Emmanuelle and the Last Cannibals - Joe D'Amato

Why do people watch exploitation films? This is a question I've asked myself countless times. For me, it falls down to watching an hour and a half of what would traditionally be filler material for that scene in which you either want to throw up or are so shocked that you can't sleep for the rest of the night. I am starting to realize that this type of film is getting very old, yet the exploitation films now pale in comparison to those made during the seventies -- it seemed that the 70s were a period of decadence and no limitations and that was, perhaps, a reflection of the times, especially in the United States. This film is a clear example of the exploitative nature that fits in so tightly during this decade(and no, I am not being literal here!). This feature was derived from an already existing convention found in the relatively softcore Emmanuelle films, that of a character who searches for the greatest sexual pleasure around the globe and I remember seeing the first two films in the series and getting increasingly bored as the sequels progressed. I wonder if the Rochelle Rochelle ("A Woman's Journey from Milan to Minsk") piece in Seinfield was inspired by the Emmanuelle series. These films, however, were soon divided into two separate categories: the softcore remained and the films continued on in name only (they didn't really address the sexual philosophies of the first few anymore) or the name became an a vehicle for ridiculous exploitation and henceforth, Joe D'Amato and Laura Gemser (also known as Black Emmanuelle) grabbed onto the helms of bad taste and gave it a go. D'Amato had a reputation for greed and would essentially do anything, I mean anything, to make a quick buck, including breaking every film director mantra as often as possible. This story is self-explanatory in all senses of the word so there is no need to break it down. This film is cheap, racist, sexist, and breaks every taboo that one can imagine, yet there is obviously an audience for these 'classics,' it's just a shame that the early Emmanuelle series of films could be turned into such drivel and be associated with such tripe. In defence of D'Amato, however, he did produce a small number of classics (Buio Omega comes to mind) during his lifetime yet will always remain the exploiter in many people's eyes, and I think that is easily justified.