SYLVIA KRISTEL: FROM EMMANUELLE TO CHABROL
Hardcover Book + Dust Jacket
Author: Jeremy Richey
Publisher: Cult Epics
Sylvia Kristel: From Emmanuelle to Chabrol is a gorgeous illustrated coffee-table book that focuses a particaurly fertile period in the career of the late Dutch cult-film icon Sylvia Kristel, covering 22 of her films that were made during an eight year period spanning 1973 - 1981. The hefty oversized, coffee-table hardcover book measures a whopping 12 x 10" whose 340-pages are stuffed with fully illustrated with over 200 images of poster art, and press photos; including rare and previously unpublished in book form pictures edited by Cult Epics' Nico B., and it comes with an exclusive dustjacket with a photo of Kristel that is different from the photo that adorns the hardcover book, both are absolutely captivating.
It was the success of Just Jaeckin's softcore erotic classic Emmanuelle (1974) that brought Kristel to the attention of film-going masses, but that film, which proved to be a double-edged bit of notoriety, as it became an albatross that followed her throughout her career. Even to this day many casual film fans are not aware of the bulk of her work or that Kristel appeared in over 20 films between 1973-1981, working with some of the great directors of cinema including titans like Walerian Borowczyk, Alain Robbe-Grillet, Roger Vadim and Claude Chabrol. Sylvia’s eclectic career is spotlighted and archived as never before in this deep-diving book, featuring new and never-before-translated to English interviews with Just Jaeckin, Pim de la Parra, Robert Fraisse, Joe Dallesandro, among others, who offer candid and intimate accounts straight from those who collaborated with Kristel during this lush period of her career.
The titanic tome starts off with a Publisher's Note by Nico B., an Author's Note from Richey, and an Introduction that begins begins with the day Kristel died, all of which set-up the amount of love and adoration that's poured into this book, as well as defining the intentionally non-comprehensive scope of the book and the specific era it covers, We're then treated to The Early Years: A Brief Bio that covers Kristel's early life as a bright but introverted young girl, her love of music (The Beatles loomed large) and her early knack for performance, and how she was enthralled by Brigitte Bardot (who wasn't?), and her entry into the Dutch film word. This is followed by Dutch Cinema From the Fifties to the Early Seventies that sets the stage for what the Dutch film scene was like leading up to her movie debut.
The films are covered in sequential order, starting off with her early Dutch film roles in Frank & Eva, Because of the Cats, and Naked over the Fence, the European films Emmanuelle, Julia, No Pockets in a Shroud, Playing with Fire, Emmanuelle II, Une Femme fidèle, La Marge, Alice, Rene the Cane, Goodbye Emmanuelle, Pastorale 1943, Mysteries, Tigers in Lipstick, The Fifth Musketeer, Love in First Class, Lady Chatterley’s Lover, and the later American films The Concorde…. Airport ’79, The Nude Bomb, Private Lessons; we even get mention of her lesser known musical career, and a dedicated chapter that digs into the dozens of unmade films the actress had either been connected to or outright declined, including some high profile roles in 007 films, plus passing on the Dino De Laurentiis produced King Kong (1976). I particularly enjoyed the quotes from Kristel pertaining to these unmade films as she gets into why she passed, and sometimes regretted those choices, recognizing that they might have bolstered her career.
Each dissection of the 22-films includes the English and original language titles where possible, cast and crew information, a brief synopsis, and an extended and thorough examination of the films, bolstered with interviews from cast and directors who worked with her, offering candid insights into each film, the production, and their reception, as well as Kristel's own thought on the films. Every page is splashed with eye-catching images of Kristel plus original poster artwork, lobby cards, and promotional stills.
As a fan of what I've seen thus far from Kristel, and a cult film fan in general, I found it quite an enriching read from cover to cover. I'm a bit ashamed that I have only seen less than half of the 22 films detailed within it, but thanks to the interest generated by Richey's book and the continuing Sylvia Kristel output from Cult Epics, I do hope to eventually set eyes on the remainder of these movies. Richey's passion for the Kristel filmography, and this period specifically, is absolutely catching. If you're a Kristel fan and/or are just curious about this incredibly fertile period of the actresses career, this hefty tome comes highly recommended, its a proper tribute to the ethereal beauty and undefinable spark of the late Sylvia Kristel who lit up the screen with her charm and freckled sexiness.
You can also order a Deluxe Boxset version of the book which includes exclusive packaging plus the 4-disc Sylvia Kristel 1970s Collection (1974-1978) Blu-ray companion set, which containing four of the films detailed in the book, with exclusive posters direct from www.cultepics.com - or order the Blu-ray set separately.
