I'm sitting at a local theater next to my friend, Jack, waiting for the curtains to part and the movie to start. The movie is Emmanuelle, a film that has received quite a bit of notoriety already. I've heard all sorts of things about it, about how it was banned in France, and that it has become something of a rage d'outre throughout the world. Certainly, the newspaper advertisements make it look more than interesting: a gorgeous woman fingers her lips with one hand, while the other hand holds her beads. The image is mysterious, in the shadows. And the adline is great: "X Was Never Like This."

Soon, we realize the ad is right. Emmanuelle is a knockout, the story of a young and naive French woman's sensual odyssey in Bangkok. Emmanuelle is played by Sylvia Kristel, a shapely, intriguing woman with pouty lips and perfectly shaped breasts. She is absolutely alluring as she moves from a bewildered young wife of a diplomat to lover of her female explorer friend, Bee, to the discoverer of ultimate fulfillment with Mario, an ageless master of erotic delights.

An ad-line could have never been truer, for Emmanuelle has since been dusted offthe shelf for three official sequels and at least a dozen unofficial sequels, and none of them hold a, er, candle to the original. The unofficial follow-ups, which feature an exotic, European beauty named Laura Gemser, spell the heroine's name "Emanuelle" (with one "M"), and set her on sexual adventures around the world. Some of the better ones, like Emanuelle Around the World, have their moments, with Gemser's solid body and globe-trotting photography their highlights.

Which brings us to the latest, Emmanuelle IV. This time it seems that the producers and director Giacobatti have finally discovered one of the reasons why the original worked so well: the heroine was young, innocent, naive. Part of the thrill was seeing her open up sexually. So this time out, they've decided to bank on a gimmick—bring on a new young, innocent, naive Emmanuelle.

Not bad, although the route they've taken is a bit absurd. Think about it. What could they have done to introduce a new Emmanuelle short of forgetting Sylvia Kristel ever walked the face of the earth? Well, let's see. She could have had a sister or a cousin or a niece. Or she could have told somebody her secrets of sexual fulfillment (surreptitiously, of course) back in episode #2. Now that person is ready to take on the guise of a new Emmanuelle.

Well, a big 'no' to all of these. Sylvia, still an attractive woman, has weathered three of these films, as well as Private Lessons and an Airport movie. She's getting a little rough around the edges. So now she decides to have plastic surgery that will transform her into a totally new woman, a woman who has yet to live the sexual experiences of Emmanuelle.

But the plastic surgery not only transforms Emmanuelle into a petite, lovely woman with model looks (now played by Mia Nygren), but makes her a virgin as well. WOW!! This doctor could make lots of money with this technique!

Sylvia is on hand for the early pre-transformation parts of the film and also for some flashbacks, then Mia takes over. After the surgery, she appears confused about the entire state of affairs, so a beautiful female psychiatrist is appointed to take care of her. Guess what happens.

Mia is beautiful, with a lean, semi-muscular physique, perfectly shaped breasts (on the small side) and a cute face that matches Kristel's poutiness with perkiness. But this movie is so deadly dull, her luminous beauty gets clouded by dumb dialogue and lifeless sexual encounters. The film is set in Brazil, and more time is devoted to picturesque sunsets than sexual foreplay. Wheneversomething interesting in the story turns up—a trip to a strange, mystical party that features interracial couplings and Emmanuelle's potentially eventful liaison with her doctor—we shift to the next scenic setting.

The film was made with the intention of getting an 'R' or Soft 'X' rating, but the sex scenes are atypically mild for an Emmanuelle outing. I'm wondering if this is not the original theatrical version, but, instead, a watered-down cable version. Besides the obligatory female nudity, Emmanuelle has little to offer in terms of thrills.