Takes itself way too seriously

Sorry, this movie sucks

Blistering performances.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

Emannuel is back this time the scene is set in Hong Kong. I'm not sure if Hong Kong has places like the ones shown in this movie. Many far out sexual fantasy places shows up in this movie. I think Hong Kong is more conservative than the one shown in this movie.Directed, and written by the famous French director Francis Giacobetti, visually this Emannuel is better than the first, but the story isn't as interesting, or it's more that the "affairs" she and others has isn't as vivid as it was in the first installment.It's a good sequel to the original, but isn't as good. When it first came out, it was plenty interesting, but after nearly 40 years, its flaws shows. Sylvia Krystel is even more beautiful in this movie. I just wish that the story matched the quality of the visuals, then this movie would have been fantastic.

Like "Emmanuelle, "Joys of a woman" wallows in pseudo-philosophy while displaying a lot of aroused women seeking satisfaction… The setting is Hong Kong, where Emmanuelle is taken through the high-life of the aristocrat… In Jack Jaeckin's first film, Emmanuelle was sexually reserved, and came out as she discovered her hidden sexuality… In the sequel, she explores further into the erotic domain—especially other women—in trying to find the perfect lover… The characters are not real, but ethereal, dream-like creatures floating through life… This quality actually works quite well as Sylvia Kristel encounters other women… The eroticism is soft and sensual… When she confronts a man, however, there is a feeling only of performance… It's much more sharply refreshing and keen… The male lovers never seem to be as compassionate or as feeling as the women, nor are their characters as developed… The photography is quite rich and luxuriant, and has captured a postcard view of modern Hong Kong

Like with the first Emmanuelle movie, I feel ambiguous about L'anti-vierge. It indubitably has its strong points: Sylvia Kristel is finally given her due platform -- and is absolutely ravishing; and there are several epochal sex scenes to behold. I mean, that sextuple interracial soapy full-body massage -- wow. Sure looks good!But part two of the series also adopts many of the flaws of the first instalment. First of, this entire free love, everyone with everyone, you don't know a person if you haven't shagged them, nothing is bad if it feels good, if you don't want your partner shagging every second person he or she meets then you're a possessionist reactionary etc. -ideology puts me off. Not only is it not my bag, I also think it's as dated as dated as the Pope's stand on dildos.Then the airbrained pseudo-philosophical talk scenes that go with it -- they make me feel like I'm stuck in a seminar on Wittgenstein's Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus by an asthmatic tutor with a speech disorder on a sweltering hot Saturday afternoon in Siberia, when I really just wanted to see some red-hot porn. Next, the softcore restrictions are rather awkward, and really fly in the face of the series' freewheeling premise, because when, after a lot of heady talk, the swingers finally have a go at plunging to new depths of depravity, the camera coyly pans to a substitute shot of someone fluttering they eyelids or biting their lips. And several scenes just felt abortive.So overall, Emmanuelle II -- definitely a few outstanding scenes, but sadly not a good movie overall. And, on balance, not any better than part one either.

"Emmanuelle 2" is an interesting relic of its era. That's not to say it's not explicit enough (it is, for a soft-core porn film), just that it has that decidedly pre-AIDS attitude about casual sexual encounters with multiple partners. The sex scenes deliver the goods, but the lack of a discernible plot may prove tiresome for some. This is a movie best enjoyed by using your fast-forward button to get to the scenes for which you rented the film in the first place (but you probably could have figured that out by yourself). (**1/2)