Still, this sure as heck beats those 7th gen bootlegs you may be used to. And until someone decides to give this one a complete visual overhaul (if that's even possible) then this release will do just fine. The English audio track has a bit of hiss and some distortion when the volume is left at higher levels so you'll need to tone it down just a bit. Still, it's comfortable enough and I guarantee you will dig the fantastic 70's score.

Extras include nearly 20-minutes of additional near-hardcore scenes that were sprinkled throughout the film (from the German theatrical version, these inserts were shot by Erwin Dietrich and were not part of Joe D'Amato's original film) most of which are taken from Emanuelle's lesbian encounters and the nightmarish dinner orgy (be on the lookout for Brigitte Lahaie - bonus!), a trailer, very brief deleted scene, photo gallery, Joe D'amato interview (in Italian with German subtitles only) and most excellent of all, 5 audio selections from the films outstanding 70's soundtrack. Yes, another outstanding 70's Emanuelle soundtrack, and the audio clips sound great. Play them at your next dinner party, god knows I will!

Buy it at Xploited Cinema!