Sylvia Kristel RIP
I must be getting old. I can't believe that Dutch actress Sylvia Kristel, who starred in the 1974 erotic French film Emmanuelle, had reached 60, let alone that she had cancer, had suffered a stroke in July and died in her sleep last night (CLICK). Here she is, looking the epitome of health and beauty in Emmanuelle. She may not have been the world's greatest actress, but she knew how to use Girl Power. Emmanuelle was one of the first erotic movies to be given a general release and played in a cinema on the Champs-Elysees for 11 years. Mary Poppins, eat your heart out.
Update: CLICK for a Telegraph slide show of Sylvia's life
4 Comments:
This film was shown in full in this country only a few years ago; until then it was censored and some cut out. She looked beautiful in that film. At the time of its release, it was banned in France, even if it played for 11 years in one particular cinema in Paris. It seems tame now compared to some films we have. It also, compared with today's films, has a kind of innocence.
The music and soft-focus photography gave it a certain charm and, as you say, innocence. I saw the heavily censored British version, which was very disjointed because of all the bits that had been chopped out. The two sequels I saw weren't so well done.
She was a good woman with a realistic attitude to her talents. She represents an era of innocence we have lost for ever. We have gone the way of "Deep Throat" rather than "Emmanuelle". Check out her other films.
"Private Lessons" (sweet)
"Playing With Fire" (Alain Robbe- Grillet)
"Lady Chatterley's Lover" (Just Jaekin)
"Alice or The Last Escapade" (Claude Chabrol)
Hi, Ian
Yes, sex shock rather than eroticism seems the order of the day. I was surprised to discover Sylvia made 50 films. Her fame as Emmanuelle eclipsed all her other roles. Check out the International Movie Database (IMDb) for the full list.
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