This Italian exploitation film, obviously inspired by the hugely successful "Blue Lagoon" of the previous year, must have been really gorgeous in it's original form. This island romance/adventure tale, concerning a handsome guy, who washes up on shore, to find himself stranded with Island native girl, Laura Gemser, was originally filmed in "scope;" the aspect ratio used to film huge epics. The island scenery, the deep blue waters and beach vistas, are unfortunately lost forever, as there has yet to be an acceptable video release of this movie. Dvd's from all regions of the world offer the same tired, faded, washed out print that is chopped down to 4x3 format. It is a shame, because "Emanuelle On Taboo Island" is one of the better films of this genre.
Daniel (Paolo Giusti) and the beautiful Laura Gemser are not quite alone on the island. She has a brother, and their strange, incestuous relationship provides another level of drama and shock value , while Arthur Kennedy provides the gravitas with his respectable acting skills. As the father of the incestuous young ones, he is quite a formidable character, who doesn't take to the stranger invading their island paradise. It seems that "daddy" is a wanted fugitive, and he sees the intrusion of this outsider as a threat to his freedom. Sadly this film has a ridiculously low score here, and I'm sure the reason is that few people have ever seen it in it's original glory. Because first and foremost, "Emanuelle On Taboo Island" is a piece of visually stunning escapist fantasy, and it is a well-made erotic film. I hope it finds it way to a pristine BluRay edition, in the form that it was intended to be viewed.
Review of Emmanuelle on Taboo Island
