Film / Carry On Emmannuelle

Emile: Oh, but why me? You can have Tom, Dick or Harry!

Emmannuelle: I don't want Tom or 'Arry!

— Emile and Emmannuelle Prévert in bed together.

Carry On Emmannuelle is a 1978 Carry On film and the 30th in the series. It was the series' take on Awful British Sex Comedy films that were really popular at the time, such as the memorable Confessions of a... Series.

The movie stars Suzanne Danielle, Kenneth Williams, Kenneth Connor, Joan Sims, Jack Douglas, Peter Butterworth, Larry Dann, and Guest Star Beryl Reid. Danielle leads as the titular French-born Emmannuelle, who is returning to England to surprise her husband, the French Ambassador Emile Prévert (Williams), but not before getting busy with Theodore Valentine (Dann), another passenger on the flight, in the plane bathroom. When she meets up with her husband at his grand mansion, she immediately tries to have sex with him, only to have her advances rebuffed. Hilarity Ensues as Emmannuelle then decides to have lots of sex with lots of different men.

During her escapades, Emmannuelle slowly begins to win over her husband's disapproving servants - randy chauffeur Leyland (Connor), shrewish housekeeper Mrs. Dangle (Sims), officious butler Lyons (Douglas), and ancient bootboy Richmond (Butterworth) - while also having to deal with Theodore trying to win her over, despite his mother's (Reid) insistence that he's too young for love.

Emmannuelle was slated by anyone who watched it, and is unanimously agreed to be the series' Fanon Discontinuity. At least all the fans had accused the film of shark jumping, and the ones who didn't were never fans of the British sex comedies to begin with. Others were just hesitant after sitting through the Clip Show That's Carry On! and the embarrassment Carry On England, which was infamously withdrawn from cinema viewing after three days.

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Tropes included are:

