With my new book out, Susanna’s Affairs, I’ve gone back and read and re-watched Emmanuelle, where much of my inspiration came from. I was somewhat surprised by how erotic the movie actually was, and while the book was also pretty steamy it kind of lost me in the middle.
If you haven’t read the book or seen the movie, I suggest starting with the film and then deciding if you want to read more. The general story is about a young married French woman who moves to Thailand to join her husband at the Embassy. She meets other ex-pats, has some affairs (with both men and women) and of course makes love to her husband fairly regularly. And of course, all of it is done with his knowledge, establishing a somewhat odd, but interesting open marriage. While not what most of us think of as polyamory, the movie (and book) manage to avoid the typical drama that usually ensues from such an arrangement.
I guess what I found most interesting (other than how damn hot the movie actually is) was how they managed to make a movie about sexual discovery and exploration within the context of a marriage. Normally these things happen to single people with an inevitable end of coupling which puts a stop to the exploration. But in this case, the relationship is there from the beginning, which works delightfully well.
The other thing about the movie is that it’s beautiful. The clothes, the scenery, the people, and the houses are stunningly gorgeous and it’s hard to look away. And considering how much sex is happening (in wonderfully complicated ways) it’s pretty damn enjoyable.
The book and the movie both have a plot line of an older man taking Emanuelle under his wing in order to teach her about her own sexuality, and of course that’s the part I found most problematic and challenging. It works better in the movie, mostly because it moves along fairly quickly. In the book, however, we’re stuck with sixty pages of mansplaining “The Erotic” in ways that I frankly found difficult to follow.
For Susanna’s Affairs, I decided to let my heroine take a younger woman under her wing instead. I suppose my readers can decide if that’s just as problematic, but hopefully, they find it engaging, and of course hot.
All that said I recommend watching the movie if you get a change. And I hope you’ll give my new book a chance as well.
Here are some shots from the film to give you a sense of just how lush it all is.