The Carry On films had been declining in popularity for some years now. Carry On Behind (1975) was the last good Carry On but it bombed at the box office charts as did the truly awful Carry On England (1976). Times had changed and the saucy seaside postcard humour of the Carry On's had become old-fashioned, especially as the smutty and far more explicit Confessions Of A... and Adventures Of A... films were scoring favourably in the Box Office ratings.In one last blatant attempt to revive the series flagging momentum, producer Peter Rodgers and director Gerald Thomas turned to the subject of the French soft-porn film series, Emanuelle. A lot of the regulars such as Hattie Jaques, Charles Hawtrey and Barbara Windsor had left the series some years before whilst the late, great Sid James died in 1976, therefore leaving a big gap in the series that couldn't and never will be filled.The regulars that are present for this final installment of the series are the outrageously camp Kenneth Williams (who delivers a dire French accent throughout), the ever reliable Joan Sims, as well as Kenneth Connor, Peter Butterworth and Jack Douglas (who became a regular in the series in the early seventies) and they all look a noticeably lot older. Suzanne Danielle is in the title role as the promiscuous Emmanuelle and is fairly engaging in her role but not even having the sheer brilliance of Kenneth Williams manages to save this completely awful film. Interest wanes after just fifteen minutes as the film falls flat on its face with no sense of direction. The capable cast all struggle against a script that is awash with juvenile smut and jokes that all had been heard countless times in previous entries.The only scene that manages to ignite and raise a chuckle is when the gang are all discussing their most amorous experiences. Joan Sims recalls hers being in a laundrette where she spots a man she is immediately attracted to. They then use their laundry to act out their sexual fantasies. This scene is played out to perfection and you really have to see it to understand what I mean. But one good scene is hardly enough reason to watch this! The film was an unsurprising flop at cinemas and it served as the final nail in the coffin. The cast all seem to be on auto-pilot and probably wished they were doing something better. This film is the one that barley anybody had seen until it was released on video in the early 1990's, whilst on TV it has only been shown late at night. An absolute mess and one that is best forgotten! A sad end to a much-loved series.Ian Phillips

A late period Carry On film, this one stars Suzanne Danielle in her debut performance as Emmanuelle, the wife of an ambassador (Kenneth Williams) and her very sexual ways. She becomes a member of the mile high club and, once in London, seems to bed down any man who breathes. I know its a send up of the Emmanuelle films, but it doesn't quite have the zaniness and laughter of a Carry On film. Ms. Danielle is attractive and often scantily clad, but you really don't care after a while. Kenneth Williams does his best, and he is always good, but the film doesn't really keep your interest. You miss the late Sid James, who passed away before this film was made, he could have made it a better film. Not the worst Carry on, but unless you are a Carry On completist, I don't recommend it.

Sweet, but insatiable French nymphomaniac Emmannuelle (a charming and vibrant performance by foxy brunette knockout Suzanne Danielle) comes to London, England to live with her impotent gay French ambassador husband Emile Prevert (broadly overplayed with eye-rolling campy relish by Kenneth Williams). Emmannuelle soon starts sleeping around with a vast assortment of fellows and winds up gaining considerable notoriety in the press for her unabashed carnal exploits. Director Gerald Thomas, working from a blithely silly script by Lance Peters, maintains a light, bouncy tone and a snappy pace throughout. Danielle brings a winning blend of saucy sexiness and adorable innocence to the role of giddy free spirit Emmannuelle. The rest of the game cast essay their wacky parts with tremendous cheeky aplomb: Kenneth Connor as hearty chauffeur Leyland, Jack Douglas as stuffy butler Lyons, Joan Sims as uptight maid Ms. Dangle, Peter Butterworth as near deaf old fuddy dud Richmond, Larry Dann as bumbling smitten twit Theodore Valentine, Beryl Reid as Theodore's smothering, overprotective mother Mrs. Valentine, and Henry McGhee as newscaster Harry Hump. This movie delivers a delightful wealth of hilariously bawdy puns and equally sidesplitting raunchy jokes about such things as sex in airplane bathrooms and closets, men in drag, picking up guys in launderettes, and Emmannuelle making love to all the members of a soccer team. Sure, this picture is complete smutty dross, but it's way too amiable in its good-natured naughtiness to either resist or dislike. A real goofy hoot.

Carry On Emmannuelle (1978) * 1/2 (out of 4) British comedy has Emmannuelle (Suzanne Danielle) going to stay with her upper class husband and having to teach all the workers what it means to be sexual. I recently bought a "Grindhouse 20-Film Collection", which features ten double-features and this film was shown with the one above but I guess the company didn't watch the film before including it. If you're wanting any sleaze or trash then you're not going to find it here but there are a few funny moments but a lot of the comedy is so far over the top that it comes off very force and juvenile. This was my first film from the "Carry On" series, which started in 1958.