Emanuelle and the White Slave Trade (1978)

Photo-journalist Emanuelle (Laura Gemser) and her friend Susan Towers, an airline hostess, are in Kenya. Emanuelle is trying to secure an interview with the notorious Italian gangster Giorgio Rivetti who now lives there. Eventually the pair manage to attach themselves to a Prince who is visiting Giorgio and have fun with the two men. Emanuelle returns to America, but is curious about a transaction she saw at the airport in Kenya, when a woman seemed to be being brought. She eventually tracks down a trade in young girls and goes to work in a brothel to expose this corruption.
 

 
Emanuelle and the White Slave Trade marked the last of five Emanuelle films helmed by Joe D'Amato, and he wrote the script alongside his usual collaborator Romano Scandariato (Emanuelle e gli ultimi cannibali (1977)). While the series had slowly been descending into depravity after Emanuelle in Bangkok (1976), it actually reverts back here with the focus more on erotica and softcore sex than sleaze, with the exception of the usual token rape scene. The general story remains the same,with Emanuelle a globe trotting reporter and the storyline ties together well in a way that most of the other entries don't. The first half hour in Africa is certainly the most interesting and sexy, moving along at a very fair pace; storyline takes over in the second third as Emanuelle tries to discover the roots of the slave trade, while the final third rather drags with the film suffering from its lack of sleaze.

Joe D'Amato does good work in the director's chair again here, but it is the editing that really helps the film shine with three of the sex scenes standing out for some particular acknowledgment - Emanuelle and Susan in the shower is certainly the film's erotic highlight, while the interchanged shots of both of them having sex with Giorgio and the Prince comes a close second. Emanuelle's dark-room sex scene certainly ranks as one of the more unusual sex scenes in the series. Nico Fidenco supplies another great and instantly recognisable soundtrack to the series that suits the film to a tee.
 

 
Laura Gemser is of course cast as Emanuelle and is as beautful as ever, but she has tough competition in the shape of the improbably attractive Ely Galleani and it is with deep regret that we see her leave the film after 30 minutes. Of course Gabrielle Tinti shows up, although in a rather minor role here, and there are a few familiar Euro-cult faces to hand.

With a lot more sex than sleaze, Emanuelle and the White Slave Trade will probably disappoint fans of the more hardcore entries to the series, but will please those who enjoyed titles like Emanuelle nera: Orient reportage particularly in the impressively sexy and well paced first half hour. The film does rather lose its way after this, and a little sleaze is rather essential when discussing brothels and white slave trades, but the film remains watchable. Partly recommended.

All text in this review written by Timothy Young - 12th December 2007.
Text from this review not to be used without authorization.

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