• Accidental Misnaming: Emile and Emmannuelle's accent makes them call Lyons "Loins".
• Affectionate Parody: Of Emmanuelle, albeit this film's plot doesn't really have a whole lot in common with that one, other than it being focused around a diplomat's wife who enjoys having lots and lots of sex.
• Alliterative Name:
  • Harry Hernia.
  • Harold Hump.
• All There in the Script: Inverted, Field Marshal Hune and Admiral Sir John Hardiner were only known as "Ancient General" and "Admiral of the Fleet" in official cast lists.
• All Women Are Lustful: Emmannuelle definitely plays this straight, having sex with numerous men over the course of the film.
• All Women Are Prudes: Mrs. Dangle is quite sexually repressed, and the last of the servants to warm up to Emmannuelle.
• Ambiguously Bi: Admiral Hardiner is quite turned on when he thinks Emile is feeling up his wooden leg, yet later has sex with Emmannuelle.
• Ambiguous Syntax: The ITN newsreader gets the fate of the Soviet ambassador wrong when he forgets the word "a":
  ITN Newsreader: Because of the allegations, the Soviet ambassador today sought political asylum in the Soviet Union- (Beat) Beg your pardon. That should read "The Soviet ambassador today was sent to a political asylum in the Soviet Union".
• Ass Shove: Emile's lack of a sex drive was caused by a church spire going up his ass while he was skydiving nude with Emmannuelle.
• Attempted Rape: A German soldier tries to force himself on Richmond Disguised in Drag as a French girl.
• Attractive Bent-Gender: Richmond disguised as a French girl catches the eye of a German soldier, much to his horror.
• Auto Erotica: Leyland offers to eat out Emmannuelle in the backseat of the car.
• Awful British Sex Comedy: Much to the fanbase's annoyance. Carry On England had already delved somewhat into this territory, but at least also had a lot of jokes relating to the military. Here, the film doubles down entirely on the sex jokes.
• Babies Ever After: The film ends with Emmannuelle discovering that she is pregnant and decides to settle down to a faithful marriage with Emile... and dozens of children.
• Bigger Is Better in Bed: Leyland has this to say about Nelson's Column:
  Leyland: Lady 'Amilton 'ad it built to remember 'im by. Mind you, with a column like that, 'ow could she forget 'im?
• Big Ol' Eyebrows: Richmond has giant white bushy eyebrows.
• Blind Without 'Em: Theodore needs his glasses in order to see anything. When he loses them during his tryst with Emmannuelle, he lets her know he needs them back.
• Brief Accent Imitation:
  • Leyland adopts an American accent during the first part of Emmannuelle's tour around London.
  • Theodore imitates Harry Hernia's voice when talking to Emmannuelle on the phone.
• Bungled Suicide: After failing to win Emmannuelle, Theodore attempts to shoot himself. Somehow, he misses.
• But for Me, It Was Tuesday: Emmannuelle has so many flings, she doesn't remember most of them. This includes Theodore, who is quite upset about it:
  Emmannuelle: Oh well. I always forget their names long before I forget the important things.
• The Cameo: Eric Barker, who had appeared in three of the black and white Carry On films, returns to the series in the tiny role of Field Marshal Hune.
• Camp Gay: A flamboyant, flashily dressed man minces down the street with a limp wrist and flirts with a Sentry:
  Dandy: Hello there, Duckie.
• Censor Steam: Emmannuelle's nude body is covered by steam during her Shower Scene.
• Closet Shuffle: In the Flashback of Leyland telling the story of a blonde he met in the Tit and Sparrow, they go back to her flat to have sex, only to end up hiding in her closet as her husband comes home early.
• Cluster Bleep-Bomb: The ITN newsreader drops one when recalling the American ambassador's words:
  ITN Newsreader: The American ambassador said, "Why the (Bleep) don't you (Bleep) off and mind your own (Bleep) business?".
• *Crack!* "Oh, My Back!": Emmannuelle climbs onto Emile's back and cracks it, leaving him stiffly stuck in bed.
• Crazy Jealous Guy: Theodore is to Emmannuelle, to the point where he kidnaps her at gunpoint to keep her all to himself.
• Did Not Get the Girl: Despite Theodore's best efforts, he does not end up with Emmannuelle, who goes back to Emile in the end.
• Dirty Old Man: Leyland is quite a randy old sod, and the first of the servants to approve of Emmannuelle's trysts:
  Leyland: Cos I'm driving you now, you know, in a Daimler Pervertible. Aha-ha-ha. The 'ood doesn't go down, but the chauffeur does.
• Disappeared Dad: Theodore's father was mentioned to have run off with another woman.
• Disguised in Drag: After accidentally switching clothes with a French girl, Richmond keeps up the disguise until 1953 so he can stay living with Colette.
• Double Entendre: As Emmannuelle is arousing the steward on the Concorde, an impatient passenger asks him "Are you coming?".
• Driven to Suicide: Theodore tries to shoot himself after he fails to kidnap Emmannuelle.
• Europeans Are Kinky: Emmannuelle is sex crazy and ends up with practically a litter of children by the end of the film.
• Expository Theme Tune: "Love Crazy", which details Emmannuelle's love for sex:
  The woman is love crazy
  She's loving all night.
  The woman is love crazy
  Won't stop for a bite.
  The woman is love crazy
  She's out on her own.
  Sometimes I work so hard
  I wish she'd leave me alone!
• Fictional Document: Fu-Kung Sex, a novel Emmannuelle reads while tanning.
• Flashback:
  • When Leyland tells a story about meeting a blonde in a pub and going back to her flat to have sex, only to end up going it in her closet as her drunken sailor husband nearly catches them.
