Black Velvet

1976 [ITALIAN]

Action / Drama / Horror / Romance

16
IMDb Rating 4.3/10 10 629 629

egypt model

Plot summary

Crystal, a wealthy, scorned woman living in a massive Egyptian palace with her daughter Magda, finds commiseration in a dried-up Hollywood expat who surrounds himself with singing children.

Director

Brunello Rondi Photo
Brunello Rondi

Top cast

Annie Belle Photo
Annie Belle as Pina
Laura Gemser Photo
Laura Gemser as Laura
Al Cliver Photo
Al Cliver as Horatio
Tarek El Nahry Photo
Tarek El Nahry as Ali
720p.BluRay 1080p.BluRay
856.57 MB
1280*544
Italian 2.0
NR
Subtitles it  
23.976 fps
1 hr 33 min
Seeds ...
1.72 GB
1920*816
Italian 5.1
NR
Subtitles it  
23.976 fps
1 hr 33 min
Seeds 4

Movie Reviews

Reviewed by Michael_Elliott

Boring Exploitation

Black Emanuelle, White Emanuelle (1976) * 1/2 (out of 4) The actual merit of any Emanuelle film could be debated but it seems the sleazier they got the more of a cult following they gathered. We had official entries in the series, rips, countless sequels and at times films that had nothing to do with the sexy lady but a film still got her name in the credits. That's the case with this film, also known as BLACK VELVET, which features some lovely ladies acting in various sexual acts but none are named Emanuelle. No white Emanuelle and no black Emanuelle. Not only is there no Emanuelle but there's not much plot either. In the film Laura Gemser plays a beautiful model who is constantly being abused by her photographer boyfriend (Gabriele Tinti). The two find themselves in Egypt where they encounter various strange folks including the daughter (Annie Belle) of a sexually frustrated woman and another pervert (Al Cliver) who tries to come off like a Jesus-type figure. Again, there's really not too much going on here in terms of an actual story and in the end it pretty much hurts the film but to be honest, Emanuelle films, no matter what country they were coming from, dealt with stories too well. This film has a few good things going for it but just not enough to make it worth sitting through the 94-minute running time. There are a few campy moments including one early on where the abusive boyfriend makes Gemser pose next to a rotting dog. What this had to do with anything or the reason for it is beyond me but seeing the beautiful Gemser next to a dead dog was kind of weird to say the least. Fans of Gemser will certainly want to check this film out as she's naked plenty of times and I'm sure this is the main reason to turn into any of her films. Belle comes off pretty good as well as she fits her role perfectly and her scenes with Gemser are quite erotic. Cliver, best known for his role in Fulci's ZOMBIE, is also fun if you're a fan of his. There's quite a bit of nudity but the sex scenes are all rather tame except for the one between Gemser and Belle. The films pacing is all over the place and it's really too slow to make the film work. The cinematography is above average for this type of flick and the editing by the one and only Bruno Mattei isn't that bad either. Still, there's just not enough here to make the film work and in the end it's certainly for Gemser fans only.
Reviewed by Woodyanders 8 / 10

An admirable and interesting attempt at something different

Glamorous, but passive and browbeaten fashion model Laura (the eternally ravishing Laura Gemser) and her abusive photographer husband Carlo (Gabriele Tinti in fine slimy form) go to Egypt to visit Laura's wealthy, horny, and bitter friend Crystal (the fetching Susan Scott). While staying in Crystal's palatial abode, Laura befriends Crystal's cheerful free-spirited daughter Pina (charmingly played with considerable happy gusto by slinky blonde dish Annie Belle) and falls under the charismatic spell of shifty spiritual guru Horatio (hunky Al Cliver). Writer/director Brunello Rondi boldly goes against the expected trashy lowbrow soft-core exploitation grain with this unusual feature: The barely there meandering narrative unfolds at a leisurely pace, most of the characters are mean and/or miserable, a strangely glum vibe pervades throughout, there's a heavy and provocative central emphasis on unhappy people coming to terms with the horrible emptiness of their dreary lives, Carlo demeans Laura by forcing her to pose with dead animals, the bloodied bodies of slain folks, and even on a stinky pile of camel poop, and the whole thing culminates in a startling bizarre climax with Laura freaking out after drinking goat's blood (!). The solid cast holds the picture together: Gemser, Tinti, and Cliver do brave work in their demanding roles, Feodor Chaliapin Jr. is both funny and heartbreaking as washed-up old has-been ham actor Hal, and Ziggy Zandor impresses as Pina's lusty and frustrated sister Magda. Gastone Di Giovanni's sumptuous widescreen cinematography offers plenty of breathtaking shots of the gorgeous desert locations. Alberto Baldan Bembo's heady score does the intoxicatingly trippy and sensuous trick. A praiseworthy oddity.
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