While a new adaptation of Emmanuelle Arsan’s novel ‘Emmanuelle’, directed by Audrey Diwan and starring actress Noémie Merlant, premiered in September 2024, it is worth recalling the famous film released exactly half a century earlier. The lead role was then played by Dutch-born Sylvia Kristel. When the film came out in 1974, its success was, to put it mildly, unexpected. Telling the story of the sexual misadventures of a diplomat’s wife in Bangkok, ‘Emmanuelle’ caused a sensation in French cinemas, attracting nearly 9 million viewers. International success soon followed.
Inspired by the popularity of pseudo-documentary films such as Helga, or the Intimate Lives of Young Women (1968), which drew 4 million viewers, and later by Last Tango in Paris with its infamous butter scene, Yves Rousset-Rouard conceived the idea of creating an elegant and erotic fantasy. He chose to adapt Arsan’s 1959 novel Emmanuelle and entrusted the project to Just Jaeckin, a well-known cinematographer but an inexperienced director.
As the era was liberal enough, the film escaped censorship and premiered in France on June 26, 1974. It became a genuine social phenomenon, representing a turning point in moral liberation in post-1968 France. Its success was such that the UGC Triomphe cinema on the Champs-Élysées in Paris screened it for 533 consecutive weeks—a clear sign that audiences wanted more.
The Film’s Impact on Sylvia Kristel’s Life
The role of the unrestrained heroine went to 21-year-old Dutch model Sylvia Kristel, then unknown in cinema. On screen she appeared carefree, easily yielding to pleasure. In reality, she struggled with filming intimate scenes and would drink before each take to calm her nerves. Her salary for the role was meager. Nevertheless, her character allowed many women to express their own sexuality. Sylvia Kristel became a true symbol of female emancipation and never managed to free herself from the image. She reprised the role in four sequels, and it stayed with her forever.
The release of Emmanuelle left a profound mark on her life. The fantasy of the 1970s, Kristel received countless marriage proposals, and the then-president of Brazil even wanted to present her with the keys to São Paulo. But her career quickly lost momentum: she was cast in endless Emmanuelle parodies, low-quality TV shows, and absurd horror films. Still, her work with Roger Vadim (The True Woman, 1976) and Claude Chabrol (Alice or the Last Escapade, 1977) deserves recognition.
Sylvia Kristel’s Fate
Later, Kristel’s life took a tragic turn. In her personal life, she sought refuge in alcohol and drugs after meeting actor Ian McShane, who led her into a destructive relationship and once allegedly abused her so severely that she miscarried. Chaotic affairs followed one after another.
She was romantically linked to French president Valéry Giscard d’Estaing, and in 1975 she had a son, Arthur, with Belgian children’s author Hugo Claus. By her own admission, she was hardly present in his upbringing: while she kept filming endless Emmanuelle sequels, her son was left to raise himself. She deeply regretted this later in life.
Kristel married twice—first to real estate tycoon Allan Turner, and later to director Philippe Blot, who left her financially ruined after their divorce. In 2004, she suddenly lost her partner, Freddy de Vree, and was left alone. In 2006, she published her autobiography Nude (Naakt), dedicating it to her son.
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Kristel began smoking at the age of 11, which led to a lifelong addiction. She was later diagnosed with throat cancer (some reports cite lung cancer) and liver metastases. After undergoing another round of chemotherapy, she suffered a stroke and passed away a few months later, on October 17, 2012, at the age of 60, alone.