  • When Richmond tells a story about disguising himself as a French girl during the war.
  • When Lyons tells a story about his attempts to have it off with a girl at London Zoo.
  • When Mrs. Dangle tells a story about how she flirted with a man in a launderette.
  • When Emmannuelle tells a story about her and Emile having sex while skydiving.
• Gasshole: The American ambassador burps loudly at the dinner table.
• Going Commando: Dialogue in a Deleted Scene reveals Emmannuelle wasn't wearing a bra when leaving the airport:
  Customs Officer: Have you anything to declare?
  Emmannuelle: No. (Beat) Would you like to search me?
  Customs Officer: I don't think that will be necessary.
  Emmannuelle: I may have something hidden in my bra.
  Customs Officer: You're not wearing one.
  Emmannuelle: So I am not.
• How Do You Say:
  • Emmannuelle says it when describes Emile to the emigration officer:
    Emmannuelle: 'E is a very... 'ow you say... 'igh-up man.
  • Emmannuelle says it again on The Hump Report:
    Harold Hump: Do you share the philosophy of certain other ladies who have said that by making love to many people, they are expanding the frontiers of human relationship?
    Emmannuelle: No. This is... 'ow you say... bull-sheet!
• Inconsistent Spelling: Some sources use an "é" for Kenneth Williams' character, which would make him "Émile" rather than "Emile".
• Incredibly Conspicuous Drag: Richmond of all people somehow manages to pass himself off as a French girl for at least nine years without anyone noticing.
• Interrupted Intimacy:
  • Happens to Lyons and a girl at London Zoo when they realise they are about to have sex in a gorilla enclosure. The two then try to find another place to have it off and interrupt a different couple.
  • The article on Emmannulle's escapades mentions her "coitus interruptus" when having sex with the Prime Minister.
• Ironic Name: Harry Hernia certainly is one for a bodybuilder as they would want to avoid hernias.
• Irony: The emigration officer (an Indian-born man) claims that he cannot let any foreigners into Britain who are trying to get in illegally... all while looking very uncomfortable.
• Kinky Spanking: One of Emmannuelle's sexual experiences involved her being spanked by the Minister of Sport.
• Lohengrin and Mendelssohn: Part of "Love Crazy" samples "Mendelssohn".
• Malaproper: Mrs. Dangle can't pronounce "pornographic":
  Mrs. Dangle: Gordon Bennett! They're having a phonographic orgy!
• Making Love in All the Wrong Places:
  • Leyland and the blonde from the pub make love in her wardrobe.
  • Richmond and a French girl have it off in a bush, and then a German soldier tries to have Richmond in the same bush.
  • Lyons and a girl at London Zoo try to have sex in the gorilla enclosure.
  • Emile and Emmannuelle have sex while skydiving.
• Marshmallow Hell: Emmannuelle tries to get Emile to put his face in her cleavage when in bed with him:
  Emmannuelle: Come, bury your 'ead in my bosom.
  Emile: Ooh, no, I should have to keep coming up for air.
• Meaningful Name: Theodore Valentine is a hopeless romantic.
• Mile-High Club: Emmannuelle first meets Theodore on a Concorde flight. It takes less than five minutes after their meeting for her to get with him in the airplane toilet.
• Ms. Fanservice: For all of the movie's faults, Suzanne Danielle's Emmannuelle was a worthy torchbearer of the sexiness of Sylvia Kristel's original Emmanuelle.
• Mummy's Boy: Theodore still lives with his mother, who fusses over him like an old hen:
  Theodore: I think I'm in love!
  Mrs. Valentine: Oh! Nonsense! You're far too young.
  Theodore: I'm thirty-four. (Beat) And a half!
• My Beloved Smother: Mrs. Valentine still babies her son despite him being a grown man, even tucking him into bed!
• My Local: Leyland's local pub is the Tit and Sparrow up Camden Passage.
• No Full Name Given:
  • We don't get to know Colette's last name.
  • The same can be said for Leyland, Lyons, Mrs. Dangle, Richmond, Mrs. Valentine, and Field Marshal Hune's first names.
• Mythology Gag: Eric Rogers reuses his composition of "The Stripper" from Carry On Behind (which itself previously came from Doctor in Trouble) for Mrs. Dangle's launderette Flashback scene.
• One-Steve Limit: The film features characters called Harry Hernia and Harold Hump.
• Out-of-Context Eavesdropping: While Emile watches a Harry Hernia workout video, Lyons and Mrs. Dangle listen in on him and think he's with another man:
  Harry Hernia: Now, raise your legs in the air.
  Emile: Ooh! No, I feel it!
  Mrs. Dangle: Who's he got in there?
  Lyons: I don't know, I can't see.
• Overcrank: When Mrs. Dangle and a man embrace each other in the launderette, the footage slows down to make the moment feel more romantic.
• The Peeping Tom: Lyons watches Emile and Emmannuelle get amorous through the keyhole of their bedroom door, and is joined by Mrs. Dangle, Richmond, and Leyland.
• Plot Hole: Emmannuelle somehow knows Leyland's name before meeting him.
• Posthumous Character: Henry, the late husband of Mrs. Dangle.
• Product Placement: A poster for Mackeson beer is visible outside the Tit and Sparrow. To make it even more obvious, publicity stills of Kenneth Connor and Claire Davenport posing by the poster were taken on set.
• Punny Name:
  • Mrs. Dangle. Whatever "dangle" refers to is up to the viewer.
  • Leyland's local pub is the Tit and Sparrow.
  • Harold Hump.
  • Emile and Emmannuelle Prévert.
• Really Gets Around: Emmannuelle spends the entire film having as much sex as possible with as many different men as she can find:
  Emmannuelle: Today, I made love to fourteen soldiers, twenty-one sailors, and sixteen airmen. The Prime Minister announced that the moral of the defense forces 'as never been 'igher!
• Running Gag: Lyons and Mrs. Dangle spying on Emile and Emmannuelle through keyholes.
• Same Language Dub: Howard Nelson (as Harry Hernia) was dubbed by Kenneth Connor.
• Scatterbrained Senior: Richmond is incredibly old, stone deaf, and seems to live in his own little world most of the time.
• Sexy Discretion Shot:
  • Emmannuelle and the Police Commissioner having sex cuts to the New Scotland Yard sign swinging back and forth.
  • Emmannuelle and the Lord Chief Justice having sex cuts to a Lady Justice statue having its sword go limp and its scales tip.
  • Emmannuelle and the American ambassador having sex cuts to an eagle statue coming to life and flying away.
  • Emmannuelle and Lyons having sex cuts to a steaming kettle.
• Sexy Shirt Switch: Richmond and a French girl accidentally switch clothes after they have sex, leading to the French girl now in a British uniform being captured by the Germans.
• Shirtless Scene:
  • Emmannuelle takes Emile's shirt off when she tries to get frisky with him.
  • Leyland takes off his shirt in his Flashback with the blonde from the pub.
  • Emile takes off his shirt when he and Emmannuelle strip while skydiving.
  • Several of the football players take their shirts off when they take their turns having it off with Emmannuelle.
  • Emmannuelle takes off Harold Hump's shirt when she appears on The Hump Report.
  • Emile takes off his shirt when visiting the doctor.
• Shout-Out:
  • The opening scene with Emmannuelle and Theodore joining the Mile-High Club is a direct parody of a scene from the original Emmanuelle film. Also, later on, Leyland tells Emmannuelle she'll have people queuing up trying to get the film rights for her stories.
  • When Richmond asks what he'll see when he peeks through Emile's bedroom keyhole:
    Richmond: 'Ere, what am I goin' to see?
    Lyons: Well, it certainly won't be The Muppet Show.
    Richmond: Ooh hoo hoo! Is it, uh, is it Starsky & 'Utch?
    Mrs. Dangle: If you ask me, it's more like Starkers & Crutch!
  • When Leyland asks what's the matter with a twitching Richmond, Mrs. Dangle calls it "what the butler saw". A reporter also later asks Lyons to "tell us what the butler saw" when trying to get information on Emmannuelle's affairs.
  • Leyland watches Emile and Emmannuelle in bed through a keyhole and compares the sight to "Snow White meets The Incredible Shrinking Man".
  • When Mrs. Valentine asks Theodore if he's at the door, he asks her if she was expecting General Amin.
  • Emmannuelle tells Emile that nudity is natural, so he protests that even Adam and Eve had a fig leaf.
  • Emmannuelle quotes Ernest Hemingway in her skydiving Flashback.
  • The Hump Report is based on The Frost Report.
• Shower Scene: Emmannuelle goes for a shower and tries to get Theodore to join her.
• Show Within a Show: The Hump Report, which Emmannuelle is interviewed on concerning her various affairs.
• Something Else Also Rises:
  • The nose of the Concorde bends up during Emmannuelle and Theodore's tryst.
  • The Arabian ambassador's prayer beads flick up when Emmannuelle grasps his legs from under a table.
  • When Emmannuelle feels up Field Marshal Hune under a table, the shot cuts to a cannon firing.
• Stalker with a Crush: Theodore has a quickie with Emmannuelle on the Concorde that she all but forgets about. He becomes obsessed with her, sending her flowers, following her around, even resorting to kidnapping.
• Steven Ulysses Perhero: Leyland, a chauffeur, shares his name with a former vehicle manufacturing company.
• Stock Footage:
  • The shot of the cannon that goes off when Emmannuelle feels up Field Marshal Hune's legs.
  • The various shots of animals having sex when Lyons visits London Zoo.
• Straight Gay: A Sentry winks at a dandy who flirts with him.
• Strip Poker: One of Emmannuelle's trysts involved a game of strip Monopoly.
• Tagline: "When it comes to Foreign 'Affairs' it's...".
• Time Skip: The final scene cuts ahead to the end of Emmannuelle's pregnancy when her babies are delivered.
• Title Theme Drop: "Love Crazy" plays when Emmannuelle tries to seduce a Sentry, and again when she reads while tanning.
• Undercrank: Played for laughs in classic Carry On fashion.
  • When Leyland and the blonde from the pub strip down to their underwear.
  • When Richmond runs away from the German soldier.
  • When Emmannuelle runs up and down the stairs to get quickly changed for the football match.
• "Ugly American" Stereotype: The American ambassador is a more low-key example, noisily burping at dinner.
• Ugly Guy, Hot Wife: The aged and wrinkled Emile has the sexy young sexpot Emmannuelle for a wife.
• Verbal Backspace: Emile stumbles over his words when Lyons catches him in bed with Emmannuelle:
  Emile: I was having a work-up. I mean I was getting worked out! Having a workout!
• Visual Pun:
  • The nose of the Concorde bending upwards when Emmannuelle gets Theodore into the toilets for a quick shag.
  • When the Master of the Rolls is introduced, he is eating a dinner roll.
• Walking Shirtless Scene: Harry Hernia never wears a shirt at any point in the film.
• Waving Signs Around: A Deleted Scene saw the men of Britain picketing to "import more Emmannuelles", because one woman couldn't satisfy them all.
• Writing Around Trademarks: The film ran into legal troubles with the producers of the Emmanuelle films over the use of the name. Their solution? Spell it with an extra N as Emmannuelle.

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