La marge (Emanuela 77): Mediabook – Plaion Pictures (Blu-ray/DVD Combo)

Theatrical Release Date: France, 1976
Director: Walerian Borowczyk
Writer: Walerian Borowczyk
Cast: Sylvia Kristel, Joe Dallesandro, André Falcon, Mireille Audibert, Louise Chevalier

Release Date: February 29th, 2024
Approximate Running Times: 91 Minutes 53 Seconds (Director's Cut), 86 Minutes 11 Seconds (Producer's Cut)
Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC (Both Versions)
Rating: FSK-16 (Germany)
Sound: DTS-HD Mono French, DTS-HD Mono English, DTS-HD Mono German (Both Versions)
Subtitles: English, German (Both Versions)
Region Coding: Region B (Blu-ray), Region 2 PAL (DVD)
Retail Price: 31,99 Euro (Germany)

"Sigismond (Joe Dallesandro) leads a happy life with his wife and child in the French provinces. But on a business trip to sinful Paris he meets the breathtakingly beautiful Emanuela (Sylvia Kristel). Fascinated by her appearance, he follows her and immediately falls under her spell. They begin a passionate affair and spend exciting hours together. But a letter from home changes everything and throws Sigismond completely off track." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 5/5 (Producer's Cut), 4.75/5 (Director's Cut)

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "This reconstruction of Walerian Borowczyk's original cut of "La Marge" restores scenes omitted from the producers cut along with the original French soundtrack mix."

La marge (Emanuela 77), the director's cut, comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 45.9 GB

Feature: 25.6 GB (Director's Cut), 18.6 GB (German Theatrical Version)

La marge (Emanuela 77), the producer's cut, comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 45.9 GB

Feature: 24 GB

This is the first time La Marge has been released in high definition, previously it had only been available on home media in analog formats. The sources for the director’s cut and the producer’s cut are comparable; they both look excellent. That said, there is a minor dip in quality for moments that are exclusive to the director’s cut. Colors look correct; image clarity, contrast, and black levels are solid. Also, compression is very good, and the image retains an organic look.

La marge (Emanuela 77), the producer's cut, comes on a dual layer DVD.

Disc Size: 7.1 GB

Audio: 4.5/5 (DTS-HD Mono French, DTS-HD Mono English)

This release comes with four audio options, two DTS-HD mono mixes in German, a DTS-HD mono mix in French, and a DTS-HD mono mix in English. For this review, I only listened to the French and English language tracks. Both audio tracks are in great shape; there are no issues with background hiss or sibilance issues. They both sound clear, balanced, and robust when they should. Included are removable German and English subtitles. Also, the English subtitles are for the French language track since they match up with character names.

Extras:

Extras on Blu-ray disc one include an image gallery (30 images - stills/German press book ), a theatrical trailer (2 minutes 35 seconds, LPCM mono German, no subtitles), alternate scenes from the UK version titled The Streetwalker (10 minutes 56 seconds, LPCM mono English, no subtitles), and the German theatrical version (86 minutes 31 seconds, 1.66:1 aspect ratio, DTS-HD mono German, no subtitles).

Extras on Blu-ray disc two include an image gallery (91 images - stills/German press book/posters/Japanese press book), an interview with Andre Heinrich and Noel Very (4 minutes 16 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo French with removable English subtitles), an interview with Noël Simsolo (7 minutes 55 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English with removable German subtitles), Diana Au’s Amsterdam (5 minutes 30 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English with removable English subtitles), a short film directed by Walerian Borowczyk titled Brief Von Paris (40 minutes 30 seconds, 1.33:1 aspect ratio, Dolby Digital mono with French text and removable German subtitles), and a documentary titled Obscure Pleasures: A Portrait of Walerian Borowczyk (63 minutes 13 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo French with removable German subtitles).  

Extras on a DVD include an image gallery (91 images - stills/German press book/posters/Japanese press book), a theatrical trailer (2 minutes 28 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo German, no subtitles), an interview with Andre Heinrich and Noel Very (4 minutes 5 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo French with removable English subtitles), an interview with Noël Simsolo (7 minutes 35 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English with removable German subtitles), Diana Au’s Amsterdam (5 minutes 16 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English with removable English subtitles), a short film directed by Walerian Borowczyk titled Brief Von Paris (38 minutes 50 seconds, 1.33:1 aspect ratio, Dolby Digital mono with French text and removable German subtitles), and a documentary titled Obscure Pleasures: A Portrait of Walerian Borowczyk (60 minutes 37 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo French with removable German subtitles).

Other extras include a 20-page booklet with an essay titled Im Spielraum Der Sünde (In the Scope of Sin) written by Marcus Stiglegger, Walerian Borowczyk filmography and information about Marcus Stiglegger.

Summary:

Directed by Walerian Borowczyk, an animator turned provocative filmmaker whose notable films include Goto, Isle of Love, Blanche, and The Beast.

A husband learns of the deaths of his son and his wife's suicide while on a business trip in Paris. Unable to come to terms with what has happened, he becomes obsessed with a prostitute who resembles his wife.

When discussing Walerian Borowczyk's cinema, we frequently bring up the provocative subject matter and abundant nudity. That said, some of his films transcend the erotic genre, notably La marge (Emanuela 77), a film that perfectly blends exposition and erotic moments. Also, La marge (Emanuela 77), like most of Walerian Borowczyk’s films, is a celebration of the female form.

Though the opening setup gives a brief glimpse into the protagonist's life with his wife and child, There is actually very little in the way of character development, and when it comes to characters the protagonist interacts with while in Paris, even less is revealed about them. Fortunately, this is easy to overlook since the performances of the two leads, Joe Dallesandro (Flesh for Frankenstein) and Sylvia Kristel (Emmanuelle), are outstanding in their respective roles. It also does not hurt that they have a tremendous amount of on-screen chemistry.

What starts off as a harmless fling quickly transforms into a coping mechanism for the protagonist. Instead of dealing with the loss of his child and wife, he loses himself in a relationship with a prostitute who resembles his dead wife. His grief becomes overwhelming, despite her temporarily filling the void left by his loss.

The soundtrack for La marge (Emanuela 77) is one area where it is different from most of Walerian Borowczyk's films, which feature classical music. Instead, the soundtrack for La Marge (Emanuela 77) features pop and rock songs, some credited and others uncredited. Notable songs include two by Elton John: Funeral for a Friend and Saturday Night's Alright (For Fighting), 10cc’s I’m Not in Love, and Pink Floyd’s Shine on You Crazy Diamond.

Walerian Borowczyk was a filmmaker who walked to the beat of his own drum; if he had any cinematic influences, they were not as in your face as most filmmakers. Also, despite a few missteps, Walerian Borowczyk makes a strong case for himself as an auteur. That said, the way in which he approached erotica in many ways is similar to that of Radley Metzger, a filmmaker who also pushed the boundaries of erotica.

From its opening moments, the narrative firmly grasps you, and by the time it reaches its bleak gut-punch final, you are as emotionally drained as the protagonist. Also, the narrative pacing does a phenomenal job building towards the finale. Ultimately, La marge (Emanuela 77) is an extraordinary exploration of loss and grief whose final moments linger on in your mind.

Plaion Pictures gives La marge (Emanuela 77) a strong release that comes with two English-friendly versions of the film, recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer