What Emmanuelle Movie Did You Just Watch?

[Matt]

I admired the subplot of Tony's brother giving up the priesthood and how it effected the family. If that film were made today, that entire subplot would have been cut out as being a downer. It's essential to the character of Tony and to the overall dynamic of his family life.

[Lisa]

I admired the subplot of Tony's brother giving up the priesthood and how it effected the family. If that film were made today, that entire subplot would have been cut out as being a downer. It's essential to the character of Tony and to the overall dynamic of his family life.

I loved the part when Tony's screaming at his mother about how she always had two nobody kids and one saint, and now she has three nobody kids. I mean, if you're from an old-school Italian family, that scene absolutely rings true.

[Nathan]

That movie had a lot more dark stuff than I was aware of. Abortion, suicide, etc.

[Ed Hocken]

Nearly everybody forgets how dark that movie is. It features a guy taking a dive off of a bridge.

And somehow that was Gene Siskel's favorite movie.

Also started watching Red Riding: 1980

[Matt]

And somehow that was Gene Siskel's favorite movie.

I had no problem with this. It really IS an awesome movie on many different levels. It's too easily dismissed as that DISCO MOVIE WITH JOHN TRAVOLTA, but that's really doing a disservice to what the film is actually about AND what it achieves.

[Ed Hocken]

Siskel was reported to have watched it over 20 or 30 times in the theater, he owned Travolta's white suit.

Another thing worth mentioning was that disco was apparently on the wane when this movie was being shot. It brought it all right back.

[Matt]

Another thing worth mentioning was that disco was apparently on the wane when this movie was being shot. It brought it all right back.

That's because the soundtrack is a piece of perfection. Love or hate disco, you have to acknowledge that that soundtrack is pretty much the zenith of disco music: flawless songs, flawless performances, and flawless production.

[Ed Hocken]

Yeah, that soundtrack was meant to be the next Beegee's album. They said, eh let's use it for the movie.

And yet I've got the automatic "DISCO SUCKS" mentality. Used to irritate my dad like crazy.

Meanwhile, as I'm watching Red Riding. I need to ask a brit to find out how HUGE was the Yorkshire Ripper case back then? THAT, and the facination with Paddy Considine, who is great BTW (and equally great in HOT FUZZ). I just remember someone going crazy over that guy.

[Timothy225]

Siskel was reported to have watched it over 20 or 30 times in the theater, he owned Travolta's white suit.

Another thing worth mentioning was that disco was apparently on the wane when this movie was being shot. It brought it all right back.

That's because the soundtrack is a piece of perfection. Love or hate disco, you have to acknowledge that that soundtrack is pretty much the zenith of disco music: flawless songs, flawless performances, and flawless production.

Temporarily, though. Temporarily. Disco died screaming within two years of the film's release; parody songs by Zappa, Rick Dees and events like this pretty much sounded the death knell (when a fad gets parodied, with the occasional exception, it's usually over).

They also released a PG version of the film in theaters, so as to get the Travolta fans in that were underaged for the R version (I only ever saw the R version, but I remember the commercials for the PG version when I was a kid).

[Ed Hocken]

The PG version must have been hilarious. How did they replace the "Bigger than a ....." line?

[Matt]

They also released a PG version of the film in theaters, so as to get the Travolta fans in that were underaged for the R version (I only ever saw the R version, but I remember the commercials for the PG version when I was a kid).

NOW In PG so that EVERYONE can catch the FEVER!!!

Yeah, I remember that as well. I didn't see it theatrically in either version, but I suspect that the PG version was similar to the TV edit.

[Timothy225]

You're probably right - I was only 10 or so when the movie was released, so there was no way I'd see it in the movies. I caught it years later on HBO, and that was the R cut, but even HBO ran both versions (this was back in the day when HBO, and most cable movie stations, would run the R-rated stuff AKA The Good Shit, only at night).

Love the fashions back then, too. Flared pants and wide collars, gold chains and platform shoes, muthafuckas! Also white boy 'fros!

[Matt]

It's still hard to believe that they made the protagonist...THE PROTAGONIST... a serious douchebag like that. Tony is not an inherently likeable guy, and it's a credit to Travolta's performance that we're able to get past the fact that he's a serious asshole and identify with him.

[Nathan]

It's still hard to believe that they made the protagonist...THE PROTAGONIST... a serious douchebag like that. Tony is not an inherently likeable guy, and it's a credit to Travolta's performance that we're able to get past the fact that he's a serious asshole and identify with him.

Exactly! He's a self-absorbed ass.

[Timothy225]

Totally agree - Travolta turned in a great performance in that role; it wasn't so much that Tony was an asshole (he was, as were most of the characters to varying extents, save, I think, Tony's brother), but he was a product of his environment. I'd argue he really did want to be something better, but considering who he hung out with, his home life, his job prospects, his relationships with women, etc. that wasn't happening anytime soon.

Not until the sequel, Staying Alive, anyway.