Package Review #7 - Black Emanuelle's Box Volume 2.

Like its predecessor, this box looks beautiful when sealed, a shiny black box kept tightly together in the celephane plastic. Also, like the first volume, the window shows off Gemser, which when opened reveals the full picture behind the "door".

This set is designed in similar fashion as the original with 3 Emanuelle movies and a special bonus CD soundtrack to 3 films. This soundtrack series here, unfortunately almost do not relate to the films presented in this set but rather belong to Emanuelle in America, Emanuelle and the Last of the Cannibals, and The Way of the Prostitute, or Emanuelle and the White Slave Trade. Needless to say, these are rare trakcs from Nico Fidenco, who also composed the earlier compilation. 

  The set opens up with Emanuelle and the White Slave Trade, a classic sleazefest from Joe D'Amato, perhaps one of the best directors of the Emanuelle Series. The second Emanuelle feature is Black Emanuelle 2, starring one-timer Sharon Lesley, a voluptuous black woman who is mentally ill and a sexually insatiable appetite. Finally to round off the box is Black Emmanuelle/White Emmanuelle, directed by Brunello Rondi starring Laura Gemser and Annie Belle (Laure, Lips of Blood, Bacchaneles Sexualis).

The strongest of the three is Black Emanuelle 2 which has a focused plotline, despite its bizarreness, but that is the fun of these movies, that they dont really intend to make sense on any level of reality. Black Emmanuelle/White Emmanuelle and Emanuelle and the While Slave Trade are rather slow and boring at times. Even D'Amato's rendition leaves one searching for a little more and might look to his other works. There is plenty of nudity all around on these films which would satisfy most and Severin's mastering of these very obscure films also makes it well worth owning, despite the films short coming.

What is missing in this set that the original offered are the set of postcards. There are no inserts in the cases, and only a single insert for the CD information. As seems to be the case, all of Severin's films do not have inserts which I really wish they would consider doing with some historical essays to place these films in a cinematic context to really make these sets come alive. Severin is slowly making their way as the benchmark for remastering rare sexploitation and could easily be one the best companies out there if something like this were also included. But don't get me wrong, I might be hyper-critical here and just want more. I love what Severin releases and the quality is excellent, but its just those little touches that make it complete.

 The set is limited to 4,000 sets, as is the original. Volume 1 is still available after about 9 months of its release, and this should take its time to sell out as well. I do not know what will come of these sets once they are sold out. Will Severin release them individually? The soundtrack, as they stated, will not be released in any form after these sets are sold out.

CONCLUSION:

It would have been nice to state in the packaging that it was limited to 4,000 sets. With many limited editions out there, it seems easy to over-produce an item regardless of what the company says. But this is Severin's second Limited Edition. We shall see how honest their counting is. I would have also like to get a set of postcards in this set as well which made for a nice addition.

Overall its a great second volume and definately worth getting if you bought the first set, however, I like the first set better than this one.